I was not going to be an artillers. He studied on a mortar officer. The school was removed, sent to the Stalingrad Front and everything went into the 169th Rifle Division.
The artilleryman Mikhail Badigin recalls:
And I retold in 5 minutes, so to speak, it became not a mortar, but a fighter tanks 45-mm guns. And remained until the end of the war, but in different systems. Say, 57 mm, then - 76-Milling ...
Let's say 122-mm guns-warm, 152-mm and above are somewhere in three or five kilometers from infantry. And tank fighters are, as a rule, next to the infantry, the "Sorokape" near the so ... or somewhere for fifty meters behind the infantry. And when the infantry rises into the attack, then roll the gun, together with the infantry, you suppress firepoints. Here you find yourself in a disadvantaged position. Say, the machine gun German begins to cram. Soldier, he was hiding under the hill, and you kati hat, and they would be bluffing for you. Gubitsy - they are still not katat, they are socopany, they are standing. That's the difference. As they say, the trunk is long, and the life is short from our brother, here ...
"Sorokatka" is the first. The second is already when I returned after the injury ... I got on a 57 mm. Forty-third. And in forty-third, again after the injury, I got on the 76th-millimeter [war Badigin was 5 times wounded - under Stalingrad, near Lugansk, then it is not indicated, two injured in Poznan]. Berlin was entered with 76-millimeter cannons.
And fired from the unclosed positions?
Well, in street fights what are there closed? They roll her there. Storm groups: infantry, gun 76 mm, tank one. And this is the task: here is the house, help the infantry. We begin to cram on the basements. Podniki, they, as a rule, shot from the basements. They from there smear. Shells did not regret. Not that in Ukraine, when in defense stood - one shell for the day will give, and that's it. There were no shells, because there were enough of them and each sent shell saved the life of our soldiers.
Well, "Sorokatka" ... Actually, this is a wonderful gun! It has five hundred forty kilograms of weight - very maneuverable, it is easy to ride. Even if he was in a funnel when he pleased, then you can pull out ... very accurately beats. But the punching force on tanks is Mala. When new these, "Tigers" appeared, she did not take them, did not even take them! Then she was removed at all. 57 mm came out. This is more powerful and snores. And directly shot she has more. Excellent instrument! And the accuracy is excellent. And in the 43rd year we received sub-caliber shells. You know, this is a wonderful projectile! So, he was made of a light alloy, and in Hello was a tungsten core. And when he fell into the tank, the shell himself was destroyed, and all the kinetic power fell on the core, and he punched through [After the war, the design was changed and the shell disintegrate during a shot and then flew one tip]. Let's say in the board got from 700-800 meters - I stitched through.
The gunner in artillery calculation is the main figure. Almost everything depends on it, you know? After all, by the tank beat - the complexity of firing in what? Tank moves all the time. If he is standing, it is easy to hit. Here to prevent ... by all qualities inherent to shooting on a moving target, the gunner should own. Cool, it is produced later - even though you are tense, but your head is fresh work, you all evaluate. And if such a gunner, then the success of the case was provided. I became the commander of the gun from Stalingrad ... there the commander of the gun was wounded. And I became a commander of the gun, and so the whole war.
And how many tippers for war was?
I won't remember everyone ... The wounded were and were killed ... For some reason, I remember the forty-fourth, for some reason ... We then lost three guns, half of the personnel, although they knew that the German would come, say, they knew ten hours! Intelligence worked with us, warned ... Such there was a messenger! There are so many guys legally!
All the war we passed and slept in the roar, at best if it covers the covers from the shealing boxes or a cloak, or even so straight ...
What is the tank? If, let's say, the tank knows where the gun, then there is little chances. But if it does not know, it's already easier. The main thing is to choose the right position. It is necessary to predict the terrain on the terrain, in which direction the driver or the commander will behave. This can be predicted. If ahead is an elevation, the tank never climbs on it, he will definitely be rich. Here you have to choose the position so that its side armor seemed when he will go. Then you can safely let him, say, 400 meters, because the board you will win one shell.
If you choose the wrong position, it will go to the forehead. And in the forehead "Sorokapyatki", at least them and the trunk were adjusted, they did not take: flying a shell - and that's it! How peas flying out! They were replaced by 57 mm. These and frontal armor were lying. Meters on the 600-700 they were spiderman any tank very well podkaliberny shells. They appeared in our 43 year for the first time. Much changed ... the enemy did not wait and suddenly - what is? Previously, they also went to the attack of tanks - there were no losses. And then came out - none did not return.
Fights with tanks, that's how now in the pictures are drawing, so that the entire calculation, all seven at the gun, - we never did it in life. The cannons have two people: charging and gunner. All the others in the side roar with a manual machine gun yes with guns are sitting. Boxes are put in advance - two or three drawers with shells. Quite enough. If not, then immediately goes off the charging, as you can see that one is spent the box and only two remains. So it has already been developed automatically.
And here what is important, this, you know, comes with time - guess the moment! Closely let's drink - and the tank may develop the speed when the fire position is near. Shell, he will not always take the gun when she is oked. It only sees: the shield and the trunk almost on the ground ... and the tank can break into the firing position and to dive the gun if it unsuccessfully hit it. After all, the tank, even if you try the armor, it will not always stop. What will light, and what else will be trapped! Here we had such a case on August 8, 1944 at the Riga Bridgehead: we embarked on a tank, we look - there is, but still he cried to the gun. I got at high speed and crushed. If there is an opportunity, it is necessary to burn tank ...
Badigin behind the war burned seven tanks. Seven. Is there a lot or a little? ON ON LIVE, HE ON ON ONE BOOT BEGINNED. But Badigin is a precise and scrupulous person. Seven means seven. So much is it or not enough?
Lot. Lots of! If our every anti-tank gun would destroy at least one tank, the Germans had nothing to fight for the middle of the war!
And the order of which - I do not know. We were given in winter for a hundred grams. I myself did not drink at all, I didn't drink in the war for some reason: I got it - I did not drink. For some reason, he felt uncertainly. But when they gave orders, I here, of course, took part ...
Badigin recalls the navigation of Valiev from Chimkent
He enjoyed a colossal authority. Let's say, dig Rovik, a platform, clean the gun, follow automatons - so he did not give mercy. At least one shell shot and if the break, all - clean the gun! And the guys did not like it. We would be dead without a gun. To shovel, I have clean, fulfilled - everything hangs on it. Say, attack. Valiyev, he seems to be slow and slow, but did everything confidently, for sure, there will be no extra movement. Charged - haynes. He was a giant. He took two boxes of shells, more than a hundred kilograms, and on the "stydebker" laid ...
In the city of Poznan walked street battles. And the closer we approached the fortress, the resistance more. How to shoot, so the gun will push back on the stones. Neither the feature will not fasten it - there is a stone. Katich her and shoot. And shoot - she rides. It is necessary to sit on the bed and ride again and shoot again. And in the evening it was. Usually you go along the wall and if it is dangerous, you jump out in the window immediately. And here we only became the street to cross - near Zhig, Zhig: Mines. I hear, shout: "Valiev wounded!" We picked it up, once - it is necessary to pull out. Pulled it out, his finger dangles. He says: Cut it. Well, it interferes prefabricating - they took and cut off ... And I ... I thought that one leg was injured. It turns out that both legs beat him. Here trouble! And the finger torn off.
And the platoon commanded Holchepov Tikhon Yakovlevich, twenty-third. Great comrade! On the front, I must say, the life of the command is somehow different from the fact that in the rear. There, the hand to the visor was usually so not pulled ... I will not know much on the front, if you saved the danger for a minute and hid somewhere ... Won, in Roviki sit, command ...
The most difficult thing in war is work, sometimes physically exhausting work before you have to fight, it is even easier to go to the attack - it is even easier than this work. Many people think, war is constant battles and fights. Not! This is a constant effort. The fight usually as a dream - swears, and there is no it! And again work. According to the calculations, let's say that the 45-millimeter gun turns, it is necessary to remove about thirty Earth cubes, and the 76-millimeter is already fifty-six cubic meters. If on peaceful calculations, these are two days of work. And without a calculation - it was necessary to have time for the morning. Seven people for a 76 mm gun. For 45 mm - six people. And one person is just a difference, but it is necessary to dig more than twice. I have come so much how many dozens of people may not have to overheat. Such, let's say: got up for a firing position, commander, for example, decided to change to a kilometer to the right. Again, you need to dig, fifty-six cubes of the Earth throw away. I did not have time to do - they say: left five kilometers left. Speak again. And sometimes they are throwing a half months - and digging.
Just and morally and physically exhausted soldiers, exhausted, can not. But nevertheless, the tasks are, this is a war, not a subbarm. Did not swallowed - this is death! Only the tagged could be counting on a victory on its plot. I did not swing - you will not last long. At first, as a rule, roar roars are rotated, and then only the playground under the gun. There are only two bayonets [For those who did not have a business with a shovel: "Two bayonets" - two blades of shovels in length] dug, you can already lie down, to hide in the ground - there is no longer dangerous. And the rule was such - no one was established, but we were firmly fulfilled by: Rovikov will be shed at that place if there is such a place where the trail of mines or shell burst. Because we ourselves, artilleryrs, we know that twice in one place the projectile is extremely rarely falling ... then you can feel reliably ...
Let's say, under Stalingrad, I was there for some two and a half months, so we changed thirty-forty positions, no less. Several hundred kilometers! The bulldozer will not shift so much as we swapped! We must start digging from the head. We started from the edge, suddenly, let's say, I had to open the fire - it means to put nowhere to put a gun. And when with a heart, it can be planted immediately, it will sit on twenty centimeters. The second point is the physiology of the soldier. From the center to throw hard, but the soldier has more strength now. Kirk were. It is necessary. A pair of lambs, two kirs and seven shovels.
Big or small?
Small for nothing, it does not wake up. Bruisier must be two bayonets in the ground - forty centimeters. And with itself should have twenty centimeters of height. Only sixty centimeters. This is not for beauty, here is the calculation: it is necessary to cut it, so that he delayed the fragments, bullets, and was not such a width. But in the war, not only it was necessary to explode.
After all, there are not asphalt roads, but more off-road. And we, of course, had to be dragged pretty often and the gun, and sometimes the cars themselves. When the gun on the solid soil, so we are managed, and when it is in the mud, it is ten times heavier. And yet, somehow the meter behind the meter, different tricks, the soldiers' devices were used and dragged - dragged on their hands, hiding behind the shield armored ... Here, say, 57 mm gun, 1250 kilograms weight. I must say, she is very maneuverable. Very of all, in my opinion, is successful. She has wheels - five people easily managed ...
Especially remembered - this is the weather in Ukraine. It remembers the beginning of forty-fourth year. Usually January, December - the snow falls, it makes it up. Well, there was so it was. And then it was naked, everything swam, and sometimes they moved to three or four kilometers per day. Then the gun sat down, then the car. One pull-out - another popling. We only thanks to the help of the population were able to advance at such a distance in forty-four year, up to Odessa, and free Odessa ...
So, as a rule, you move at night, take new firing positions - you need to dig again. Sleep once. There is no insomnia here - just once sleep. It turned out, in the morning art preparation, removed and moving behind the infantry. At night, you dig again, again there is no time to sleep. Three days, four - before Izmutsya, which even indifferently gets, and something is not happy about life.
The latter, for which I was awarded the Order of the Fame of the first degree, it was in Berlin. There it was not far from the Reichstag ... We, we really didn't look through it, we did not see it, because there were five-six-storey houses. Well, on this day there was approximately meters of five hundred and six hundred to Reichstag. Our stormed the six-story building ... The infantry rises to the wall, this side shells the wrong side, and we rush gun. Where one soldier will appear German - beat, shells did not regret. We were told: Bay even alone! Here, from behind the corner, this commander climbs. The infantry immediately back, in the windows: the case is not ours here, like that. So it is suddenly and close ...
"Tiger", right?
"Ferdinand" [Ferdinands in the defense of Berlin participation did not take. Most likely it is a Sau Stug]. Well, literally understand, sixty or seventy meters ... crawl! And Zherlo turns his own, his Nabuldychnik [muzzle brake]. And it is worth it, you see, forehead, that's the trouble! If sideways, and somehow ... here is, who is faster. There is still nowhere to go! Who quickly. Well, she, our gun, whiskey. On our happiness, he squeezed with the first shot ...
Source: "Russian House", No. 1 1997.