Our article will tell about the anti-tank guns that were used in past wars to protect against enemy heavy equipment. Today, when more modern methods exist, this type of fence is used less and less.
However, the assertion that such a type of barriers is ineffective is fundamentally false. Many specialists in military engineering very successfully use the experience of past wars in our days. According to those who have mastered this practice and had the opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness in battle, this issue should be paid attention to in training personnel.
Destination
The gouges belong to non-explosive barriers of the fortification type. The engineering troops are engaged in the arrangement, sometimes together with the infantry.
The installation of the dowels implies a set of measures, which includes:
- preliminary exploration of the area, drawing up a plan for the location of barriers;
- direct installation;
- disguise.
The principle of use is based on the creation of impassable space. The caterpillar equipment that collides with the obstacle is delayed, as a result of which the enemy loses time and unmasks himself, trying to overcome the barriers. The undercarriage of the machine is severely damaged, a rupture of the truck, a breakdown of the bottom is possible. Such barriers can be used not only for protection against tanks, but also against other military vehicles: MTLB, BMD, infantry fighting vehicles, etc.
Usage history
During the Finnish war, anti-tank gouges got on the way of the Soviet troops more than once. Finns made extensive use of this type of fence. The KV-2 tank was even created, the cannon of which (152 mm) was designed including for damage to grooves.
Given this practice, it seems very strange that during the Second World War the Red Army used this type of obstacle not so effectively: planning was done by combined arms commanders, not engineers; random people were involved in the construction; materials, time and resources were wasted. But only with the right organization, taking into account all the intricacies of military engineering, the bumps can delay the enemy and damage his equipment.
In 1944, Russian troops collided with powerful fortifications. Contrary to general misconception, neither Finns nor Germans, but Russians called the anti-tank gouges with dragon teeth. The fortifications, protruding from the earth with massive pyramidal peaks, seemed to the Red Army men an underground monster, blocking the path to the long-awaited Victory. The Russians spent about three months to cover the distance of 250 km between the border of Prussia and Kenninsberg.
Possible designs
The lightest variety of anti-tank hollows is made of tree trunks, dug to a depth of 1.5-2 meters and protruding above the surface by an average of 50 cm. Wooden grooves installed at a slight angle, tilted towards the enemy, are necessarily masked. The weak point of this type of obstacles is a small margin of safety. Artillery preparation, even carried out with 82 mm mortars, can completely destroy the fence. At the same time, this is the lowest cost type of fortification.
Reinforced concrete gouges require more time and money. The fence should consist of several rows of grooves, consisting of a small above-ground part in the form of a pyramid or cone and an underground cube with a volume of 1 m 3 or more.
- The first row is necessarily made in such a way that it causes the tanker the illusion of easy overcoming and is technically surmountable. The gently sloping side of the cone is facing the adversary, while the opposite side abuts against the ground almost perpendicularly. The height of the barriers should be 10-15 centimeters greater than the clearance of the tank (for example, to stop the Abrams tank, the first row should be 58-62 cm).
- The second row has the same structure, but large sizes. It should seem easy to overcome, but not be.
- The following rows are made in the form of tetrahedrons, in height they can exceed the grooves of the first row of centimeters by 30. They are located at a distance that is slightly less than the width between the tracks. The grooves of the third and subsequent rows should be resistant to fragments of mines.
A similar arrangement and shape of the elements allows the tank to pass one or two rows of grooves, but not to advance further. Thanks to the steep reverse side of the pyramids traversed, backward movement is impossible, as well as a turn in place, easily performed by the tank on a relatively flat surface.
There are other, “non-academic” ways of arranging barriers that are the result of the talents of individual military engineers and soldier ingenuity. Frames can be made of fragments of worn-out equipment, pieces of rails, and other materials.
Barriers used in parallel with the grooves
In the rows between the reinforced concrete cones, it is impractical to establish anti-tank mines, since a foot sapper can easily detect and neutralize them. In addition, the explosion of such a powerful mine (for example, TM-62) may damage the bullets themselves.
Anti-tank hedgehogs are used to close gaps where, due to the nature of the landscape, dug-ins cannot be dug. Rows of hedgehogs and ditches can be strengthened by the boundaries of the barrier line, abutting against natural barriers.
A special military barbed wire can be used between the rows of troughs. It does not have much effect on the tank, but it interferes with the infantry accompanying the armored vehicles (sappers, scouts), and in some cases can damage the trucks. For the same purpose, as well as to unmask intelligence activities, anti-personnel mines are installed between the ranks (for example, MON-50).
Reconnaissance of enemy anti-tank obstacles
At present, aerial reconnaissance equipment (UAV) is widely used to detect enemy defensive structures. Reinforced concrete anti-tank gouges in the photo taken by the "drone" are clearly visible.
Ground reconnaissance is necessarily carried out in small groups, which include sappers and engineers (sometimes also chemists). The camouflage, the location of the barriers, the dimensions of the elements and the distance between them, the material from which they are made are evaluated.
Detected objects are put on the map, information is transmitted to the command. Mine barriers, extensions and flares are removed only after receiving the appropriate order. In a number of cases, trying to overcome the lane of the grooves is impractical; they leave it untouched and look for another way.
Overcoming anti-tank bullets
The name "reinforced concrete" is conditional, not only concrete is used as a solution, reinforcement is also not always there. Having determined what the posts are made of, a decision is made about the possibility of damage to them. Can be used shelling from mortars, howitzers, tank guns (less often RPG hand grenade launchers). Usually one of the sectors in which the passage is “shot” is processed.
To ensure better traffic, logs, floorings, and folding bridges are used.
