Difference between revisions of "BM-8-24"
HereticHazel (talk | contribs) (Updated ammo stats, including the penetration decrease from 24mm to 9mm. Usage in battles category should be updated since this isn't enough to pen even most light tanks, but I'm not a confident enough writer to want to do so myself) (Tag: Visual edit) |
Inceptor57 (talk | contribs) m (→Usage in battles) |
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
| − | <!--''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.''--> | + | <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' --> |
| − | The '''{{specs|name}}''' is premium rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. | + | The '''{{specs|name}}''' is premium rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.53 "Firestorm"]]. It is a [[T-60]] chassis carrying Katyusha rocket launcher that can fire 24 rockets towards the enemy. It was also the vehicle that had to be used to unlock the BM-13N in the 2017 Victory Day Event. |
== General info == | == General info == | ||
=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}} | {{Specs-Tank-Armour}} | ||
| − | <!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? | + | <!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' --> |
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'''Armour type:''' | '''Armour type:''' | ||
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' --> | <!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' --> | ||
| − | {{tankMobility|abMinHp= 108|rbMinHp= 67 | + | {{tankMobility|abMinHp=108|rbMinHp=67}} |
=== Modifications and economy === | === Modifications and economy === | ||
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=== Main armament === | === Main armament === | ||
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}} | {{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}} | ||
| − | <!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''--> | + | <!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' --> |
{{main|M-8 (82 mm)}} | {{main|M-8 (82 mm)}} | ||
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==== Ammunition ==== | ==== Ammunition ==== | ||
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| − | | M-8 | ||
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ==== | ==== [[Ammo racks]] ==== | ||
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|- | |- | ||
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| − | Notes: | + | '''Notes''': |
* Rockets deplete from left to right, top row first and then bottom row. | * Rockets deplete from left to right, top row first and then bottom row. | ||
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== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
| − | <!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''--- | + | <!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' --> |
| + | |||
| + | As the BM-8-24 lacks survivability, only carries 24 rockets which have poor penetration, and has average mobility, the ideal playstyle is to use terrain or buildings to hide and wait for enemies to pass, only engaging if it's a target you can penetrate and waiting until its side or rear is to you. | ||
| − | The BM-8-24 | + | The BM-8-24 has extremely poor survivability, as it only has two crew, armour which can only stop MG fire, and exposed rockets on the rack. The ammo is extremely easy to detonate with a direct hit, with chemical rounds only taking one shot to do so and kinetic rounds taking two or three depending on caliber, and even machine gun fire is able to set them off if enough rounds hit a single rocket . |
| − | + | Despite the respectable HE filler, the 9mm of penetration leaves your list of viable targets is extremely limited, with only open vehicles and enclosed vehicles with the thinnest of armor being vulnerable to your rockets. Even vehicles with poor armor such as the Panzer II, BT-5 and 7, or M3 Stuart may be difficult or impossible to destroy. Some vehicles such as the LVT have thin enough armor for a shot anywhere to be able to penetrate, while others such as the M2A4 or Panzer 38(t) may only take damage from a rocket hitting the roof, cupola, or hull roof. Luckily, the rockets have enough HE filler to guarantee a lethal blow with a hit on an open top vehicle, or on penetration of an armored vehicle (with the exception of some larger vehicles such as the LVT due to the distance between the crew). It is also theoretically possible to destroy tanks with overpressure by hitting the ground under them, however this may be difficult to do consistently, especially given the poor depression of the rocket rack. | |
| − | + | Due to the difficulty of accurately aiming the rockets past close range, the ideal scenario would be to hide behind cover that's nearby the enemy and that you can see over/around with your camera, allowing you to watch over it for viable targets, peeking out once you spot one. Since some vehicles require roof shots to penetrate, it may be advantageous to be above your target, although the poor depression of the rocket rack means to aim downward enough you'd have to be on a slope. It may also be viable to use spots that require engaging at longer ranges and only firing at open/light vehicles that don't require aiming for weak spots, especially as the drop of the rockets allows for arcing them over hills while you safely sit behind them, which is by far the safest way to use this vehicle due to peeking even just your rocket rack over cover leaving your ammo open to being detonated. | |
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
| − | <!-- '' | + | <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --> |
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
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* Smallest rocket launcher profile | * Smallest rocket launcher profile | ||
* High-velocity rockets (good for medium-long range) | * High-velocity rockets (good for medium-long range) | ||
| + | * High firerate | ||
* Small and agile, allows for quick re-positioning on the battlefield | * Small and agile, allows for quick re-positioning on the battlefield | ||
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* No other armaments except rocket launchers | * No other armaments except rocket launchers | ||
| − | * Rockets | + | * Rockets only have 13 degrees of horizontal guidance in each direction |
| − | * | + | * Same poor armour as the [[T-60]] |
| − | * | + | * Reloads the entire rack at once, leaving you helpless for the entire 30 second reload if you're out of ammo, and doesn't reload any faster if you don't need a full reload |
* Small rocket supply of only 24 | * Small rocket supply of only 24 | ||
* Very poor depression can cause it to be problematic to hit low targets at close ranges | * Very poor depression can cause it to be problematic to hit low targets at close ranges | ||
| − | * | + | * Lowest penetration on a primary weapon in the entire game; penetration is extremely poor even on direct hits, leaving most vehicles difficult or impossible to penetrate |
| − | * | + | * Very wide rocket rack causes strong parallax that changes with each shot, making accurate aiming harder |
== History == | == History == | ||
| − | <!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the | + | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> |
===Development=== | ===Development=== | ||
| − | The concept of a multiple rocket launcher system came about in June 1938, when the Soviet Jet Propulsion Research Institute was authorized by the Main Artillery Directorate to develop such system for the RS-132 rocket in use on their aircraft. A prototype by I. Gvay in Chelyabinsk was tried and fired M-132 rockets on ZiS-5 trucks, though these were unstable and were revised on the proposals of V.N. Galkovskiy to mount the launching rails longitudinally. Testing for the newly made prototype began at the end of 1938, firing 233 rounds in a couple of salvos. The rockets were found to be able to hit up to 5,500 | + | The concept of a multiple rocket launcher system came about in June 1938, when the Soviet Jet Propulsion Research Institute was authorized by the Main Artillery Directorate to develop such system for the RS-132 rocket in use on their aircraft. A prototype by I. Gvay in Chelyabinsk was tried and fired M-132 rockets on ZiS-5 trucks, though these were unstable and were revised on the proposals of V.N. Galkovskiy to mount the launching rails longitudinally. Testing for the newly made prototype began at the end of 1938, firing 233 rounds in a couple of salvos. The rockets were found to be able to hit up to 5,500 m out, but the system was not looked fondly upon by the artillery branch. It took 50 minutes to load 24 rockets onto the launching rail, while a regular artillery cannon and howitzer can fire about a hundred in the same time at a sustained rate. |
Testing continued up until 1940 and with a prototype of a truck with the launch rails on the back. The design was approved for production before Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, and mass-production began after the first month of the war, where the multiple rocket launchers proved very successful. During the war, the launchers were taken with much secrecy and operated by specialized troops such as the NKVD who do not even know its true name. Through the presence of a "K" on the vehicles from the Komintern Factory, the soldiers operating decided to nickname these launchers ''"Katyusha"'' after a popular wartime song of the same name. Up to 3,237 of all types of Katyusha launchers were produced from 1941 to the end of 1942, and more than 10,000 were made by the end of the war. | Testing continued up until 1940 and with a prototype of a truck with the launch rails on the back. The design was approved for production before Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, and mass-production began after the first month of the war, where the multiple rocket launchers proved very successful. During the war, the launchers were taken with much secrecy and operated by specialized troops such as the NKVD who do not even know its true name. Through the presence of a "K" on the vehicles from the Komintern Factory, the soldiers operating decided to nickname these launchers ''"Katyusha"'' after a popular wartime song of the same name. Up to 3,237 of all types of Katyusha launchers were produced from 1941 to the end of 1942, and more than 10,000 were made by the end of the war. | ||
===Advantages and disadvantages=== | ===Advantages and disadvantages=== | ||
| − | Compared to the contemporary artillery systems of the time, the multiple rocket launcher system presented a different kind of artillery barrages used in the field. Advantages the multiple rocket launcher was that they were simple, extremely effective in saturation bombardment, fires lots of ordnance in a small time span, and were usually attached to mobile vehicles that can permit a quick retreat after firing to prevent counter-battery firing. Disadvantages with the system were that the rockets took a long time to reload, less accurate than regular artillery guns, and cannot sustain fire for a long period of time. However, in the battlefield, the multiple rocket launcher induces a greater psychological effect onto the targets on the receiving end due to the heavy amount of explosives able to be delivered in a short time. A battery of only four launchers could deliver their salvos of about 4.35 tons of explosives in a span of no longer than 10 seconds at a 400,000 square | + | Compared to the contemporary artillery systems of the time, the multiple rocket launcher system presented a different kind of artillery barrages used in the field. Advantages the multiple rocket launcher was that they were simple, extremely effective in saturation bombardment, fires lots of ordnance in a small time span, and were usually attached to mobile vehicles that can permit a quick retreat after firing to prevent counter-battery firing. Disadvantages with the system were that the rockets took a long time to reload, less accurate than regular artillery guns, and cannot sustain fire for a long period of time. However, in the battlefield, the multiple rocket launcher induces a greater psychological effect onto the targets on the receiving end due to the heavy amount of explosives able to be delivered in a short time. A battery of only four launchers could deliver their salvos of about 4.35 tons of explosives in a span of no longer than 10 seconds at a 400,000 square metre area. |
===Designations=== | ===Designations=== | ||
| − | Multiple variants of the multiple rocket launcher systems were made in the course of the war as the design is simply the attachment of launch rails onto a variety of vehicles. Each vehicle has different names that follow a template to distinguish their types. | + | Multiple variants of the multiple rocket launcher systems were made in the course of the war as the design is simply the attachment of launch rails onto a variety of vehicles. Each vehicle has different names that follow a template to distinguish their types. |
* "BM-x-y" indicates a ground vehicle. | * "BM-x-y" indicates a ground vehicle. | ||
| Line 172: | Line 145: | ||
The Katyusha launchers, issued in large numbers in the Eastern Front, was largely successful in the strategic effect of the war, granting the Soviet Union the ability to lay down a very heavy and shocking bombardment very quickly. The success of the system prompted many other countries to pursue such a system as well, such as the modified [[Calliope|T34 Calliope]] based off the Sherman and the Germans [[15 cm Pz.W.42|Panzerwerfer 42]]s. Today, the multiple rocket launcher system is still widespread with the implementation of newer technology, rockets, and missiles that make the rocket launcher system a very potent weapon to anyone on the receiving end. | The Katyusha launchers, issued in large numbers in the Eastern Front, was largely successful in the strategic effect of the war, granting the Soviet Union the ability to lay down a very heavy and shocking bombardment very quickly. The success of the system prompted many other countries to pursue such a system as well, such as the modified [[Calliope|T34 Calliope]] based off the Sherman and the Germans [[15 cm Pz.W.42|Panzerwerfer 42]]s. Today, the multiple rocket launcher system is still widespread with the implementation of newer technology, rockets, and missiles that make the rocket launcher system a very potent weapon to anyone on the receiving end. | ||
| − | + | {{break}} | |
| + | {{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}} | ||
| + | {{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}} | ||
Based on the T-60 light tank, the first BM-8-24-class self-propelled mount featuring a jet-based volley-fire system on a tank chassis was built in 1941. At first the self-propelled mount was released on the basis of the T-40 light tank, but it was later replaced on the assembly line by the T-60 tank, and production continued on this basis. | Based on the T-60 light tank, the first BM-8-24-class self-propelled mount featuring a jet-based volley-fire system on a tank chassis was built in 1941. At first the self-propelled mount was released on the basis of the T-40 light tank, but it was later replaced on the assembly line by the T-60 tank, and production continued on this basis. | ||
| Line 178: | Line 153: | ||
A total of 44 T-40 tanks were re-equipped as volley-fire installations. | A total of 44 T-40 tanks were re-equipped as volley-fire installations. | ||
| + | {{Navigation-End}} | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
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;Skins | ;Skins | ||
| − | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/? | + | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_bm_8_24 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] |
| − | |||
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== See also == | == See also == | ||
| Line 193: | Line 166: | ||
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;'' | * ''reference to the series of the vehicles;'' | ||
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis | ||
| + | |||
| + | * [[T-60]] | ||
;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role | ;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role | ||
| Line 201: | Line 178: | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
| − | <!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | + | <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' |
* ''topic on the official game forum;'' | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
| − | + | * ''other literature.'' --> | |
| − | * ''other literature.''--> | ||
| − | * [ | + | * [[wt:en/devblog/current/810/|[Devblog] BМ-8-24 Rocket Artillery - with developer's answers]] |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:Katyusha_rocket_launcher|[Wikipedia | + | * [[Wikipedia:Katyusha_rocket_launcher|[Wikipedia] Katyusha rocket launcher]] |
{{USSR tank destroyers}} | {{USSR tank destroyers}} | ||
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}} | {{USSR premium ground vehicles}} | ||
Latest revision as of 12:19, 7 May 2024
Contents
Description
The BM-8-24 is premium rank I Soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.53 "Firestorm". It is a T-60 chassis carrying Katyusha rocket launcher that can fire 24 rockets towards the enemy. It was also the vehicle that had to be used to unlock the BM-13N in the 2017 Victory Day Event.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
| Armour | Front | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 15 mm (73°) Front glacis 35 mm (24°) Lower glacis 35 mm (22-30°) Driver's port |
15 mm | 10 mm (65-70°) Top 25 mm (28°) Bottom |
13 mm |
| Rocket Pad | 25 mm (1-2°) | 25 mm (0-1°) | 25 mm (2-11°) | 25 mm |
| Cupola | 35 mm (34°) | 15 mm (8-11°) | 10 mm (26°) | 13 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick, tracks are 15 mm thick
- Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 47 | 7 | 5.8 | 108 | 145 | 18.62 | 25 |
| Realistic | 44 | 6 | 67 | 76 | 11.55 | 13.1 | |
Modifications and economy
2 × 60 / 80 / 80 % 2 × 112 / 112 / 112 % | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
| 82 mm M-8 rockets | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 24 | -3°/+40° | ±13° | N/A | 13.2 | 18.3 | 22.2 | 24.6 | 26.1 | 10.40 | 9.20 | 8.48 | 8.00 |
| Realistic | 8.9 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 14.1 | 15.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| M-8 | Rocket | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M-8 | Rocket | 315 | 7.92 | 0 | 0.1 | 600 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|
| 24 | No |
Notes:
- Rockets deplete from left to right, top row first and then bottom row.
- It is not possible to select how many rockets to bring into battle.
Usage in battles
As the BM-8-24 lacks survivability, only carries 24 rockets which have poor penetration, and has average mobility, the ideal playstyle is to use terrain or buildings to hide and wait for enemies to pass, only engaging if it's a target you can penetrate and waiting until its side or rear is to you.
The BM-8-24 has extremely poor survivability, as it only has two crew, armour which can only stop MG fire, and exposed rockets on the rack. The ammo is extremely easy to detonate with a direct hit, with chemical rounds only taking one shot to do so and kinetic rounds taking two or three depending on caliber, and even machine gun fire is able to set them off if enough rounds hit a single rocket .
Despite the respectable HE filler, the 9mm of penetration leaves your list of viable targets is extremely limited, with only open vehicles and enclosed vehicles with the thinnest of armor being vulnerable to your rockets. Even vehicles with poor armor such as the Panzer II, BT-5 and 7, or M3 Stuart may be difficult or impossible to destroy. Some vehicles such as the LVT have thin enough armor for a shot anywhere to be able to penetrate, while others such as the M2A4 or Panzer 38(t) may only take damage from a rocket hitting the roof, cupola, or hull roof. Luckily, the rockets have enough HE filler to guarantee a lethal blow with a hit on an open top vehicle, or on penetration of an armored vehicle (with the exception of some larger vehicles such as the LVT due to the distance between the crew). It is also theoretically possible to destroy tanks with overpressure by hitting the ground under them, however this may be difficult to do consistently, especially given the poor depression of the rocket rack.
Due to the difficulty of accurately aiming the rockets past close range, the ideal scenario would be to hide behind cover that's nearby the enemy and that you can see over/around with your camera, allowing you to watch over it for viable targets, peeking out once you spot one. Since some vehicles require roof shots to penetrate, it may be advantageous to be above your target, although the poor depression of the rocket rack means to aim downward enough you'd have to be on a slope. It may also be viable to use spots that require engaging at longer ranges and only firing at open/light vehicles that don't require aiming for weak spots, especially as the drop of the rockets allows for arcing them over hills while you safely sit behind them, which is by far the safest way to use this vehicle due to peeking even just your rocket rack over cover leaving your ammo open to being detonated.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Rocket launcher vehicle
- Smallest rocket launcher profile
- High-velocity rockets (good for medium-long range)
- High firerate
- Small and agile, allows for quick re-positioning on the battlefield
Cons:
- No other armaments except rocket launchers
- Rockets only have 13 degrees of horizontal guidance in each direction
- Same poor armour as the T-60
- Reloads the entire rack at once, leaving you helpless for the entire 30 second reload if you're out of ammo, and doesn't reload any faster if you don't need a full reload
- Small rocket supply of only 24
- Very poor depression can cause it to be problematic to hit low targets at close ranges
- Lowest penetration on a primary weapon in the entire game; penetration is extremely poor even on direct hits, leaving most vehicles difficult or impossible to penetrate
- Very wide rocket rack causes strong parallax that changes with each shot, making accurate aiming harder
History
Development
The concept of a multiple rocket launcher system came about in June 1938, when the Soviet Jet Propulsion Research Institute was authorized by the Main Artillery Directorate to develop such system for the RS-132 rocket in use on their aircraft. A prototype by I. Gvay in Chelyabinsk was tried and fired M-132 rockets on ZiS-5 trucks, though these were unstable and were revised on the proposals of V.N. Galkovskiy to mount the launching rails longitudinally. Testing for the newly made prototype began at the end of 1938, firing 233 rounds in a couple of salvos. The rockets were found to be able to hit up to 5,500 m out, but the system was not looked fondly upon by the artillery branch. It took 50 minutes to load 24 rockets onto the launching rail, while a regular artillery cannon and howitzer can fire about a hundred in the same time at a sustained rate.
Testing continued up until 1940 and with a prototype of a truck with the launch rails on the back. The design was approved for production before Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, and mass-production began after the first month of the war, where the multiple rocket launchers proved very successful. During the war, the launchers were taken with much secrecy and operated by specialized troops such as the NKVD who do not even know its true name. Through the presence of a "K" on the vehicles from the Komintern Factory, the soldiers operating decided to nickname these launchers "Katyusha" after a popular wartime song of the same name. Up to 3,237 of all types of Katyusha launchers were produced from 1941 to the end of 1942, and more than 10,000 were made by the end of the war.
Advantages and disadvantages
Compared to the contemporary artillery systems of the time, the multiple rocket launcher system presented a different kind of artillery barrages used in the field. Advantages the multiple rocket launcher was that they were simple, extremely effective in saturation bombardment, fires lots of ordnance in a small time span, and were usually attached to mobile vehicles that can permit a quick retreat after firing to prevent counter-battery firing. Disadvantages with the system were that the rockets took a long time to reload, less accurate than regular artillery guns, and cannot sustain fire for a long period of time. However, in the battlefield, the multiple rocket launcher induces a greater psychological effect onto the targets on the receiving end due to the heavy amount of explosives able to be delivered in a short time. A battery of only four launchers could deliver their salvos of about 4.35 tons of explosives in a span of no longer than 10 seconds at a 400,000 square metre area.
Designations
Multiple variants of the multiple rocket launcher systems were made in the course of the war as the design is simply the attachment of launch rails onto a variety of vehicles. Each vehicle has different names that follow a template to distinguish their types.
- "BM-x-y" indicates a ground vehicle.
- "M-x-y" indicates a towed variant.
- "y-M-x" indicates a naval variant.
and "x" stands for the missile model while "y" stands for the number of launch rails available for the launcher variant. For example, the BM-8-16 indicates a ground vehicle firing M-8 rockets with 16 rails available to mount on.
Vehicles using the Katyusha launchers range from trucks, cars, and tanks. The production started with trucks such as the ZiS-6, then moving on to STZ-5 artillery tractors, then on Allied Lend-Lease vehicles. The 82 mm M-8 rockets, which saw service in August 1941, was the most popular rocket variant and saw use on the trucks and even tanks, which would make the BM-8-24 rocket launcher tank mounted on the T-60 light tank. Another attempt with tank mounting was with a KV-1 heavy tank as the KV-1K, but as a waste of heavy armour, this was scrapped.
Combat usage
The Katyusha rocket launchers first saw service during the opening of Operation Barbarossa against Germany. On July 14, 1941, under the experimental battery commanded by Captain Ivan Flyorov, seven launchers were used in Rudnya and were able to cause massive destruction to the Germans in the town before they fled in panic. This success prompted the Red Army to build up more Katyushas in their inventory and raise more batteries and regiments for the vehicle. All these units were under NKVD control for secrecy until the Germans reveal their own multiple rocket launcher systems, the Nebelwerfer. The Germans nicknamed the Katyusha launchers as the "Stalin's Organ" after Joseph Stalin and how the launchers are organized in a way to look like a church organ. This German nickname became widely known in other areas in Western Europe. By the end of 1941, eight regiments and 37 independent battalions were available with a count of 554 Katyushas total.
The rocket launchers continue to become more integrated into the rest of the army as the war continued. Heavy mortar battalions were armed with the newer M-30 rocket launchers with heavy 300 mm M-30 rockets on June 1942. In July, a battalion of rocket launchers was added into the tank corps. The organization and equipment of these mortar battalions equipped with the Katyusha continue to increase and by the end of the war in 57 regiments, about 518 batteries of Katyusha launchers were available.
Legacy
The Katyusha launchers, issued in large numbers in the Eastern Front, was largely successful in the strategic effect of the war, granting the Soviet Union the ability to lay down a very heavy and shocking bombardment very quickly. The success of the system prompted many other countries to pursue such a system as well, such as the modified T34 Calliope based off the Sherman and the Germans Panzerwerfer 42s. Today, the multiple rocket launcher system is still widespread with the implementation of newer technology, rockets, and missiles that make the rocket launcher system a very potent weapon to anyone on the receiving end.
| Archive of the in-game description | |
|---|---|
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Based on the T-60 light tank, the first BM-8-24-class self-propelled mount featuring a jet-based volley-fire system on a tank chassis was built in 1941. At first the self-propelled mount was released on the basis of the T-40 light tank, but it was later replaced on the assembly line by the T-60 tank, and production continued on this basis. The jet-based artillery subdivision of which the BM-8-24 MRLS SPG was a member was subordinate to Supreme Command. Jet-based artillery divisions were assigned to divisions and added to long-range (LR) divisions. A total of 44 T-40 tanks were re-equipped as volley-fire installations. | |
Media
- Skins
See also
- Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
| USSR tank destroyers | |
|---|---|
| SU-76M | SU-76M · SU-76M (5th Gv.Kav.Corps) · SU-85A |
| SU-57B | SU-57B · SU-76D |
| T-34 Derivatives | SU-122 · SU-85 · SU-85M · SU-100 · SU-122P |
| Heavy Tank Derivatives | SU-100Y · ISU-122 · ISU-122S · SU-152 · ISU-152 · Object 268 |
| SU-100P and Derivatives | SU-100P · Object 120 |
| Wheeled | YaG-10 (29-K) |
| Airborne | ASU-57 · ASU-85 |
| Rocket | BM-8-24 · BM-13N · BM-31-12 |
| ATGM | IT-1 · Shturm-S · Object 775 · Khrizantema-S |
| Artillery | 2S1 · 2S3M |
| Other | SU-5-1 · ZiS-30 · SU-122-54 |
| USA | SU-57 |
| USSR premium ground vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Light tanks | BA-11 · RBT-5 · BT-7A (F-32) · T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-26E · T-126 · PT-76-57 · 2S38 |
| Medium tanks | T-34 (Prototype) · T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-34E · T-34-57 (1943) · T-34-85E · T-34-100 · T-44-122 · TO-55 · T-55AM-1 · T-72AV (TURMS-T) · T-80UD · Т-80U-Е1 |
| ▂M3 Medium · ▂M4A2 · ▂T-III · ▂T-V · ▂МК-IX "Valentine" | |
| Heavy tanks | SMK · T-35 · ▂MK-II "Matilda" · KV-1E · KV-2 (1940) · KV-2 (ZiS-6) · KV-122 · KV-220 · IS-2 "Revenge" · Object 248 · IS-6 · T-10A |
| Tank destroyers | BM-8-24 · BM-13N · BM-31-12 |
| SU-57 · SU-76D · SU-76M (5th Gv.Kav.Corps) · SU-85A · SU-100Y · SU-122P · Object 120 | |
| SPAA | ▂Phòng không T-34 · ZUT-37 |
