Difference between revisions of "BM-8-24"

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(Ammo racks)
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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
''In the description, the first part needs to 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 the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it 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.''-->
 +
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{break}}
 +
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is premium rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. The tank was added 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 ===
''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 helpfull 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.''
+
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 15 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 35 mm (24°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 35 mm (22-30°) ''Driver's port'' || 15 mm || 10 mm (65-70°) ''Top'' <br> 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 ===
 
=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
+
<!-- ''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|<!--AoAweight=(optional) -->}}
 +
 
 +
== Armaments ==
 +
=== Main armament ===
 +
<!--''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)}}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[M-8 (82 mm)|82 mm M-8 rockets]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
|-
 +
! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 24 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±13° || rowspan="2" | N/A ||13.2||18.3|| 22.2 || 24.6 || 26.1 || rowspan="2" | 10.40 || rowspan="2" | 9.20 || rowspan="2" | 8.48 || rowspan="2" | 8.00
 +
|-
 +
! ''Realistic''
 +
|8.9|| 10.5 || 12.8 || 14.1 || 15.0
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== Ammunition ====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 +
|-
 +
| M-8 || Rocket || 24 || 24 || 24 || 24 || 24 || 24
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="10" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 +
|-
 +
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| M-8 || Rocket || 260 || 7.84 || 0.0 || 0.1 || N/A || 79° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
<!-- '''Last updated: 1.101.0.75''' -->
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! Full<br>ammo
 +
! Visual<br>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 ==
 +
<!--''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).''--->
 +
 
 +
The BM-8-24 only offers 24 rockets as it's main armament, the ideal playstyle is use the terrain to hide from the enemies and wait for them to pass you by before you strike. A BM-8-24 is able to cause havoc on the battlefield, even with it's limited main armament. The rockets work best when they are fired in volley, it takes one well placed hit to knock out an enemy tank.
  
== Weaponry ==
+
To do this, get close as you can and aim for the sides, you want to aim for biggest surface you can see. The rockets are not accurate  as with any rocket tank, so aiming for sides offer your biggest chance to successfully hit the target. You only need one hit to penetrate and detonate inside of the enemy tank knocking it and awarding you the credit for it.    
=== Main weaponry ===
 
''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 flexibilty 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.''
 
  
=== Additional weaponry ===
+
The BM-8-24 is weak, a single HE or APCBC round, in simple terms any round with HE filler which hits the ammo rack which contains all 24 rockets will see the tank explode, like a firework. Even shrapnel or machine gun fire hitting the rockets will destroy them, they may not detonate with some machine gun hits but the rocket will be destroyed, reducing the effective amount.  
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
 
  
=== Machine guns ===
 
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
 
  
== Usage in the battles ==
+
=== Modules ===
''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 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).''
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
!Tier
 +
! colspan="2" |Mobility
 +
!Protection
 +
!Firepower
 +
|-
 +
|I
 +
|Tracks
 +
|
 +
|Parts
 +
|Horizontal Drive
 +
|-
 +
|II
 +
|Suspension 
 +
|Brake System
 +
|FPE
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|III
 +
|Filters
 +
|
 +
|Crew Replenishment
 +
|Elevation Mechanism
 +
|-
 +
|IV
 +
|Transmission
 +
||Engine
 +
|
 +
|Artillery Support
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" |This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!--''Summarize 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:'''
+
* Rocket launcher vehicle
*
+
* Smallest rocket launcher profile
 +
* High-velocity rockets. (Good for medium-long range.)
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
*
 
  
== Historical part ==
+
* No other armaments except rocket launchers
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
* Rockets can only face forwards
 +
* Armour of a [[T-60]] (Very low)
 +
* Extremely long reload time.
 +
* Small rocket supply of only 24
 +
* Very poor depression can cause it to be problematic to hit low targets at close ranges.
 +
* Limited penetration of rockets even on direct hits, being only able to damage open SPG's and very lightly armoured tanks and SPAA's
 +
* Non-adjustable gun sights. Aiming in almost purely by guessing.
 +
 
 +
== History ==
 +
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''-->
 +
===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 meters 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 meter 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 (L-11)|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 [[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.
 +
 
 +
=== In-game description ===
 +
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 ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
 
 +
;Skins
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=ussr_bm_8_24 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Videos
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|M7phB-Xlm0k|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}
  
== Read also ==
+
== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
+
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''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.'' -->
''ETC.''
+
 
 +
;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
 +
 
 +
* [[Calliope]]
 +
* [[Panzerwerfer 42]]
 +
* [[BM-13N]]
  
== Sources ==
+
== 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;''
* ''page on the Wikipedia;''
+
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''
+
* ''other literature.''-->
 +
 
 +
* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/810/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> BМ-8-24 Rocket Artillery - with developer's answers]
 +
* [[Wikipedia:Katyusha_rocket_launcher|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Katyusha rocket launcher]]
 +
 
 +
{{USSR tank destroyers}}
 +
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

Revision as of 21:06, 5 November 2020

Rank 6 USA
F-5C Pack
BM-8-24
ussr_bm_8_24.png
BM-8-24
Purchase:3 850 Specs-Card-Eagle.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage BM-8-24.jpg


The BM-8-24 is premium rank I Soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). The tank was added 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

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: M-8 (82 mm)
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 24 24 24 24 24 24
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 260 7.84 0.0 0.1 N/A 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the BM-8-24
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

The BM-8-24 only offers 24 rockets as it's main armament, the ideal playstyle is use the terrain to hide from the enemies and wait for them to pass you by before you strike. A BM-8-24 is able to cause havoc on the battlefield, even with it's limited main armament. The rockets work best when they are fired in volley, it takes one well placed hit to knock out an enemy tank.

To do this, get close as you can and aim for the sides, you want to aim for biggest surface you can see. The rockets are not accurate as with any rocket tank, so aiming for sides offer your biggest chance to successfully hit the target. You only need one hit to penetrate and detonate inside of the enemy tank knocking it and awarding you the credit for it.

The BM-8-24 is weak, a single HE or APCBC round, in simple terms any round with HE filler which hits the ammo rack which contains all 24 rockets will see the tank explode, like a firework. Even shrapnel or machine gun fire hitting the rockets will destroy them, they may not detonate with some machine gun hits but the rocket will be destroyed, reducing the effective amount.


Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Rocket launcher vehicle
  • Smallest rocket launcher profile
  • High-velocity rockets. (Good for medium-long range.)

Cons:

  • No other armaments except rocket launchers
  • Rockets can only face forwards
  • Armour of a T-60 (Very low)
  • Extremely long reload time.
  • Small rocket supply of only 24
  • Very poor depression can cause it to be problematic to hit low targets at close ranges.
  • Limited penetration of rockets even on direct hits, being only able to damage open SPG's and very lightly armoured tanks and SPAA's
  • Non-adjustable gun sights. Aiming in almost purely by guessing.

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 meters 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 meter 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.

In-game description

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.

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See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


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