L orgue de stalin biography
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After testing in 1941, the launcher was named BM-13 and was adopted for service on June 21, 1941.
BM-13’s were installed on the base of the ZIS-6 truck, and used 132 mm M-13 missiles. Ils lui donnèrent le surnom les orgues de Staline à cause du bruit qu'elle produisait. Despite his contribution to rocket development, he was later subjected to repression and was shot.
In 1938-1941, under the supervision of an engineer named Kostikov, a multi-charge launcher system was created and mounted on a lorry.
BM-13, BM-31 and BM-8’s were also mounted on ships, airplanes, boats and horse sleighs. The Soviet leadership attached great importance to their use in the battle of Moscow, the defense of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, and in many other battles and operations.
On October 1, 1941, in the directive of the Supreme High Command, the following was noted: “The sudden, massive and well-prepared fire of divisions M-8 and M-13 provides an exceptionally good defeat of the enemy and at the same time has a strong moral shock to his manpower, leading to a loss of combat capability.”
After WWII, Katyushas were later deployed in the Korean and Afghan wars.
In addition to the Soviet Union, Katyushas, particularly the BM-13, were in service with the Warsaw Treaty countries, as well as Algeria, Albania, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, China, North Korea, Cuba, Mongolia and some African countries.
Currently, about 21 of the Katyushas based on the ZIS-6 truck remain, in the forms of museum exhibits and monuments.
Read another story from us: Operation Bagration – The Soviet Liberation of Belarus
Ruslan Budnik
Ruslan Budnik is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE
Anne-Isabelle de PARCEVAUX est organiste titulaire à Saint Ignace à Paris, et organiste titulaire adjointe à la Cathédrale Saint Louis de Versailles.
Formée au Conservatoire de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés pour l’orgue (classe d’Éric Lebrun) et l’improvisation (Pierre Pincemaille), elle est aussi titulaire d’un Master d’écriture musicale du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (CNSM, Prix d’Harmonie, de Fugue, et de contrepoint).
Elle se produit régulièrement en concert, en soliste ou au sein de diverses formations, avec une prédilection pour la musique française, de la période baroque à nos jours.
Aussi diplômée d’Histoire à la Sorbonne, elle a publié en 2015 la première biographie française de l’organiste et compositeur Charles-Marie Widor, aux éditions Bleu Nuit Éditeur.
On the other side, the sound produced by the plumage of the rocket led Wehrmacht soldiers to call it “Stalin’s organs” (“Stalinorgel”).
The development of rockets in the USSR took place in the 1920s and was carried out by the staff of the Gas-Dynamic Institute. Par ailleurs enseignante et passionnée par les mécanismes d’apprentissage de la musique, elle est l’auteur d’un blog sur le cerveau et l’apprentissage de la musique : « le cerveau du musicien« .
C'est en 1941 que les Allemands firent la désagréable connaissance avec cette arme russe extrêmement efficace.
Stalin’s Organs – The Iconic “Katyusha” Rocket Launcher with 25 Photos
On July 14, 1941, near a defensive site of the 20th Army in the forest east of Orsha, Captain Ivan Flerov’s battery attacked German positions. In the 1930s, research continued at the Rocket Research Institute, under the leadership of Georgiy Langemak.
Those combat vehicles would eventually become called “Katyusha” and take part in the most important Soviet battles of World War II. Like the legendary T-34 tank, they are still a symbol of victory in Russia.
Katyusha is an unofficial name for the systems of field rocket artillery which appeared during the war. Plus tard, ils furent montés sur des camions Stz-5 Nati, Ford, GMC, International et Studebaker.
After the end of 1942, all the components were mounted on American Studebaker US6 trucks supplied by the Lend-Lease program. These trucks had good speed and footing, which allowed them to cope with the main task of the Katyusha–to fire at enemy positions and then, if necessary, quickly retreat. Les Russes la nommaient Katioucha (Catherinette) d'après le titre d'une chanson très populaire de l'époque.
The crew consisted of 5-7 people.
The production of Katyushas took place at both the Moscow plant Compressor and at the Voronezh plant Kommunar. The name originated with the BM-13, but later spread to the BM-8, BM-31 and others. Ces roquettes, d'une portée de 9 km environ, pouvaient détruire des Panzers et faisaient des ravages dans les rangs de l'infanterie.
À cause de sa très grande mobilité et de sa terrible puissance de feu, le BM-13 devint le meilleur lanceur de roquettes de la 2e Guerre mondiale et fut très apprécié par le soldat russe.
Les orgues de Staline en 1942 à la bataille de Stalingrad
creative common, photo : Zelma
Le savais-tu ?
La petite histoire veut que les Orgues de Staline aient été inspirées par la machine infernale de Giuseppe Fieschi, responsable de l'attentat meurtrier commis boulevard du Temple, à Paris, contre Louis-Philippe, le 28 juillet 1835.
The battery was armed with new, and unknown to the enemy, BM-13 military vehicles. During the war, a large number of different versions of rockets and launch systems were created, as well as about 10,000 reactive artillery combat vehicles.
At the beginning of the war, Katyushas were used to guard headquarters and important facilities. Initialement, les BM-13 étaient montés sur des camions Zis-6.