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BM-13 Katysha Multiple Rocket Launcher

During the Great Patriotic War the BM-13 Katysha multiple launch rocket system gained immortal glory as a symbol of Soviet artillery power. During WWII the most suitable BM-13 platform was Lend-Lease Studebaker truck. The placement of the launcher on ZIL-151 platform was one of the first attempts to improve the Katysha after the end of WWII. The ZIL-151 platform had high cross-country capabilities and was domesticafly produced. The BM-13 was subsequently deployed on the on ZIL-157 platform. BM-13 was equipped with M-8 82mm rockets or M-13UK 132mm rockets launched from a joist type system. The spiral type lifting mechanism was hand-driven and permitted firing 16 rockets from 8 guiding tubes. Two jacks, located at the vehicle rear, were set against the soil before firing to discharge the back axles springs and to stabilize the platform.

‘Katyusha’ was the first Russian mobile repeating payload rocket system of volley fire which combined in it rocket missiles, launching shoes, devices for gunfire control and transport means. Self-propelled mounting on automobiles were called a fighting vehicle of the rocket artillery. The repeating payload of the vehicle allowed hitting the target at significant distances. As to the volley fire, it ensured the suddenness and high efficiency of damage and moral influence over the enemy. The BM-13 fighting vehicle had 16 tracks for launching of M-13 missiles each of them weighting 42 kg and flying as far as 8 470 m.

On December 25, 1939 the M-13 132 mm rocket missile and the launching shoe named ‘BM-13’ were approved by the Red Army Artillery Department. NII-3 was ordered to produce 5 such launching shoes and a lot of rocket missiles for military tests.

On the eve of the Great Patriotic War the Soviet naval and coastal artillery were first issued the excellent 130-mm gun. This was subsequently used as an antitank-gun and as a field gun and finally in a self-propelled-variant. Also just before the war, in the spring of 1941, a highly successful rocket launcher was developed in the U.S.S.R. This was the BM-13, which could fire sixteen 130-mm rockets simultaneously. It later became known to the Soviet army as the 'Katyusha' and to the Germans as the "Stalin Organ." Naturally, the existence of both the gun and the rocket launcher were kept entirely secret.

In the first days of June 1941, the new rocket launcher was shown to members of the Politburo in Comrade Stalin 's presence. However, it was not fired, because artillery shells instead of rockets had been delivered to the test range. The mistake was understandable, in view of the great zeal with which secrecy was being preserved-how could the ordnance officers possibly have known of the existence of the 130-mm rockets, which bore no resemblance to artillery shells?

Knowing Comrade Stalin, those present assumed that everyone responsible for this mistake would be shot immediately. However, Comrade Stalin told the Chekists not to get involved and went back to Moscow. The second demonstration took place-on 21 June at Solnechnogorsk. This time everything proceeded very well. Comrade Stalin was delighted with the rocket launcher. Then and there, on the range, he signed an order authorizing its issue to the Soviet army. However he directed that, henceforth, in order to avoid confusion, the rockets should be referred to as 132-mm, not as 130-mm. Accordingly, while the-rocket launcher continued to be known as the BM-13 (13-cm being 130mm), the rockets were, henceforth, referred to, despite their true caliber, as 132-mm. That very night the war began.

In the end of June 1941 near Moscow was formed the first independent experimental rocket artillery battery under the commandment of Captain I.A. Flyorov. On July 14, 1941 near the junction Orsha and at Orshitsa River crossing it made its first volleys at the enemy. On this day the German commandment received a panic-stricken report from the front: ‘The Russians used a battery with the unusual number of guns. The troops fired by Russians evidence: the fire volley is like a hurricane. The losses are quite impressive’.

The ‘Katyusha’ bombardment results were so impressive that by September there had been produced seven more batteries. In August of 1941 the Chief Headquarters made a decision to form eight regiments of rocket artillery armed with BM-8 and BM-13 launching shoes.

In 1942, the design of the rockets was modernized and their grouping capability and destructive effect were-improved. In the process, they became slightly thicker, and their caliber was increased to 132-mm - thus coming to match their designation.

The rocket artillery was actively used at the most important sectors of the Soviet-German front and had a great influence on the course of the military actions. On the Army orders during the war had been developed various types of rocket missiles and launching shoes (BM-13-SN, BM-48, BM31-12, etc.). in July 1941 – December 1944 the Soviet industry had produced over 10 000 ‘Katyusha’ fighting vehicles and over 12 million of rocket missiles for them.

The first serial BM-13-16 were carried out on the domestic ZIS-6 chassis. In the future, other basic machines of domestic and foreign production were also used. So, at the beginning of 1942, the installation of rocket launchers on trucks, received under Lend-Lease, began. In this process, more than 15-17 types of equipment were used at different times, but the Studebaker US13 car quickly became the main carrier of the M-16-6.

At the end of the war, the basis of the fleet of rocket launchers was made up of vehicles based on the "Studebaker", which was facilitated by their mass production. BM-13-16 in other configurations, incl. on domestic chassis were available in smaller quantities. Rocket installations were retained on other media as well. In addition, the troops had launchers for shells of several other types.

Thus, after the war, the Red Army had a fairly large fleet of guards mortars, but it had a number of problems. The main thing was chassis ununification. In addition, most of the equipment was built on foreign trucks, which further complicated the operation and supply of spare parts. Within a reasonable time frame, the American US6 chassis should have been replaced by a domestic vehicle with the same characteristics.

Rocket mortars BM-13 and other models at that time were considered as modern effective weapons capable of inflicting significant damage to the enemy. At the same time, it was considered necessary to develop new systems of this class with increased characteristics. "Katyushas" and other samples had to remain in service until such a replacement appeared - and this was the second reason for modernization.

The first attempt at such a modernization was made already in 1947. The BM-13N type combat vehicle mod. 1943 was rebuilt using the latest ZIS-150 truck. According to known data, no more than 12-15 of these machines were built, after which the work stopped. This technique was repeatedly demonstrated at parades, but, for obvious reasons, could not affect the operational characteristics of rocket artillery in general.

Taking into account the accumulated experience in 1949, they developed and adopted the BM-13NN or 52-U-941B combat vehicle. This time, the ZIS-151 three-axle all-wheel drive chassis was used. Together with the launcher and other target units, the car received folding flaps for the cab and protection of the gas tank. As a result of such modernization, it was possible to achieve a noticeable increase in the main characteristics, including operational ones.

According to reports, the production of new BM-13NN was carried out using units of old combat vehicles. The launcher and other parts were removed from the BM-13 on an outdated base, repaired and fixed on a modern chassis. At the same time, other models of rocket mortars that remained in service after the war were undergoing a similar restructuring.

The next version of the modernization appeared in 1958 and received the designation BM-13NM (GRAU index - 2B7). This project involved a minor alteration of the launcher and related units. All of them were installed on the ZIL-157 car. Once again, the newest cargo chassis was used to update the Katyusha, and again, a simple rearrangement of the units was done.

In the first post-war years, BM-13 and other machines of existing types were considered as the basis for rocket artillery - but only until newer models appeared. However, the new multiple launch rocket systems could not quickly displace the existing Katyushas, and their complete replacement for several decades. In particular, it was this that led to the fact that new modifications of the BM-13 were developed until the mid-sixties.

The ZiS-151 is a general-purpose truck, produced by the Soviet Union in 1947–65, at Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod imeni Stalina. In 1956, the factory was renamed Zavod imeni Likhacheva, and new trucks were called ZiL-151. The ZiS-151 was the first major Soviet military all-wheel-drive truck built following World War II, replacing the U.S. Studebaker US6 and earlier ZiS-6. Tens of thousands were produced, including specialized versions for hauling different types of cargo. The Soviets also found the trucks an ideal platform for BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers. In 1958 ZiL-151 model was replaced by the ZIL-157, differed outwardly by grille and having single rear wheels, instead of the ZiL-151's dual wheels.

In 1966, the latest version of the system, BM-13NMM (2B7R), entered service. In this case, the ZIL-131 truck was used as the basis. For the first time, the set of target equipment has undergone a slight change. A folding step for the gunner appeared on the rear left of the chassis. The performance characteristics practically did not change, but the efficiency increased again and the operation was simplified.

All new modifications of the BM-13, receiving a launcher from the times of the Great Patriotic War, retained compatibility with the entire range of M-13 projectiles. In addition, in the post-war period, several upgrades of such weapons were performed, aimed at optimizing production and some increase in performance.

A cardinal turning point in the Soviet army came in the mid-sixties with the advent of the BM-21 Grad MLRS. As such equipment was supplied, the BM-13 and other old models were decommissioned. However, they did not completely abandon them. Katyushas were used by training regiments as sighting installations until the early nineties. These machines were withdrawn to the reserve or written off. According to The Military Balance manuals of recent years, there are still 100 BM-13s of unknown modifications in reserve. To what extent this information corresponds to reality is unknown.

Already in the first post-war years, the USSR began to transfer various military equipment to friendly foreign countries. So, the first BM-13 went abroad by the beginning of the fifties, and in the future, such deliveries continued regularly. This technique was mastered by the armies of Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. Katyushas of all serial modifications were shipped to foreign armies, up to the latest BM-13NMM.

Among the first on this list were the Chinese military; they were the first to use the received equipment in battle. BM-13s were repeatedly used during the Korean War and often had a decisive influence on the course of battles. During the operations, up to 20-22 combat vehicles were used simultaneously, as well as dozens of artillery pieces.

A few years after that, BM-13 was used by the forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In particular, in the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Vietnamese troops used 16 rocket launchers - one fifth of the entire artillery group. As far as is known, the later versions of the "Katyusha" until recently remained in service with the Vietnamese army. So, in 2017, photographs from the base were widely dispersed, at which several late BM-13NMM were present at once.

In the early sixties, BM-13N / NM were supplied to the army of the Kingdom of Afghanistan. A certain amount of such equipment remained in service at the time of the start of a full-scale war in 1979. The Afghan army used them in battles with the enemy. In the future, the outdated machines were replaced with newer Grads.

According to The Military Balance reference books in recent years, at the moment BM-13 remain in service only in Cambodia. Its army also remains the only operator of the obsolete BM-14. The number of such equipment, its condition and status are unknown. At the same time, Cambodian Katyushas serve together with Grads and old samples from third countries.

The BM-13 can celebrate the 80th anniversary of its service - in different countries and on different continents. Not every artillery system can boast of such a long service life. The first prerequisite for such a long-term operation of the "Katyusha" should be considered a successful design of the complex as a whole, which gave rather high characteristics. In addition, an important factor was the mass production of such equipment in 1941-45, which forced it to remain in service even with newer models. In this regard, several upgrades were carried out, extending the overall service life.

Then the USSR was able to re-equip its army, and the released combat vehicles went abroad. Finally, the last factor was the poverty of the new owners. For example, Cambodia still retains BM-13 not for tactical and technical reasons, but because of the impossibility of replacing them with modern technology.

The origin of the popular name given to BM-13 launch facility was not defined exactly. The most common versions relate it with the popular at the time song ‘Katyusha’; with a characteristic sound made at the missiles’ launch and with the factory emblem of the producer (Komintern Voronezh factory) represented by the letter “K” marking the launching shoe.

On February 10, 1903, in the city of Pochep, Chernihiv province, Matvey Blanter, the future composer and author of the famous Katyusha, was born into a wealthy Jewish family of a merchant and actress. Already by this song, which has become famous in different countries, one can judge him as a great artist. The composer's uncle Yevsey Blanter, as is known, was arrested and shot in July 1938.

All genres were subject to him - there are about 200 songs in Blanter's arsenal, only about 50 military songs. "How a soldier served", "Song of war correspondents", "Under the Balkan stars", "The boy was slapped in Irkutsk", "In the forest near the front", "Enemies burned their own hut", "There is no better color", "Migratory birds are flying" and many others. "Song of Shchors" and "Partisan Zheleznyak" were included in the repertoire of Leonid Utesov and Lidia Ruslanova. The composer's songs, covered by contemporary artists, are still heard in big holiday concerts today. Most often, of course, "Katyusha", which in the 1940s became the musical accompaniment of the Great Patriotic War.

It was presented to the public in the autumn of 1938 in the Column Hall of the House of the Unions, where a big concert of the State Jazz Orchestra took place, the artistic director of which was appointed Blanter two years earlier. “Everyone immediately liked her,” recalled the poet Mikhail Isakovsky, who wrote poems for her. The hall applauded and demanded an encore. Twenty-two-year-old Valentina Batishcheva, the first performer of the song, was forced to sing it three times. The first recording of "Katyusha", made in 1939 and released on vinyl records, turned the song into a real hit. There was an immediate demand for records.

Researchers of the Katyusha phenomenon, however, argue that in the phrase "on the far border" there was a hint, first of all, of the alarming situation near the western borders of the USSR. The girl's song flies "following the clear sun" - that is, from east to west, it was from that side that a big war was expected. However, there is no need to look for reference to time and hidden meanings in a simple text. Even 85 years after the birth of "Katyusha", it sounds relevant precisely because it is universal - it is a hit for all time, and above all thanks to the music, which has both a root Russian melody and a sticky rollicking motif, understandable and close to both Asians and Europeans, and, of course, Russian people. Even in the German trenches, according to the fighters of the Red Army, in the 40s one could hear "Katyusha".

There are many folk variations of this song, performed to the same melody. Katyusha in them appears either as a front-line nurse (“The whole dugout was destroyed by shells ...”), then as a soldier, then as a partisan (at least two songs), then as a bride seeing off her lover to the front (“Katyusha. Seeing off to the war”), and even a girl, living in the temporarily occupied territory of the USSR - "About Katya and the German" with the words: "Katyusha went ashore, and behind her a young German."

The song "went to the people" so widely that "greetings from Katyusha" began to be called rockets with incendiary filling, marked with the marking "KAT" ("Kostikov automatic thermite"). And later the mortar installation itself was named "Katyusha".

In later years, the composer was very sick, and diseases exhausted him. A few days before his death, the author of "Katyusha", who was already 87 years old, said: "I would not wish anyone to live so long."