Wheels of the Second World War. GMC CCKW - the main truck of the American army

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In articles dedicated to the legendary Lend-Lease Studebaker truck , it was mentioned that, despite all the popularity of this vehicle in the USSR, in the American army itself it was by no means the main truck. This machine was considered exclusively as an object for deliveries to countries with poor road networks. But for the US Army fighting in Europe, the main truck was the GMC CCKW. This is what we will look at in this publication.

Such cars are usually shown in all their glory: warmed up, driven out onto a more or less decent road with very limited traffic. Sometimes - with several mechanics. But then a surprise awaited me. “There’s a car,” the owner told me, nodding towards a truck driven into a corner, “get in and go for a ride.” And they smiled slyly. Provocation?

Who does he look like?

If you look at the car briefly, especially from a distance, it greatly resembles the well-known Studebaker US-6, but a little smaller. And most importantly, the GMC has no doors. More precisely, they exist, but they are removable and made of canvas. So is the roof.

And yet, the GMC looks more like a Chevrolet G7117 than a Studebaker. True, the latter was two-axle, but otherwise these cars are practically twins. More precisely, these are almost the same car, and in addition to the different number of wheels, they are distinguished by the presence of the Chevrolet inscription on the side of the hood of the Chevrolet itself and the GMC inscription on the engine of the GMC.

The GMC CCKW was created as a “tactical truck with a 6x6 wheel arrangement and a payload capacity of 2.5 tons.” He had to be able to drive “off-road in all weather conditions,” as required by the American military. So General Motors responded to them with its CCKW.

The truck gained its greatest popularity while working to supply Allied troops after their landing in Normandy in 1944, although production of the vehicles began back in 1941.

The design turned out to be so successful that in Europe, where most CCKWs ended up during the war, they were used for many years after the war. Spare parts for them are still sold, and in some regions it is easier to find this car than our GAZ-53.

New military trucks and other heavy special equipment

Monsters on wheels.
Today we will show and tell our readers about the most powerful and potentially cross-country trucks that currently exist in the modern world. Scientific teams from different countries of the world and Europe have been developing and putting them into operation for decades. We are talking about military specialists. cars, fire engines and special trucks that carry special loads. There are many such variations, each of them is simply unique in itself. Their evolution began at the dawn of the automobile industry itself, but the most thoughtful designs have survived to this day and are still in use. It’s nice to know that one of the most honorable places among special-purpose trucks was occupied by heavy vehicles built in the USSR. The country needed such special vehicles to explore difficult places in the taiga and tundra, and to develop them with the help of the Far North. Unprecedentedly huge construction projects at that time required great engineering solutions, both in their scale and in their technological complexity. It was under such conditions that the first MAZ-7907 and KrAZ-255 vehicles were created in the USSR, as well as various modifications of BelAZ vehicles and a number of their multi-ton prototypes.

The designs of some vehicles included a huge number of axles, i.e., twelve, sixteen and even more than twenty axles. Other special equipment was distinguished by its maneuverability or the same incredible load-carrying capacity. For example, the total weight of a MAZ-7907 vehicle was 65 tons!

The very power of such trucks, created for difficult conditions, was comparable to their capabilities and, of course, dimensions. Modern diesel engines of Russian, American and European production are also distinguished by their high performance and often their power exceeds 500 hp.

And so, dear readers, let's look at the coolest trucks of recent years...

So what's good about CCKW?

Let's start with the basics - the frame. The vehicle's carrying capacity is 2.5 tons, but you can load much more into it. The safety margin of a staircase frame made of thick channel is remarkable. But it should be noted that some cars had a frame... collapsible. Behind the cabin it could be disassembled, dividing the car into two parts. What do you think they did with her next? Half of the truck was parachuted from airplanes and quickly reassembled on the ground. It turned out to be such a strange landing version of the vehicle. True, very rare.

Most vehicles were equipped with a conventional cargo bed. The body at different times was made of both wood and metal. Ours, to be honest, was made later. The relative, apparently, died, and the European grandfather, who until recently drove this car, did not bother with originality. Well, we are familiar with this approach... By the way, his playful hands played a little tricks with the lighting equipment: instead of the original, he installed non-standard reflectors and direction indicators. And I painted it several times, each time trying to get the original color. This, thank God, was the end of his work, and otherwise the car retained its pristine appearance from 1942, the year it came off the assembly line.

Under the hood of the CCKW there is a GMC 270 inline six petrol engine. The numbers mean volume in cubic inches, in the usual liters it turns out to be about 4.4 liters. The design of the engine is boringly classic for that time. This is an overhead valve long-stroke engine (96×102 mm), developing 93 hp. at 2750 rpm and 293 Nm at 1400 rpm. There is no point in “twisting” it, but I note that there is no such need either.

The gearbox, with its wild shift pattern (first - right and down, second - left and up, third - left and down, fourth - down, fifth - up, rear - right and up) copies the shift pattern on the Studebaker US-6 . But nevertheless, the gearbox is completely different - Warner T93. Fans of American trucks know that even now the manual transmissions of tractors from the USA do not have synchronizers in the usual sense, but shifts are made without pressing the clutch. The designers of our car today were not on hard drugs, so everything here is traditional, and there are even synchronizers. And the fifth gear is even overdrive!

There could be different bridges at CCKW. Ours has “banjo” type bridges, but on a par with them they also installed bridges detachable along the main gear housing (like on a “student”).

From the transfer case there is an additional power take-off shaft, which drives a winch with a traction force of 4.5 tons. It was also not installed on all cars, so this can be considered an option.

The car has a somewhat strange arrangement of spare wheels - under the front edge of the body. To remove the spare tire, you need to work a little with its release lever.

Well, now let’s lift our legs higher and climb inside. If the owner of the car told you to start the engine and drive yourself, let him not regret it now.

Bubbles of military power: how the American Black Hawk actually fell

Over the weekend, out of the corner of my eye and ear, I absorbed the speech of the retired cinematographer Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov, when he corrected Skrepa with his next “Besogon”, but said with extreme reasoning: the strength and power of the American army is very, very exaggerated, the “invincible image” was sculpted only by Hollywood. I mentioned the film “Black Hawk Down” directed by Ridley Scott... Bow with a tassel, Nikita Sergeevich, they reminded me. I’ve been itching my paws for a long time to try this stars-and-stripes bike.

What actually happened in 1993 in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, is well known to the international military community. The operation, known in American mythology as “The Day of the Rangers,” is well documented by both sides of the conflict. Thanks to the General of the Somali National Alliance Mohammed Farah Aidid and a number of observers from the UN contingent from Pakistan, Italy, France, Egypt and Germany, the event received an independent assessment of people in uniform and the media.

The Pentagon was unable to hide its own shame and incompetence, it only corrected the number of casualties... And the explosion of public indignation in the States forced the brave Yankees to leave Somalia in the spring of 1994 without a sip. Because “Ranger Day,” even for the patriotically minded inhabitant of “one-story America,” became a resounding slap in the face to the prestige of the army. No less deafening than Vietnamese.

Chaos in Somalia.

Things in this republic after the collapse of the USSR went from year to year worse. Having lost the financial and military support of Moscow and the Warsaw Pact countries, the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party of Muhammad Said Barre was openly losing to Islamic extremists and allied ethnic clans. At the end of the 80s, the situation was still saved by Cuban help, but in 1990 it came to naught, and the last military advisers left the army.

Socialist Barre started a war against the rebels, behaved extremely bloodthirsty, which was worth one air bombing of the city of Hargeisa, when about three thousand civilians were killed. Not a single armed rebel was injured; the barbaric act received enormous resonance in the world media.

By January 1991, the Republic of Somalia fell into complete chaos, all governance of the country was lost, inter-clan massacres began and old scores were settled. A terrible famine occurred, which claimed the lives of about 300 thousand people. The UN decided to deploy contingents of its forces to ensure the security of humanitarian operations.

The Blue Helmets first tried to disarm the clan paramilitary groups, but were unsuccessful. Or they were too late, because Mohammed Farah Aidid, the former chief of staff of the Somali army, quickly organized a rebuff to the “Western dogs.” He suspiciously quickly stopped internal strife, brought all the clan leaders and leaders of Islamic radical movements to the negotiating table, and created his own thousand-strong army.

In a couple of months, his Alliance took virtual control of two-thirds of the country and the capital (with the exception of the airport and commercial port), inflicting the State Department and the CIA the first humiliating defeat on the political fronts, drawing into its ranks the well-equipped Americans “National Movement of Southern Somalia” and the Haivine clan . This was followed by an ultimatum and a direct declaration of war on the UN forces.

The alliance began to act, the Pakistani “blue helmets” were the first to come under attack, losing three dozen soldiers in March 1993, and more than 50 were wounded. The UN adopts a new resolution, allowing the peacekeepers' command to conduct any full-scale operations in order to capture General Aidid. The political plan was poor from the very beginning; the rebels had long foreseen this development of events. In the event of Aidid's death, his son Hussein, the most authoritative field commander in the country after his father, took his place.

Having received the go-ahead, the US Air Force began to go wild in Somalia, flooding the sky with AC-130 Spectrum fire support aircraft and AN-1 Cobra helicopters. Everything that could serve as a support for Aidid’s rebel army was shot and destroyed. Through complex operations of UN troops with air support, they destroyed all Alliance strongholds, headquarters of field commanders, ammunition depots, communications centers, and all Soviet-era military equipment.

A third of the territory was completely cleared of militants, but the rebel general suddenly disappeared, having managed to issue an order: the rebels should start a guerrilla war! The population joined the Alliance when it became clear: the Americans did not particularly choose targets; about two thousand civilians were recorded as “collateral losses” (only by UN doctors).

As soon as the AC-130 Specter aircraft left Somalia, retreating to their base in Italy amid the indignant cries of liberal Europe about “barbaric bombings,” General Aidid reappeared in Mogadishu. He organized several well-planned attacks on the bases of the “blue helmets” and took control of the capital.

Its striking force was numerous mobile groups with “mortar jeeps.” The shelling of the Mogadishu airport (the parking lot of the rapid reaction helicopter forces) did not stop day or night, completely “blinding” the UNOSOM-II command. They appealed to the Pentagon for help.

The appearance of the gods...

In August 1993, help arrived. The United States decided to play trump cards by hijacking the elite of the country's ground forces in Somalia. The Rangers task force was supposed to put an end to the leadership of the rebels:

1st platoon “C” of the special squad “Delta”,

2. third battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment on the landing “Little Birds”,

3.160th Special Purpose Aviation Regiment “Night Stalkers”, which arrived on UH-60 “Black Hawk” and ON-6 “Little Bird” helicopters.

Having rested at the headquarters, the group was reinforced with SEALs, fire groups from the Air Force Anti-Terror special forces, a search and rescue crew from an aviation special squad and a number of military contingents from the UN forces. Thus, about 250 American special forces and about a thousand allied troops were assembled. There was only one goal: the capture or liquidation of General Aidid and his headquarters.

As the general himself later said, all the preparatory stages of the American adventure unfolded before his eyes. Two weeks before the "gods" arrived, observers from the US Air Force's 24th Special Operations Squadron hovered over the city, conducting reconnaissance helicopter flights as part of Operation Eye on Mogadishu. Very soon the rebels realized that the Americans were interested in vehicle movements. Countermeasures were immediately developed...

Before the fight.

The rebels placed about a hundred observers on the roofs of houses and near the airport, drawing up flight maps in three days. The Yankees neglected the basics of military art, flying only... two routes (along the coast or “fan” from the base), with the same turning points and approaches to observation squares.

They constantly got confused and formed into flocks if the rebels “slipped” them into columns of three to five jeeps armed with machine guns. The entire military base was raised by a false alarm. Thus, the detailed “rapid response protocol” of the UN troops was fully revealed.

The ISA unit from the CIA added to the confusion for the Americans, which fed the command absolutely incorrect information from all over Somalia. According to their “data,” the Ranger tactical group conducted about a dozen unsuccessful raids and ambushes. Not a shot was fired in their direction, the Alliance only watched... And there were no traces of General Aidid every time armadas of helicopters with troops took off from the airport and convoys of jeeps rushed to the capital of Somalia.

The UN command began to get nervous and insist on changing tactics and approaches to intelligence. It directly told the CIA specialists: your sources in the capital of Somalia have been exposed, under the control of the rebels they are giving outdated or outright misinformation! With particular cynicism, the United States conducted reconnaissance a week after the arrival of the Ranger tactical group. General Aidid, wanting to personally see the tactical maneuvers of the great hunters of his humble person, organized a cheerful provocation near the “forbidden zone”.

About three hundred special forces soldiers, blushing and swearing, returned to the base in the evening, bringing with them “prisoners” - fifteen employees of the UN humanitarian mission. Completely destroying several warehouses for distributing food and water to the local population. Their every step was documented by Alliance observers, hundreds of photographs were taken, starting from the moment the entire army left the base - to the distribution of small tactical groups at the site of the operation. All Ranger templates were thoroughly studied. There were only three of them:

1.helicopter landing and departure by convoy,

2. reverse procedure,

3.delivery and evacuation of groups by one type of transport.

The American special forces (at least three times each!) demonstrated all these tactical schemes to Aidid’s headquarters. The militants realized: no “steps to the side” were envisaged; the lower echelon of the Yankee command was deprived of the right to make independent decisions or deviate from previously laid out routes. Both on the ground and in the air.

For three weeks, the commandos themselves were exhausted from fruitless dashes to Mogadishu and back. Encountering virtually no resistance (they were only fired at several times from afar to understand response tactics), the Ranger let down its vigilance. The personnel washed their boots with stupid cross-country shoes on the hot streets of Mogadishu, not understanding either the goals or tactical objectives of the operation. And the passivity and stereotyped orders of the command, coupled with the ban on opening fire, completely destroyed discipline.

Began!

The first alarm bell rang back on September 15, when the rebels lured a light reconnaissance helicopter to the borders of the “forbidden zone” with a jeep that allegedly caught fire. While he was squirming around in search of the best point for a “selfie,” they stuck a single grenade from an RPG-7 into him. But the commander of the Rangers, General Garrison, considered this an unfortunate accident, since after the attack not a single rebel rushed towards the fallen OH-58 Kiowa or fired at the arriving rescuers. No conclusions were drawn about the use of such archaic air defense by the Alliance militants; helicopter pilots were not warned how they could be gracefully dropped from heaven to earth by conventional RPGs.

But then came October 3, 1993. CIA agents reported: two ministers and prominent warlords of the Alliance (Omar Salad and Abdi Hasan Awal) are meeting in the building of the Olympic Hotel. But intelligence did not clarify that the building is located in the heart of the Bakara market, which is completely under the control of General Aidid's forces. The Ranger group was alerted, but the start of the operation was postponed twice: a local CIA agent got scared and did not drive up to the right house.

Having received a good beating, the Somali still took a risk. He managed to drive a taxi to the hotel, which was recorded by a US Navy Orion reconnaissance aircraft. But the car was “repaired” so quickly (the “everything is in place” signal should be the hood being open for a few minutes) that the operators did not have time to record the exact coordinates. Only on the third attempt (however they didn’t shoot!) the identification of the place went according to the instructions, General Harrison was informed: the rebel lair had been identified, Minister Salad’s Land Cruiser was in place!

What happened next

beautifully and brutally described in Ridley Scott's film Black Hawk Down. The landing helicopters soared over the Mogadishu airport, the main characters (Delta Platoon) leading the chirping armada on four light MH-6 Little Birds. Only they had the opportunity to land on the roofs of houses. A group of rangers on four Black Hawks should be dropped on the “fast ropes” and organize a cover perimeter.

The landing was covered by four more AH-6 attack helicopters with machine guns and NURS. Black Hawk and the search and rescue team were near the market, keeping a trio of Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters in sight. The general television picture in the area of ​​operation was transmitted to the base by a high-circling P-3 Orion reconnaissance aircraft with its slow-witted operators.

A convoy of nine armored Humvees and three five-ton M939 trucks was approaching the Bakara market on the ground. The latter, as it turned out later, did not even have bulletproof armor; they were shot right through by Kalashnikovs from any distance. But armored Hummers, as the operation showed, are completely useless against any barricades. According to all the rules of military science, they should be rammed by infantry fighting vehicles or heavy armored personnel carriers, but the American command clearly did not know about this...

The special forces also considered their next raid as an ordinary cross-country course and a stupid pastime, leaving at the base additional ammunition, dry rations, plates for body armor, bayonets for rifles, night vision devices and even medical first aid kits.

The commanders did not object, considering the operation almost a training operation. To the great luck of the brave Yankees, one sergeant-technician ordered to lay ... body armor on the floor of the landing cabins and under the feet of the Black Hawk pilots. This later saved many lives.

We must give the special forces their due; they carried out the first stage of the operation much faster than they had previously been able to do in General Aidid’s “trainings.” Yes, and we studied the routes. “Delta” also did not get lost, landing on the roof of the hotel on its first approach and capturing 24 people. The rangers hesitated during the landing, one soldier fell out of the helicopter and crashed.

While the usual altercation for Americans was going on on air, “The soldier is wounded! Urgent evacuation is required!” Crowds arrived from the market, mixed with Alliance militants dressed as civilians. Since the beginning of September, they have been hanging around Mogadishu without military uniforms or insignia. The noose around the hotel dragged on, but the car convoy still broke through to the Olympic on time, losing three vehicles (two Hummers and an M939) to direct hits from an RPG-7.

Fall of the Black Hawks.

This is where the famous thing happened. A Black Hawk with the call sign “Super 6-1” was shot down with a direct hit to the tail transmission from a grenade launcher. Furious city residents rushed to the alley, where a column of smoke rose. Before this, the helicopter fired heavily from six-barreled miniguns at crowds of traders and militants, cutting off the natives from the Olympic Hotel.

Just a couple of minutes later, an AN-6 “Little Bird” landed near the downed one and picked up two wounded “Rangers” from the “Yastreb” on board. Having received three dozen holes from machine guns, he rushed towards the base. The two dead pilots remained lying in the car.

Next, the search and rescue H-60 ​​Pave Hawk flew up and dropped off a dozen special forces and medics. They managed to extract a couple more living gunners from the burning wreckage, but while leaving the scene of the disaster, the helicopter was hit by an RPG-7 grenade on board. Barely moving the propellers, I was able to stretch three kilometers to the nearest checkpoint near the “forbidden zone,” where it crashed.

At this time, a new drama unfolded on the ground and in the air, the ground convoy began to push through the instantly erected barricades, taking away the captured prisoners. The Black Hawk covering the convoy with the call sign “Super 6-4” received another RPG-7 grenade under the tail rotor (tangentially). Scouring in terrible zigzags, I began to move towards the base, but... the transmission could not withstand the vibration. Falling from a height of 20 meters, the car managed to make 15 revolutions before hitting the ground.

At this moment, General Harrison conducted a roll call of the commanders of all groups. It turned out that half of the special forces were killed or seriously wounded, the search and rescue group was busy evacuating the crew of “Super 6-1”. There was no one to help the second crashed helicopter; it was too far from the convoy’s route.

Fortunately or not, a Black Hawk circling nearby with the call sign “Super 6-2” landed two snipers of the Delta group at the scene of the disaster. They threatened to use force and forced the pilots to land them near the fallen Super 6-4 to protect the surviving crew members. As soon as this happened, a grenade flew into the cockpit of their helicopter. The Super 6-2 barely made it to the port of Mogadishu and crashed there, becoming the fourth Black Hawk to be disabled since the start of the operation.

Delta snipers pulled one pilot from the wreckage with broken legs, but were soon crushed by a crowd of angry Somalis. The convoy of 22 Hummers that came to their rescue was still stuck on the outskirts of the city: the city residents (according to plans drawn up in advance) tightly barricaded all the streets and alleys, and Alliance militants installed machine guns.

The “rescuers” were unable to get through this barrage of fire; having shot all the ammunition, they returned to base. And from the tracking helicopter they reported: “The crash site of the Super 6-4 is teeming with locals.” Dusk fell, the Americans were in panic. 99 special forces soldiers were stuck in Mogadishu, sparingly firing back from General Aideed's mobile groups circling around their buildings. It was impossible to break through to them without heavy armored vehicles.

Only after violating a direct order by the “Black Hawk” with the call sign “Super 6-6” did the surrounded people receive landing containers with water, ammunition and medicine dropped at high speed. The helicopter barely returned to base looking like a colander, having received fifty holes. This morning the car was written off.

General Harrison, after losing control over the course of the operation and several loud scandals with the officers of the Ranger group, who were eager to rescue their own even in the darkness of the night, turned to UN peacekeepers for help. Pakistani and Malaysian generals had already kept their soldiers in armored vehicles and tanks for five hours, ready to rush to the rescue.

But Harrison arrogantly waved it off. When it became clear that five “Black Hawks”, the main fire cover of the operation, had been destroyed, my ambition diminished. At night, a convoy of four Pakistani tanks and 24 armored personnel carriers of the Malaysian army left in the direction of Mogadishu. They soon stepped onto the lunar landscape not far from the buildings with the Americans hiding. A couple of blocks of Mogadishu were completely destroyed by fire support helicopters.

The “little birds” of the brave Yankees simply poured continuous machine-gun fire on the entire area, without any special sighting systems - they fired hundreds of unguided missiles, making three dozen sorties. The Pakistanis shouted on air for about half an hour to stop this shooting in squares. The convoy broke through all the barricades, barely made it to the encircled people only at five in the morning, on the way turning to the crash site of the Super 6-4, finding neither survivors nor dead.

Back, the remnants of the Ranger tactical group fled next to the allied armor; the command “forgot” to supply the “blue helmets” column with armored vehicles for evacuating the encirclement. Not a single shot was fired after him, although crowds of Somalis stood along the convoy's route. Many smiled and waved goodbye. Mogadishu's victory was unconditional...

American lie.

There had not yet been any Malaysian armored personnel carriers from the blood of wounded rangers, General Harrison began to “win the war,” as the Yankees always love to do. He attacked the higher command of the US Air Force with complaints: why were they not allocated the requested AC-130 “Spectrum” fire support aircraft with their lethal 105 mm howitzers and 40 mm automatic cannons before the start of the operation?

He was reminded: the general called the operation “local and lightning fast”; there were no plans to use such powerful means of destruction in a densely populated city. But why the gallant general did not reinforce the Ranger group with heavy armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles is a question. Although in his memoirs he distorted the card, saying he asked... but they didn’t give it.

False, there were several witnesses from the UN contingent and American journalist Mark Bowden nearby. He said: Harrison abandoned such an idea, even when the Pakistanis, after the fall of the first Black Hawk, began to assemble their armored vehicles.

The only thing the general did that was useful was intuitively ordering the helicopters to be equipped with units of unguided missiles. It was this barrage of fire that saved the surrounded Rangers from a terrible massacre after dark.

Official US casualty figures are as follows: 18 people killed, 74 seriously wounded. Black Hawk pilot Michael Durant was captured and released 11 days later in exchange for two high-ranking Alliance leaders.

The exact losses of the Somalis are unknown, Captain Haad (chief of staff) said: he killed 133 Somali policemen. The Red Cross counted 200 dead, journalists reported about five hundred corpses buried on the night of October 3-4 according to Muslim custom.

General Aidid himself gave only general figures, without distinguishing between militants and civilians: 315 people were killed, 800 were wounded. US Special Representative for Somalia Robert Oakley told a Senate inquiry committee:

“My personal estimate is that between 1,500 and 2,000 Somalis were killed and wounded that day because it was a real massacre. Both the Americans and those who came to their aid were fired upon from all sides... a deliberate use of force on the part of the Somalis, if you will. Women and children were used as human shields, and sometimes women and children took up weapons and started shooting too, and they attacked from all sides.”

Conclusions.

I can’t say anything revolutionary. The Americans fought as they always did. No tactical refinements, complete disregard for military regulations, arrogance, self-confidence, hope for complete air supremacy and fire support. An absolutely gray combat episode, which only became famous thanks to Ridley Scott's talented war drama.

You can film batches of such “Falls...” in American military history. Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Iraq, Afghanistan... a series of operations with large losses and worthless results. Since World War II, American command has been known for its terrible battle planning. The only ray of light in this hopeless kingdom is General Norman Schwarzkopf... but the name speaks for itself, where did the father of “Desert Storm” get such talents.

The shame in Mogadishu is the overestimation of the strength of the “American special forces,” which clearly affected the brains of the command, which watches too many Hollywood films and visits very few training grounds and exercises. Underestimating the enemy's capabilities and the location of the operation (the very center of a hostile city). Ну это неискоренимо, туземцы есть туземцы, тем более «ниггеры».

As usual, the brave Yankees in uniform treat the intelligence data of “competing departments” with great contempt. Especially the CIA. But General Harrison did not begin to understand the reasons for the constant mistakes of this department, which for three weeks drove (as if on a parade ground) his Ranger tactical group throughout Mogadishu.

Under the gaze of the grinning General Aidid (for a second, a graduate of the Soviet General Staff Academy). The main rebel calmly walked around with Somali journalist Issa Mohammed during all attempts to “capture” him. Without parting with the camera.

The American command has not created its own intelligence operations center. Didn't collect data from Air Force, Navy, UN forces in one place. The Orion operators did not know how to properly handle many of the “oddities” that they noticed during two weeks of useless patrolling over the capital of Somalia.

For example, why are so many car tires being diligently dragged onto the roofs of houses and suburbs, why are some buildings along the main roads being dismantled for construction materials, where and why jeeps suddenly disappear from the “all-seeing eye” in the market area, etc. The Yankees missed out on countless factors:

1.composition and level of training of Aidid’s field commanders (the past years of fighting in the Middle East and Afghanistan);

2. locations of mobile groups of machine-gun and mortar jeeps of the rebels, generally the estimated number of the enemy;

3. problems with direct transmission of orders to your special forces (communication was maintained through a chain of three to four operators);

4.three levels of command, lack of unity of command;

5. the absence of at least one unit of armored vehicles capable of overcoming the most banal city barricade;

6. the very fact of the invasion of city streets with the chaotic development of lightly armored vehicles;

7. use of helicopters that do not have structural armor;

8.inappropriate use of light rotary-wing vehicles, engaged not in the evacuation of the wounded and the delivery of ammunition, but in non-targeted fire support.

Well, and most importantly... Who exactly was brought to Somalia by the geniuses from the Pentagon? Despite the documented “constant combat readiness” of the 75th Parachute Regiment, 90% of the personnel were fresh recruits after “training”. The average age is 19 years. No combat coordination with the new, also stupid commanders from the military sanatorium-school, who allowed this “kindergarten” to leave without the proper equipment, plates for body armor, bayonets, supplies of water and medicine. With one round of ammunition. During the battle, control was completely lost several times, and a dozen firefights took place between groups. And the more experienced Delta almost died under targeted fire from paratroopers when it tried to direct helicopters at Somali machine-gun emplacements at night. Cinematic warriors, ugh...

Either GAZ or Lexus...

I partly understand people who want to buy a convertible in some hot Cyprus. But for a military truck, an open cabin is unusual. And it’s inconvenient, because I won’t do the splits even under pain of being shot (but that’s not for sure), and it’s a little difficult to jump over the side of the cabin. But inside it makes a very interesting impression.

Firstly, we immediately look at the instrument panel and are once again surprised by our GAS. Don't you think that the GAZ-51 is surprisingly similar to the GMC's?

Dashboard GMC CCKW 1942

Dashboard GMC CCKW 1942

GAZ-51 dashboard

GAZ-51 dashboard

Well, we are no strangers to these random coincidences. In addition, you probably remember that after the end of the war they tried to install a “student” cabin on the GAZ-51, and during the war years the Ford G8T and Chevrolet G7107 were assembled in Gorky. Okay, let's not be distracted by GAZ anymore.

Secondly, in the midst of a riot of iron, a steering wheel with a wooden rim is suddenly discovered. And associations with a Soviet truck change to associations with some premium brand.

Thirdly, the steering wheel is discovered not just like that, but with your stomach. Its diameter is huge, larger than that of our “ one and a half ” and ZiSovs . But at the same time it does not interfere with sitting. If in our cars he pressed me into the sofa seat, then here he simply delicately asked me to tighten my belly. And he didn’t cause any more inconvenience, which, admittedly, was unexpected.

Now let's look at the other controls. Don't you think that the levers are growing out of the floor here, like mushrooms after rain? In fact, they are all needed. These are the gearshift lever, the low-range transfer lever, the front axle lever, the parking brake lever and the power take-off shaft (read: winch) lever. Everything is to the point, but you need to wave your hands more carefully. And with your feet, too, because the clutch, brake, gas pedals and the starter and high beam switch buttons stick out under them.

WELL, NOW LET'S TRY TO START THE ENGINE. THERE IS NO IGNITION KEY HERE, THERE IS ONLY A “FLAG”. WE TURN IT AND PULL THE CHUCK OUT A LITTLE. NOW WE PUSH ON THE STARTER BUTTON WITH ONE FOOT, AND WITH THE OTHER... UH... STIMULATE THE GAS PEDAL. SOMETHING DOES NOT WORK. AH, GOT IT! WE WERE A LITTLE CONFUSED: WHAT I MISTAKED AS A CHUCK IS ACTUALLY FIXED GAS. THAT'S WHY THE GAS PEDAL MOVES SO STRANGELY EASY. THE CHUCK IS A LITTLE TO THE LEFT, IT IS NOT VISIBLE BEHIND THE WHEEL. WE PULL OUT WHAT WE NEED, PRESSURE ON THE STARTER...

Eat! Our grandfather has come to life! We look at the oil pressure gauge - everything is fine. Slowly push in the choke, leaving the engine to rumble at idle. His muttering is like Leshchenko’s song for Police Day: the timbre is pleasant, but boring. It just mumbles something and puts you to sleep. It’s good that pressing the gas pedal turns Leshchenko into the great scumbag Ozzy Osbourne. Let's go! To Normandy!

MTVR (United States)

Trucks, trucks

In February 1999, a multi-year contract was awarded to Oshkosh, the primary manufacturer of trucks for the US Army, to produce the MTVR, and the first production truck rolled off the assembly line in 2005. This vehicle is used by the US Navy and Marine Corps. It replaced the M939 6x6 truck and the aging M809 6x6 truck, which was produced from 1970 to 1982. The new truck provides greater mobility, payload capacity and reliability than older models. More than 11,000 MTVR trucks have been produced to date. It was supplied to Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Great Britain and possibly some other countries. MTVR trucks are powered by a Caterpillar C-12 diesel 11.9-liter six-cylinder engine with ADEM III that develops 425 hp.

The MTVR is a purpose-built military vehicle, although a small number of vehicles have been sold commercially for specialized operations such as bushfire fighting.

Peculiarities

The main parameters that were included in military tractors during design were load capacity and cross-country ability. And the first model that was put into mass production and then received the approval of practitioners was the MAZ 537.

Judging by the old photos, this tractor differed favorably from its predecessors, although it was developed on their basis.

First of all, the car's engine power had to be increased. The first models did not have enough power to transport massive installations and machines.

Soon the first tractor with a similar design was produced at the well-known Minsk Automobile Plant on March 29, 1959. And later - in 1961 - the production of heavy trucks was transferred to the workshops of the Kurgan Wheel Tractor Plant.

The car was in great demand, but over time it had to undergo a number of modifications. In addition, by 1990, the special equipment became obsolete and was discontinued.

Performance characteristics

For the MAZ 537 truck chassis, the technical characteristics met the requirements of its era

Therefore, the characteristic features made the car an important figure in the military arsenal of the USSR

In addition, the curb weight of the historic car is 21.6 tons.

In addition to the main features, it should be noted that the heavy-duty vehicle is equipped with a D-12A-525A diesel engine with 12 cylinders. Such an engine with a displacement of 38.88 liters is capable of speeds up to 2100 rpm.

Scope of application

Initially, the MAZ 537 truck tractor was developed for the needs of the Soviet army. Thanks to the technical characteristics that were unique at that time, he found his calling in the national economy. For example, the car served faithfully for transporting heavy loads.

The only inconvenience was due to the fact that the dimensions of the tractor differed significantly from those provided for by road markings. This made it difficult to move the car. For the passage of MAZ 537, traffic police warned the population and organizations about the planned movement in advance.

The security services had to block the flow of cars in both directions while cargo was being transported. However, despite the measures taken to prevent accidents, the danger of driving into a rut existed constantly.

For civilian needs and in off-road conditions, the MAZ 537 was used in the Far North. This is due to the fact that no other model of equipment for a similar purpose could withstand harsh conditions.

One of the modifications was intended for the installation of crane equipment. However, it was not used very intensively. The main use of the tractor is the transportation of tanks, self-propelled artillery units, and missiles. Some modifications were capable of towing aircraft.

Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG (Germany)

The first Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG (Universal Motor Gerat) was designed in 1946, shortly after the Second World War. Prototypes were shown in 1948. It was originally designed as a simple and efficient 4x4 multi-purpose vehicle that could be used for farming, forestry and transporting a variety of loads. Her design was extremely successful.

A number of armored vehicles are based on automotive components from this truck. These include the Aravis, Dingo I, Dingo II and Mamba vehicles, the Condor armored personnel carriers and the AV-VBL.

Oshkosh Defense

The wheeled vehicles of the modern state army are associated with many companies, but carte blanche in relation to US military trucks is provided to the Oshkosh company, which was engaged in lifting and fire-rescue equipment until close contact with the US Transportation Corps. The main trucks supplied to the US military are the HEMTT family. The first copies entered service back in 1982, but were later significantly modernized.

One of the representatives of the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck is the A4 model.

Most Mobility Tactical Truck (MTT) Oshkosh versions are powered by Caterpillar engines. For example, the A4 is equipped with a 600-horsepower version of this engine - C15. And the giant of American military trucks, the HEMTT A3, with a carrying capacity of up to 13 tons at a maximum highway speed of 105 km/h, is capable of overcoming 60% elevation with a load of 10 tons without much difficulty.

In total, the family includes 8 diesel trucks with all-wheel drive and varying degrees of robotization. The HEMTT wheel arrangement is “8×8”, the average load capacity is 10 tons. Similar LVS vehicles are used by the US Marine Corps cargo service.

Oshkosh PLS

Oshkosh’s own development, PLS, stands out. This versatile 10x10 off-road vehicle is designed to carry flatpack containers (Flatrack) that are connected to the chassis with several types of fastenings. The loading and unloading mechanism allows you to unhook and load containers in a matter of seconds. The Caterpillar C15 engine (the second option is MTU Detroit Diesel) allows you to transport up to 16.5 tons with an M1076 trailer. The machine can act as a tractor, trailer and truck.

The PLS drive works on all 10 wheels, so the truck is not afraid of problems with the lack of a road, or even land at all. Paired with a 7-speed gearbox (hydromechanical), there is a 2-speed transfer mechanism with manual differential locking. The movement of the truck can be stopped by a retarder with a power of 450 hp. Interestingly, only the 1st, 2nd and 5th axles are controlled, while the 4th and 5th are suspended, and the middle one is raised by air suspension.

PLS is a unified transporter capable of docking with several types of containers.

The latest PLS and LVS systems include pallet racks, remote controls, cranes, multifleet systems and other complexes that increase logistics efficiency. For example, the PLS A1 is equipped with a cabin protected by heat-resistant armor, a 600 hp engine, a six-speed transmission, and independent suspension on the front axle positions, which increases maneuverability and stability in off-road conditions.

The PLS may not be faster than the Hawaiian Eagle, but it is equipped with so much digital technology that even the grass on the desert plains of Afghanistan withers from its radiation. Oshkosh electronics diagnose the vehicle, pave the way, and are able to communicate with the control center even in planetary battle mode. And in the coming years, American military trucks may begin to be equipped with Oshkosh TerraMax UGV unmanned electronics.

Description of design

Front view of the MAZ-537. It can be seen that two pairs of front wheels turn at once

MAZ-537 is a four-axle all-wheel drive off-road vehicle with two swivel front pairs of wheels. Its main purpose is to transport particularly heavy and bulky cargo on a trailer or semi-trailer.

The main load-bearing element is a durable steel frame. Its main parts are two spars and two inclined sidewalls. Connections – welded or riveted. To prevent dirt from getting on the heater and individual engine components, a folding protective sheet is attached to the bottom of the frame.

The MAZ-537 cabin is all-metal, closed. There are four seats inside (although the crew usually includes only two people). The driver's seat is sprung. There are ventilation hatches in the rear of the cabin and in its roof. There are two wipers on the windshield and a washer. Road lighting is provided by two headlights. The side doors (there are two of them) are equipped with power windows. During the cold season, a constant temperature in the cabin is maintained by an independent heating system. There are fans for blowing the windshield with a stream of heated air.

The power plant of the MAZ-537 car is a four-stroke twelve-cylinder diesel engine D-12A-525A, produced in Barnaul and representing a development of the V-2 engine for the T-34 tank.

Diesel engine D-12A-525A

The displacement is 38.88 liters, power is 525 horsepower, and maximum torque reaches 2200 Nm. Engine cooling is liquid. To make it easier to start the engine at subzero temperatures, there is a special heating device.

The tractor's transmission consists of a three-stage hydromechanical gearbox, cardan shafts, a transfer case, an overdrive mechanism and four drive axles. The most important units are located together with the engine in the engine and transmission compartment located behind the driver's cab. The gear shift is hydraulic, while the transfer case is equipped with a pneumatic drive (duplicated by a conventional manual control system). There is a center differential lock switch.

The MAZ-537 tractor has two brake systems - working and parking. The first of them is equipped with a pneumohydraulic drive, which ensures the supply of the necessary force to the actuators. The steering is also equipped with a hydraulic booster, which allows the driver to carry out any maneuvers with relative ease.

The main consumers of electricity on a MAZ-537 car are the starter, lighting and control devices, internal fans and a sound signal. Sources of electricity are a battery and a generator driven by the engine crankshaft.

Army trucks today

Several automobile trucks are engaged in the production of trucks for the Russian army), Kamsky (“KAMAZ”), Kurgansky (“Rusich”), Brest (“Voshchina”), Kremenchug (“KRAZ”), Moscow (“ZIL”). The constant supplier of engines for most models of any of these manufacturers is the Yaroslavl Motor Plant.

The best modern cars

Standardized schemes of the truck industry serve as the basis for the development of new models of military transport.

Vehicles have a high level of protection using:

• cabin reservations;
• rear bulwark to protect the wheels;
• grille canopy in front of the radiator;
• installation of armored tail and hood elements to protect the roof, underbody and engine;
• use of armored glass;
• installation of explosion-proof fuel tanks;
• use of tires resistant to mechanical damage.

Similar reinforcements are used on vehicles of the brands “Ural 4320”, “ZIL 4320”, “KAMAZ 43101” and others.

The most used in the modern Russian army are Ural 4320 trucks and its modifications, as well as KamAZ trucks.

The main characteristics of trucks used in military conditions are shown in the table.

Promising models

In addition to modifications of traditionally and long-used vehicles, new unique vehicles are also being created in Russia for the needs of the defense complex. Some of them have already been presented to the public, while information about others has not been made public.

Among the new products are “Typhoon” and “Federal”.

Typhoon

The family is a new development, not a modification. The models are developed by the Ural and Kama plants. These are armored vehicles of several varieties with the following characteristics:

• wheel formulas 4x2, 4x4, 6x6;
• modifications of bodies – bonnet, hoodless frame, hoodless body;
• air suspension;
• equipped weight – 9,500 kg;
• total weight – 17,000 kg;
• fuel consumption – 35 l/100 km;
• fuel reserve - 630 km;
• maximum speed – 80 km/h;
• obstacles – slopes up to 23° and fords up to 1.75 m deep;
• purpose - delivery of the contingent to the place of hostilities and participation in them.

Federal

Armored vehicles assembled at the Moscow Experimental Institute based on the chassis of the Ural plant and with a Yaroslavl engine. The design is simpler than that of the Typhoons and is intended for internal troops. The cabin is combined with the body into an armored capsule.

The cargo fleet of the Russian Armed Forces includes diverse vehicles for all use cases. Created for the needs of the army, they are successfully used in civil engineering and support the activities of rescue services. Delivery of humanitarian aid, evacuation of the population from places of natural and man-made disasters.

The equipment and replenishment of the garage of military heavy trucks is under constant control of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Modifications

• MAZ-537 is the basic model of the tractor.
• MAZ-537A is a ballast tractor with a metal welded platform and a winch. The vehicle was designed to tow heavy artillery pieces, trailers and missile systems weighing up to 75 tons on highways or on terrain. A small series was built in 1964-1966.
• MAZ-537B is an experimental tractor, a platform for deploying the R-17 operational-tactical missile. It did not pass the tests and was not mass-produced.
• MAZ-537V is a special-purpose truck tractor with a permissible load on the coupling device reduced by 7 tons. It was originally intended for transportation of the DBR-1 Yastreb unmanned reconnaissance aircraft on the two-axle SURD-1 platform (see Tu-123 UAV). The MAZ-537V tractor was produced in small batches at the request of the Ministry of Defense from 1965 to 1985. In addition to transporting UAVs, it was used for towing special two-axle eight-wheel transport semi-trailers with containers for strategic missiles UR-100 and 5V61 missiles from the firing systems of the A-35 missile defense system, as well as a two-axle tanker semi-trailer TZ-30 (ATZ-30) with a capacity of 30 you SL.
• MAZ-537G is a multi-purpose tractor, with the load on the fifth wheel increased to 27 tons and a new 15-ton winch. Could work as part of road trains. The MAZ-537G vehicle was used with all types of heavy military semi-trailers, towed all types of armored vehicles, powerful missile systems and installation units, served as the base for the KET-T evacuation tractor, the MTP-A4 technical assistance vehicle and the basis for new generations of truck tractors. This is the most widespread modification, built since 1964.
• MAZ-537D is a special tractor with an alternating current generator set. It was intended to transport special semi-trailer missile systems, while simultaneously serving as a mobile power station.
• MAZ-537E is a special truck tractor for the Strategic Missile Forces. It was equipped with additional power take-off for auxiliary electric generators, hydraulic pumps and compressors to power various semi-trailer systems. It could tow semi-trailers weighing up to 68 tons (like 537G) and work as part of road trains with a total weight of up to 90 tons. The modified version of the tractor was used as a tractor-pusher and an additional source of electricity as part of a super-heavy multi-link transport and reloading road train 15T284 for transporting a container with an intercontinental missile RT -23.
• MAZ-537K is a tractor with crane equipment. Developed for the 9K76 Temp-S missile system. Due to an unsuccessful design, it was not mass-produced.
• MAZ-537T is a tractor for export to countries with humid and hot climates. It successfully passed all tests, but due to the exorbitant cost it was not mass-produced.
• MAZ-537L (KZKT-537L) is an airfield tractor for towing aircraft weighing up to 200 tons.
• KZKT-537M - an experimental tractor with a YaMZ-240NM diesel engine (500 hp)
• KZKT-537P is a towing vehicle for missile systems. It had a body with an awning and seats for personnel.
• MAZ-537R is a civilian version with a power take-off gearbox and a TT-2 trailer. Used as part of the PV-481 pipe hauler for the construction of oil and gas pipelines. It was not widely used.

Freight transportation in Ufa

BM-13-16 - wheels of democracy

After World War II, a different story and a completely different war begins. US military trucks no longer reach the USSR, and decayed capitalism no longer becomes the basis for such wonderful vehicles as the BM-13-16. However, changes are also overdue in the states themselves. Three-axle trucks for military needs were produced by 5-6 companies at once, which did not quite satisfy the Pentagon, which was built a couple of years ago. In 1949, a competition was held for the best cargo transport project for the US Army, which was won by REO Motor Car.

The REO model had single wheels on all axles, but the main innovation was the front axle that was connected automatically. The simple design of the cabin and the engine, which runs on three types of fuel, persuaded the military to sign the contract. The M34, the first model, left the factory in 1950, but the US government again found a customer in Europe. The model was required to be modified by adding a gable busbar, and the production of the M34 was entrusted to Studebaker. Parallel to this line, army trucks were supplied by small companies like Kenworth (the famous 552 “desert trucks” or M1 “repairers”).

Omnivore M35

The car remained in US service for a good four decades, and the omnivorous White LDT427 engine played a significant role in this epic. In the main mode, this power unit runs on diesel fuel, native to tractors, but it can be filled with gasoline and jet engine fuel, including aviation kerosene of any degree of flammability. The only condition was that gasoline had to be diluted with engine oil, due to the fact that the engine lubrication system was designed for diesel fuel.

The M35 was developed by GMC but produced by REO, Kaiser, GMC and even KIA. The truck received its baptism of fire in Korea.

The operating principle of the unit is based on the slow combustion of layers of fuel, which is made possible by its spraying along the walls of a spherical chamber integrated directly into the piston. The injection torch is oriented so that the drops do not reflect from the wall, but spread evenly over it, forming the thinnest layers 0.013 mm thick. A cold start in this situation is a problem, since only 5% of the fuel injected into the chamber is responsible for ignition, and a minimum evaporates from its walls - pre-start heating was usually combined with a powerful stove. Maximum torque – 461 N˙m (1400 min-1), maximum power is achieved at 2.5 thousand min-1 – 134 hp. The latest modifications of the M35 (A2) were equipped with a 140-horsepower Continental D-465-1C and a 5-speed gearbox.

For 100 km, the engine consumed up to 38 liters of diesel fuel, reaching 77 km/h without load. The rigid dependent spring-type suspension made it possible to move comfortably only with a load of more than a ton (maximum 2.3 tons of cargo). The standard kit included a 10-ton winch and centralized tire inflation. Standard dimensions – 7×2.8×2.4 meters (LxHxW).

M939

Even before the M35 was discontinued in 1989, AM General built an incredible number of trucks based on it (the 600 and 700 series) until it reached the 5-ton M54. The 800 series is being designed based on this truck. The M809, which rolled off the assembly line at the South Bend factories, was driven on the roads by a herd of 243 horses housed in a 14-liter Cimmins NHC250 engine. The difference between the series is hydropneumatic brakes, power steering and double final drive.

The Centaur crane chassis served as the basis for the “900” series, among the models of which you can see road trains weighing up to 61 tons: tow trucks, concrete mixers and other commercial vehicles. However, in the history of US military trucks, the most noticeable mark was left by the M939 five-ton trucks, which were in service with the states until 1998. Development was completed in 1975, and the first order from the government arrived in 1981. Reliable Rockwell axles and a 5-speed Allison gearbox paired with a two-speed transfer case allow the M939 to tackle serious off-road conditions.

In the indexing of US trucks M - Military, the numbers indirectly indicate the series and load capacity.

The Cummins 6CTA8.3 engine (modification M939 A2) develops up to 250 hp. and the truck pulls even on inclines steeper than 45˚. Maximum speed – 84 km/h. The machine has a diagnostic system that allows you to determine the malfunction without deconstructing the parts.

FMTV

Since the end of the last century, the M939 series has been disappearing from the list of US military trucks, replaced by a family of military vehicles on a single chassis - FMTV. The wheelbase of these cars is actually taken from the Steyr 12M18 car. Light trucks of the series (M1078, 1079 and 1081) transport up to 2.5 tons of cargo, heavy ones - up to 5 tons. Some of the FMTVs are equipped with machine guns similar to the M113 armored personnel carrier.