Morozov. Bronze bust of A.A.

General-Major-Engineer (1945), Doctor of Engineering. Sciences (1972), twice Hero of the Socialist. Labor (1942, 1974). Member CPSU since 1943. He graduated from mechanical engineering. technical school (1930). In 1931-38, the head of the design bureau group of the plant, from 1938 the deputy head of the design bureau, then the head of the design bureau and deputy. ch. factory designer, since 1940 Ch. constructor. M. took directly. participation in the development of the first domestic, medium tank T-24 (1930), as well as light wheeled-tracked tanks BT-2 (1931), BT-5 (1932), BT-7 (1935) and BT-7M (1939). BT tanks along with the T-26 were in the 30s. the basis of the tank, weapons Sov. Army. As a technical project manager, together with M. I. Koshkin and N. A. Kucherenko, he led the development of the T-34 medium tank, which was put into service in 1940. During the Great Patriotic War, as the chief designer, he led the modernization of the T-34 tank, recognized as the best tank of the 2nd World War period. After the war, under the leadership of M., a number of new types of tanks and other armored tanks were created. technology. Deputy Top. Council of the USSR of the 5th convocation. Laureate of the State Prizes of the USSR (1942, 1946, 1948) and the Lenin Prize (1967). He was awarded 3 orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Orders of Kutuzov 1st degree, Suvorov 2nd degree, 3 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of the Red Star, as well as medals.

life path

A fourteen-year-old teenager A. A. Morozov, having received a six-year education in a real school, came in March 1919 to the Kharkov Locomotive Plant. His career began in the technical office of the plant as a clerk. Further work as a copyist, draftsman and designer introduced him to the creation of the first Kommunar caterpillar tractors at the plant. Since 1928, Morozov, who returned to the plant after serving in the Red Army (in the air brigade as an aviation mechanic), as part of the design team, ensured the manufacture of a prototype of the maneuverable tank T-1-12, and then participated in the design and production of a subsequent modification of the tank, which received the brand T-24. This tank was one of the first tanks of domestic design, it was equipped with a powerful engine and a number of original transmission units.

Postal envelope with a portrait of Morozov A. A.

Period 1929-1931 was associated for A. A. Morozov with studying at correspondence department Moscow Automotive Institute named after M. V. Lomonosov, and then - at the evening department of the Kharkov Engineering College. After graduating from the technical school, Morozov took a direct part in the design and development of serial production of the BT wheeled-tracked tank. He designed many components and parts of the transmission and chassis of the tank, which was produced over a number of years in the form of gradually improved modifications (from BT-2 to BT-7M). At this stage of design activity, A. A. Morozov quickly gained considerable experience, reached the level of lead designer, began to lead the design team, and from July 1936 headed the design bureau sector for new design.

In the second half of the 1930s, the designers of the plant were given the task of significantly increasing the shell resistance of armored hulls of tanks and increasing their survivability on the battlefield. One of the important developments of that period was the design of the A-20 wheeled-tracked tank with an increased number of driving wheels-rollers compared to the BT tank and with a hull and turret original form. In the course of this work, in order to test the possibility of simplifying the design of the tank, it was decided to additionally design a tank that was close in parameters, but without an independent wheel drive. The new A-32 tank largely repeated the A-20: a similar layout and hull shape, the same type of diesel engine of the V-2 type. Separate design solutions, such as some transmission and running gear units, were used in the BT, A-20 and A-32 tanks without fundamental changes.

At the end of 1938, both projects (A-20 and A-32) were submitted for consideration to the Main Military Council of the Red Army, where M. I. Koshkin, chief designer of the Comintern plant, and A. A. Morozov, his deputy, made reports about his work. As a result, after discussing the submitted projects, permission was obtained to manufacture both tanks in order to test them and make the final choice of one of them for adoption. In June-August 1939, comparative tests were carried out. No significant advantages of a wheeled-tracked tank in comparison with a tracked one were revealed, and in the conclusions of the commission it was written: “it is advisable to protect the A-32 tank, as it had a margin for weight gain, with more powerful armor, respectively, increasing the strength of individual parts ...” Therefore, soon the A-32 tank was loaded up to 24 tons and subjected to additional tests. Tests confirmed the possibility of increasing the mass of the tank by about 5 tons, which made it possible to increase the thickness of the hull armor from 20 to 45 mm and strengthen a number of units and assemblies. The Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, by a decree of December 19, 1939, accepted a new medium tank for production at the Kharkov plant named after the Comintern, assigning it the T-34 brand. Thus, thanks to a bold innovative approach to solving challenging task on the creation of a medium tank of a new generation, the designers, led first by M.I. Koshkin, and after his death by A.A. indicators of firepower, projectile protection and mobility at low manufacturing cost, reliability and ease of operation.

By a government decree in 1942, for the development of the design of the T-34 tank, the State Prize of the USSR was awarded to Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov, Mikhail Ilyich Koshkin and Nikolai Alekseevich Kucherenko, who at that time was the head of the design bureau for serial production of the plant.

Work at the Kharkov plant named after the Comintern in the pre-war years was not limited to the production of the T-34 tank. A group of designers, directly headed by A. A. Morozov, continued to search for further ways to improve medium tanks. As a result of the continuation of this work in 1942-1944. at the Ural Tank Plant, even more powerful medium tanks T-43 and T-44 were developed.

In the first days of the Patriotic War, the Soviet government set the task for tank designers to ensure a significant expansion of the production of T-34 tanks, several plants in the Volga region and the Urals in Siberia were transferred to their production. Mastering the production of T-34 tanks by factories with different composition equipment, with the low qualification of the majority of workers, among whom there were many teenagers and women, became possible due to the good technological development of the design, which, along with the merit of technologists, was determined to a large extent in the daily hard work of designers to simplify the tank, find substitutes for scarce materials, adapt its designs for mass production. At the same time, the combat characteristics of the T-34 tank were constantly improving, and in the second half of 1943 the tank was radically modernized, its shoulder strap was expanded, and a new turret with a powerful 85-mm gun was installed. This was a response to the appearance in the Nazi army of new tanks "Panther", "Tiger" and "King Tiger" and self-propelled guns "Elephant" ("Ferdinand"). The designers Ya. I. Baran, A. A. Moloshtanov, M. I. Tarshinov, B. A. Chernyak, A. I. Shpaikhler and others. All of them were awarded the State Prize of the USSR for the fundamental improvement of the existing medium tank and the development of the design of a new medium tank.

During the years of the Patriotic War, 52 thousand T-34 tanks, the best tanks of the Second World War, were produced and transferred to the Red Army. This is a considerable merit of the collectives of the factories, where the directors were Yu. E. Maksarev, E. E. Rubinchik, B. G. Myzrukov, K. A. Zadorozhny and others, paid a lot of effort and attention to the production of the T-34 tank by People's Commissar V. A Malyshev, his deputy A. A. Goreglyad, I. M. Zaltsman, M. N. Popov. A. A. Khabakhpashev and others. After the end of the war, several hundred T-34 tanks were installed on pedestals, became monuments symbolizing the heroism of Soviet tank soldiers, shown in the battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland, and the labor feat of Soviet tank builders.

In the difficult years of the war, A. A. Morozov, devoting himself entirely to work, achieved outstanding success in strengthening the combat power of the armored forces of the Red Army, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in January 1943, and later awarded high military orders: Kutuzov I degree and Suvorov II degree. He was awarded the military rank of major general of the tank engineering service. The design bureau, led by A.A. Morozov, was awarded the Order of Lenin.

The post-war period of A. A. Morozov's activity is connected with the continuation of the line of development of mass medium tanks, partially embodied at the final stage of the war in the T-44 tank. All the rich experience in the production and use of the T-34 tank was used to create the T-54 and T-55 tanks. Many achievements of science and technology of the post-war period were reflected in their design, as a result of which they were created and introduced into mass production, in particular, weapon stabilizers, electronic night vision devices, underwater driving equipment, a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction, etc. Medium tanks of the first post-war generation, created under the guidance and ideas of A. A. Morozov, had high combat characteristics, while they were simple in design and reliable in operation. Many design bureau designers took part in their development, including P. P. Vasiliev, V. G. Matyukhin, V. K. Baidakov, A. V. Kolesnikov. For the development of the T-54 tank, A. A. Morozov was awarded the USSR State Prize for the third time.

In the second half of the 50s, the creative life of A. A. Morozov was associated with laying the foundations for the design of the second generation of tanks in the post-war period. He, as a supporter of the revolutionary development of armored vehicles, boldly went to a sharp gap between new promising designs and design solutions that were tested at that time in our country and abroad. Research organizations of industry and the Ministry of Defense were involved in the allies. Particular attention was paid to minimizing the volume and weight characteristics of units, assemblies and the machine as a whole. Being an excellent designer, A. A. Morozov spent a lot of time directly at the drawing board, reviewing and analyzing hundreds of diagrams and drawings. Very responsible developments were carried out by the closest associates of A. A. Morozov - Ya. I. Baran, E. A. Morozov, M. A. Nabutovsky, B. N. Polyakov, G. A. Omelyanovich, M. G. Stepanov and others in bureau of new design and then in the course of mastering the serial production of the T-64 tank. The composition of the crew was reduced in this tank due to the use of an automatic loader for a powerful smoothbore gun. The length of the engine compartment has been significantly reduced due to the coaxial transverse arrangement of the two-stroke diesel engine and two symmetrically arranged planetary gearboxes, which simultaneously acted as turning mechanisms. On a fundamentally new basis, fire control systems, gear shifting, combined armor protection, smoke masking, etc. were designed. An ejection cooling system, highly efficient air cleaners, the most lightweight undercarriage with powerful shock absorbers and a caterpillar equipped with rubber-metal hinges and etc. For this work, A. A. Morozov, together with Ya. I. Baran, L. L. Golints, V. I. Kreopalov, V. S. Starovoitov and others, was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1967.

A. A. Morozov should rightfully be called the creator of the "Morozov school" of tank building. The characteristic features of this school include: purposefulness, novelty of solutions, lack of unjustified risk, thoroughness and accuracy in everything, the maximum possible efficiency and simplicity of the design of a combat vehicle, combined with high manufacturability and reliability, with minimal dimensions and weight.

The career path of Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov was worthy of the highest awards. In 1974 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for the second time. He was awarded ten orders and many medals of the USSR. Member of the Communist Party since 1943, he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was awarded the scientific knowledge of Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Mechanical Engineer of the Ukrainian SSR.

In life, A. A. Morozov was very modest and simple, he loved a friendly joke, he often met with young people and spoke at Komsomol meetings, the door of his office was almost always open, he could constantly be seen bending over drawings and calculations. Creativity and diligence - these are the measures by which Morozov evaluated the work of his employees. All the labor activity of Alexander Alexandrovich is an example of selfless and impeccable service to the chosen cause. For the sake of the progress of domestic tank building, the outstanding tank designer Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov lived and worked.

On May 9, 2007, the second part of the diaries of A. A. Morozov - "Tanks and People" was published. This unique material tells about the dramatic events that took place in the early to mid-70s in the domestic tank industry: fine-tuning the T-64 tank and developing the promising T-74.

Information sources

• Soviet military encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 5.

USSR USSR

Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov( - ) - Soviet design engineer, major general engineer, one of the creators of the T-34 tank. Twice Hero of Socialist Labor. Laureate of the Lenin Prize.

Biography

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Literature

• Morozov A.A. Tanks and people. Diary of the chief designer. - BTVT.narod.ru: Processing of records, preparation and design of the manuscript by Ph.D. V. L. Chernyshev, 2006.
• Listrovy V., Slobodin K. Designer Morozov. - M .: Politizdat, 1983. - 80 p. - (Heroes of the Soviet Motherland).

Links

Site "Heroes of the Country".

An excerpt characterizing Morozov, Alexander Alexandrovich

Pierre did not manage to choose a career for himself in St. Petersburg and, indeed, was exiled to Moscow for riot. The story told at Count Rostov's was true. Pierre participated in tying the quarter with a bear. He arrived a few days ago and stayed, as always, at his father's house. Although he assumed that his story was already known in Moscow, and that the ladies surrounding his father, who were always unfriendly to him, would take advantage of this opportunity to annoy the count, he nevertheless went to half his father on the day of his arrival. Entering the drawing room, the usual residence of the princesses, he greeted the ladies who were sitting at the embroidery frame and at the book, which one of them was reading aloud. There were three. The eldest, clean, long-waisted, strict girl, the same one who went out to Anna Mikhailovna, was reading; the younger ones, both ruddy and pretty, differing from each other only in that one had a mole above her lip, which made her very pretty, sewed in a hoop. Pierre was greeted as dead or plagued. The eldest princess interrupted her reading and silently looked at him with frightened eyes; the youngest, without a mole, assumed exactly the same expression; the smallest, with a mole, of a merry and humorous disposition, stooped down to the embroidery frame to hide a smile, caused, probably, by the upcoming scene, the amusingness of which she foresaw. She pulled down the hair and bent down, as if sorting out the patterns and barely holding back her laughter.
“Bonjour, ma cousine,” said Pierre. - Vous ne me hesonnaissez pas? [Hello cousin. You don't recognize me?]
“I know you too well, too well.
How is the Count's health? May I see him? Pierre asked awkwardly, as always, but not embarrassed.
“The Count suffers both physically and morally, and it seems that you took care to inflict more moral suffering on him.
May I see the count? Pierre repeated.
“Hm!.. If you want to kill him, kill him completely, you can see. Olga, go and see if the broth is ready for the uncle, the time will soon be, ”she added, showing Pierre that they are busy and busy reassuring his father, while he is obviously busy only upsetting.
Olga left. Pierre stood for a moment, looked at the sisters, and, bowing, said:
- So I'll go to my place. When you can, tell me.
He went out, and the sonorous but quiet laughter of the sister with the mole was heard behind him.
The next day, Prince Vasily arrived and settled in the count's house. He called Pierre to him and said to him:
- Mon cher, si vous vous conduisez ici, comme a Petersbourg, vous finirez tres mal; c "est tout ce que je vous dis. [My dear, if you behave here as in Petersburg, you will end up very badly; I have nothing more to tell you.] The count is very, very sick: you don’t need to see him at all.
Since then, Pierre has not been disturbed, and he spent the whole day alone upstairs in his room.
While Boris entered him, Pierre walked around his room, occasionally stopping in the corners, making threatening gestures to the wall, as if piercing an invisible enemy with a sword, and sternly looking over his glasses and then starting his walk again, pronouncing obscure words, shaking shoulders and arms outstretched.
- L "Angleterre a vecu, [End of England]," he said, frowning and pointing his finger at someone. - M. Pitt comme traitre a la nation et au droit des gens est condamiene a ... [Pitt, as a traitor to the nation and the people right, sentenced to ...] - He did not have time to finish Pitt's sentence, imagining himself at that moment as Napoleon himself and, together with his hero, having already made a dangerous crossing through the Pas de Calais and having conquered London, - as he saw a young, slender and handsome officer entering him He stopped. Pierre left Boris a fourteen-year-old boy and decidedly did not remember him, but, in spite of this, with his usual quick and cordial manner, he took him by the hand and smiled amiably.

Morozov Alexander Alexandrovich - chief designer of the plant named after the Comintern of the People's Commissariat of the tank industry of the USSR; head and chief designer of the Kharkov Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering of the Ministry of Defense Industry of the USSR.

Born on October 16 (29), 1904 in the city of Bezhitsa (now within the city of Bryansk). Russian. Since 1914 he lived in Kharkov, where he graduated from the 5th grade of a real school. Since March 1919, he worked as a clerk in a technical office, a copyist and draftsman at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant (now the Kharkov Transport Engineering Plant named after V.A. Malyshev). Participated in the preparation of documentation for the production of the first domestic caterpillar tractors Kommunar.

From November 1926, he served in the army as an aviation technician-mechanic (in the Kiev military district). In 1928 he was demobilized.

From October 1928 he worked as a designer in the design bureau of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant. In 1931 he graduated from the Kharkov Engineering College. Since 1931 he was the head of a group in the design bureau, in 1936-1938 he was the head of the design bureau sector for new design, since 1938 he was the deputy head of the design bureau, then the head of the design bureau and deputy chief designer. He took part in the development of the first domestic medium tank T-24 (1930), as well as light wheeled-tracked tanks BT-2 (1931), BT-5 (1932), BT-7 (1935) and BT-7M (1939), which, along with the T-26, formed the basis of the tank armament of the Red Army in the 1930s. As a technical project manager, together with N.A. Kucherenko, he led the development of the T-34 medium tank, which was put into service in December 1939 and later became the best tank of World War II.

In October 1940, after his death, A.A. Morozov was appointed chief designer of the Design Bureau of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant. During the Great Patriotic War, the plant was evacuated to the city of Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Region. From October 1941 to November 1951, he was chief designer at the Design Bureau of the Ural Tank Plant (now the Uralvagonzavod Production Association). During the war years, he led the modernization of the T-34 tank, under his leadership the T-34-85 (1943), T-44 (1945) and T-54 (1946) tanks were developed. The T-54 tank, according to experts, is the best domestic tank of the post-war years.

For outstanding services in the organization of production, design and improvement of tanks and skillful management of factories by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 20, 1943 Morozov Alexander Alexandrovich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the gold medal "Hammer and Sickle" and the Order of Lenin.

In November 1951 - May 1976 - the chief designer of the Kharkov Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering at the Kharkov Machine-Building Plant named after V.A. Malyshev (in 1966-1976, at the same time, the head of the design bureau). Under his leadership, the T-64 (1963) and T-64A (1966) tanks were developed, which revolutionized tank building.

For his great contribution to improving the country's defense capability and in connection with the 70th anniversary, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 25, 1974, he was awarded the second gold medal "Hammer and Sickle" with the Order of Lenin.

From June 1976 he was a consultant of the Kharkov Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of Defense Industry of the USSR.

Lived in the city of Kharkov (Ukraine). Died June 14, 1979. He was buried at cemetery No. 2 in Kharkov.

Major General of the Tank Engineering Service (1945; Major General Engineer - 1971), Doctor of Technical Sciences (1972), Honored Machine Builder of the Ukrainian SSR (1970).

Awarded 3 orders of Lenin (06/5/1942; 01/20/1943; 10/25/1974), orders of the October Revolution (04/26/1971), Kutuzov 1st degree (09/16/1945), Suvorov 2nd degree (04/19/1945), 3 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (19.09.1941; 1.11.1954; 29.10.1964), Order of the Red Star (5.08.1944), medals.

Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1967, for the creation of the T-64 tank), two Stalin Prizes of the 1st degree (1942, for the creation of the T-34 tank; 1946, for the creation of the T-44 tank) and the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree (1948, for the creation of the T-54 tank). Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 5th convocation (in 1958-1962).

The name of the Hero is a street in Kharkov, his name was given to the Kharkov Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering and the Kharkov Mechanical College. Bronze busts of A.A. Morozov were installed in Bryansk and Kharkov. In Kharkov, a memorial plaque was installed on the house in which he lived.

On October 16, 1904, one of the most talented designers of the USSR, Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov, was born. He lived for 75 years and devoted almost two-thirds of his life to tanks. Starting as a draftsman and copyist at the Kharkov plant, then he worked at the same enterprise as a simple designer, head of a section, head of a design bureau. Morozov was not at the front, but the tanks, in the development of which he took part, fought from the first day of the war until the Victory.

After 1945, he continued to design vehicles that set the tone for Soviet tank building at the time. Below - short stories ten tanks that can be called landmarks in the legacy of an outstanding designer.

A. A. Morozov. Historical reference

Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov was born on October 16, 1904 in the village of Bezhitsa, which is now within the city of Bryansk. After graduating from a real school ( educational institution, in which the main role was assigned to the natural sciences and mathematics) worked at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant. He was a clerk, draftsman, copyist. From 1926 to 1928 he served in the army as an aviation mechanic.

From 1928 he worked as a designer at the Kharkov Locomotive Plant. It should be noted that this enterprise, despite the “peaceful” name, was actually one of the key Soviet factories engaged in the production of military vehicles, including tanks.

After graduating from the engineering college in 1931, A. Morozov became the head of the group in the design bureau of the plant, and in 1936 - the head of the sector. In 1938 he was appointed to the position of deputy chief designer.

In the pre-war period, he took part in the development of the T-24 tank and the BT series of wheeled-tracked vehicles. Together with Mikhail Koshkin and Nikolai Kucherenko, he worked on the future "workhorse" of the armored forces of the Red Army - the T-34 medium tank.

After the death of Koshkin at the end of 1940, Morozov became the chief designer of the design bureau of the Kharkov plant. In 1941, the plant was evacuated to Nizhny Tagil. Under the leadership of Alexander Morozov, work was carried out on the T-43, T-34-85, T-44, T-54 tanks.

In the post-war years, Alexander Morozov created such well-known combat vehicles as the T-55, T-64 and T-64A.

For the development of the T-54 medium tank, Alexander Morozov was awarded the USSR State Prize for the third time. Twice he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Twice became a laureate of the Stalin Prize of the 1st degree. In 1972, Alexander Morozov received a doctorate in technical sciences.

At the head of the design team that created and constantly improved the legendary "thirty-four", during the war years was Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov - Doctor of Technical Sciences, twice Hero of Socialist Labor.

ALEXANDER Morozov was born on September 16 (29), 1904 in the town of Bezhitsa, Bryansk district, Oryol province (now Bezhitsk district, Bryansk region) in the family of a hereditary worker. His father worked as a mechanic at the Bryansk Engineering Plant; mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising four children.

Sasha successfully graduated from a private school, then continued his studies at a real school. After graduating from five classes of a real school, Alexander Morozov, at less than 15 years old, in March 1919 began his labor activity: his father appointed him to the technical office of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant as a copyist of technical documents. A year later, a quick-witted and clearly gifted teenager is already working as a copyist of drawings, and in October 1922 - as a draftsman. Thanks to exceptional accuracy, diligence and a great sense of responsibility for the assigned work, Alexander Morozov was included in May 1923 as a draftsman in the tractor-technical office organized at the plant. Then the future chief designer, working in various workshops, gradually mastered turning and milling, studied foundry and forging.

Drafted into the Red Army, Alexander served in the air brigade as a minder. After demobilization, Morozov returned to the Kharkov Locomotive Plant (KhPZ) named after. Comintern to his technical office as a draftsman-designer.

In 1927, when the KhPZ received an order to create a "maneuverable tank", twenty-three-year-old Alexander Morozov joined the newly created tank design bureau. The former Red Army soldier was sent to the one created from among the best designers new team- tank-building design group. So, on October 18, 1928, they met for the first time - a tank and a future designer.

In 1931, on the job, Morozov graduated from a mechanical college. Creatively using the acquired knowledge, Alexander Alexandrovich took an active part in the creation of new machine units. Every year, the design of tanks became for him not only a job, but a real hobby, to which he devoted almost all his time. Working in the tank design bureau KhPZ them. Comintern (since 1937, designated "Plant No. 183") as a designer, and then the head of the KB-190 group, he is directly involved in the development of the T-24 medium tank, as well as BT light wheeled-tracked tanks.

On October 13, 1937, Plant No. 183 received an order from the Armored Directorate (ABTU) of the Red Army to develop a new maneuverable wheeled-tracked tank BT-20, intended to arm mechanized formations and mechanized cavalry regiments. The work was entrusted to the design bureau KB-190 of the department "100" (tank production). To fulfill this serious task, M. Koshkin organizes a new unit - KB-24. As a result, a design bureau was created at the plant, much stronger than the main one. The designers in this design bureau were personally selected by Koshkin. Many talented designers were assembled to work on the BT-20 tank project, including Morozov, who became Koshkin's assistant and headed the power group.

In the autumn of 1938, Alexander Alexandrovich became the lead engineer in the development of projects for the A-20 wheeled-tracked tank and the A-32 (A-20G) tracked tank, which is the direct predecessor of the legendary T-34. Morozov took an active part in the development of the T-34 medium tank.

During the period when M. Koshkin was bedridden, Morozov acted as the chief designer of plant No. 183. When on September 26, 1940, the team of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant saw off Mikhail Ilyich on his last journey, the place of the chief designer of the tank design bureau was taken by Koshkin's student and ally - A. Morozov, who throughout the Great Patriotic War led the modernization of the T-34 tank.

By the end of 1940, the design bureau of the plant began work on the modernization of the T-34. On the new model, which was assigned the T-34M index, it was planned to significantly strengthen the armor protection of the hull and turret, use torsion bars instead of springs and road wheels with internal shock absorption in the suspension, increase the amount of fuel, shells, cartridges, etc.

During the Great Patriotic War, the role of tank building increased immeasurably.

On the basis of a government decree dated September 12, 1941, the director of the Kharkov plant, Yu.E. Maksarev, ordered the plant to be closed down and immediately evacuated to the rear. The first echelon left the territory of the plant on September 19, 1941 and headed for Uralvagonzavod in the city of Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk region. He took away the designers of the tank design bureau, the drawing and technical documentation of the tank and the most valuable equipment.

Evacuated to Nizhny Tagil, the Kharkov plant and the local Uralvagonzavod were merged into one enterprise, which became known as the Ural Tank Plant No. 183. The chief designer, as in Kharkov, was Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov.

On December 8, 1941, the first T-34 tank was produced by the Ural Tank Plant, and in April 1942 the plant surpassed the pre-war level of production of these combat vehicles.

The military situation and the loss for various reasons of many factories - suppliers of component parts and materials created enormous difficulties in the conditions of a continuous increase in the production of tanks. There was a shortage of rubber, non-ferrous metals, electrical equipment, etc. In order not to stop the production of tanks, Morozov mobilized all forces in the design bureau to fight for the economy of non-ferrous metals, rubber, armored steel, and wires. Absolutely all parts of the tank were revised, the designers used cast iron instead of bronze, replaced riveting with welding, transferred stamped parts to casting, and canceled intermediate parts. As a result of this work, the designers managed to completely cancel 765 items of parts, which greatly simplified the process of manufacturing the machine and was a significant contribution to the organization of mass production of tanks. The simplicity of design, mass production and high combat characteristics of the T-34 created an excellent reputation for it. Subsequently, the T-34 medium tank rightfully became the best tank of the Second World War.

The government highly appreciated the merits of Alexander Morozov - in 1942 he was awarded the Stalin Prize, and the next, in 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

In the second half of 1942, on the initiative of Alexander Morozov, work began on the design of a new tank, which received the T-43 index. This project was based on developments made back in Kharkov for the T-34M tank.

The project of the tank, even by those standards, was completed quite quickly, and already in the third quarter of 1943, the plant produced a prototype of the T-43 tank. However, the T-43 tank did not go further than the prototype, because. there was no big jump in performance compared to the T-34, but there were many changes. In 1943, new tanks "Tiger" and "Panther" appeared in service with the Nazi army. They had thickened armor, which in most cases could not be penetrated by 76-millimeter "thirty-four" shells. Urgent responses were needed.

In the shortest possible time, this task was solved. At the end of 1943, more than powerful cannon 85 mm caliber, which practically equalized the firepower of the T-34 with the new German tanks. A commander's cupola was also introduced, which significantly improved visibility from the tank. The tank with the indicated changes received the T-34-85 index and was put into service on December 15, 1943. The first samples of the T-34-85 tank began to roll off the assembly line of the Ural Tank Plant in March 1944.

At the end of 1942, in parallel with the creation of the T-43 tank, design bureaus began working on the design of a completely new tank. It was designed in three versions: with a 122, 100 and 85 mm gun.

In addition to artillery weapons, the new tank differed from the T-34-85 in its device, layout, overall dimensions, shape and thickness of the hull and turret armor. The location of the engine across the hull significantly reduced the length of the power compartment and improved the placement of crew members. The armor protection of the frontal part of the hull has been strengthened by increasing the thickness of the frontal plate and transferring the driver's hatch from the frontal plate to the roof of the hull. Due to the exclusion of the radio operator-machine gunner from the crew, the tank's ammunition load has been increased.

The design of the tank was completed by the end of 1943. Prototypes were made in the first half of 1944. Tests of prototypes showed that, for a number of reasons, high-caliber 122 and 100 mm guns for the T-44 tank were unacceptable, and further work on them was stopped.

Testing and refinement of the T-44 tank with the 85 mm gun adopted for the T-34-85 continued throughout 1944 and were successfully completed by the end of the year. A new medium tank was created. The design of this combat vehicle determined the development of not only Soviet, but also world armored vehicles for decades.

Since the mass production of T-34-85 tanks was well established at the Ural Tank Plant and the Great Patriotic War was still going on, it was decided to produce the new T-44 tank at the former plant No. 183 restored after the liberation of Kharkov, which was assigned No. 75. The first batch of tanks T-44 in August 1945 sent to Far East where hostilities with Japan were taking place at that time.

In the post-war period, Soviet designers under the leadership of A. Morozov created a number of new models of armored weapons and equipment.

Back in 1944, when work was underway on the T-44 tank, the design bureau of Alexander Morozov in Nizhny Tagil was given the task to start developing a new combat vehicle, the design of which was supposed to use vast experience in operating tanks in combat conditions on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War.

Design studies were carried out mainly in the direction of strengthening the firepower of the tank, increasing its armor protection, the ability of the tank to overcome water obstacles along the bottom.

In the first quarter of 1945, two prototypes of the new tank were manufactured, which was later assigned the T-54 index. In the same year they passed the test.

In April 1946, the T-54 tank was put into service, and its mass production began the following year. The T-54 tank was put into serial production at the Ural Plant No. 183 in 1947 and at the Kharkov Plant No. 75 in 1948. Thus, the Kharkov Design Bureau, headed by the chief designer Morozov, while in evacuation, created, in addition to the T-34-85 tank, also the T-44 and T-54 tanks. Today, after decades, it can be said with confidence that at the time when the T-54 medium tank, created under the direct supervision of Alexander Morozov, entered service with the Soviet Army, it significantly surpassed all existing tanks in its class.

In 1951, Morozov was transferred from Nizhny Tagil to Kharkov, appointing him chief designer of the Kharkov Tank Design Bureau KB-60M. Here he began large-scale work on the modernization of the T-54 tank. The new tank received the designation T-54A. It was armed with a D-10TG gun with an ejector near the muzzle and a Horizontal gun stabilizer in the vertical plane, which made it possible to increase the accuracy of fire and significantly increase its combat capabilities. The T-54A could now cross water obstacles up to 5 meters deep. Air was supplied to the engine and to the fighting compartment through a pipe that was mounted on the turret, and under normal conditions was stored folded at the stern of the tank.

However, Morozov's work to improve his offspring continued. And already in 1956, the Soviet army received a new medium tank T-54B, equipped with a two-plane weapon stabilizer STP-2 and a standard night vision system. An infrared searchlight appeared as standard equipment on the tank.

Simultaneously with the T-54B tank, the T-55 tank, created by Kharkov designers on its basis, was adopted by the Soviet army. The first cars entered the army in 1958, and the first public display of the T-55 took place in November 1961 during a military parade in Moscow.

The new tank had a fully pressurized hull and was structurally prepared to overcome deep water barriers. Complete sealing was made possible by eliminating the fan, which was previously located in the roof of the tower in front of the loader's seat.

In turn, the sealing of the hull made it possible to install a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction on the tank. In the car there was an X-ray counter, which, with the help of squibs, actuated the actuators. They, in turn, included a filter-ventilation unit, and it supplied purified air inside the tank and created excess pressure.

The engine of the tank was also upgraded. Changing the adjustment of the fuel distribution and supply system made it possible to increase engine power to 580 hp. With. A new thermal smoke equipment appeared on the tank, which made it possible to put up a camouflage smoke screen, which lasted for several minutes.

A rotating polyk appeared in the fighting compartment. Previously, crew members had to move along the bottom of the hull, ammunition box covers and suspension elements, which sometimes led to serious injuries, especially when the turret rotated rapidly.

Tanks of the T-54/T-55 family have become the most common tanks in the world. In total, more than 70,000 units were produced, of which 50,000 were in the Soviet Union.

Despite all the advantages of medium tanks T-54 / T-55, the Soviet Armed Forces at that time needed a qualitatively new tank, significantly superior in all characteristics to all domestic and foreign tanks.

The predecessor of the serial T-64 tank, which opened the second post-war generation, was the medium tank "Object 430", the work on the preliminary design of which was completed by the end of 1954.

The tank "Object-430", having the internal volume of the hull and turret of a medium tank, surpassed the characteristics of the serial heavy tanks IS-3 and IS-4 that existed at that time and the experimental heavy tank T-10. The completed project showed that there are reserves in the layout and design of a medium tank that are much more in a simple way allow you to achieve the parameters of heavy tanks.

The development of the direction developed during the implementation of the "430" project subsequently led to a change in the concept of tank building; the division of tanks by weight into medium and heavy was cancelled.

In 1956, taking into account the comments on the draft designs and in accordance with the TTT, the design bureau under the leadership of Morozov completed a new technical project medium tank "Object 430". Some design changes were made to it, aimed at improving the tactical and technical indicators: a more powerful two-stroke five-cylinder 5TD engine, an optical rangefinder, night viewing devices and a night sight were installed; in the undercarriage mounted track rollers with internal shock absorption.

Three prototypes of the new tank were made in 1957, and in the next year, 1958, comprehensive tests began, which were successful and showed good qualities tank, especially in terms of design solutions for the undercarriage.

Despite the fact that the design of the tank was completely new, it was not possible to significantly overlap the parameters of the characteristics of the serial T-54 tank. Considering that the T-54 tank was also being improved at that time (the new T-55 medium tank was being prepared for production), Morozov believed that it was not advisable to introduce the "430" tank into mass production, since, having a slight advantage in terms of performance characteristics and completely new design for all systems, the "430" tank will create great inconvenience in the army for operation, repair, training, etc. The design bureau, not having a special task for that, began initiative work on a sharp increase in the performance characteristics of a medium tank.

Work on the creation of a new medium tank "Object 430M" was carried out by improving the tank "Object 430".

Design innovations led, in fact, to the creation of a new maneuverable tank, which received the designation "Object-432", the draft design of this tank was completed in 1960.

One of the first tasks - a sharp increase in the maneuverability of the machine - was solved by installing a forced 5TDF engine with an HP 700 power in the tank. and a significant reduction in the weight of the tank to 30.5 tons. At the same time, while retaining all the positive qualities in the "430" tank, the design was carried out in the direction of the possibility of obtaining higher performance characteristics on the new tank. In order to increase firepower, a 115-mm D-68 smoothbore gun was installed on the new tank, the ammunition load of which consisted of 40 separate loading shots with a partially burning cartridge case, as well as a loading mechanism used in world tank building for the first time, which housed 30 shots. Its installation made it possible to reduce the number of crew to three people, while significantly reducing the volume of the tank's fighting compartment. The fire control system included an optical stabilized rangefinder sight. The tank used electro-hydraulic drives for aiming the gun, a mechanism for holding (counter-rotation) the commander's cupola, folding anti-cumulative screens, OPVT, which made it possible to overcome water obstacles along the bottom without limiting their width, and some other original technical solutions.

In the same 1961, the design bureau completed the technical design of the "object 432" tank in a short time. It differed from the sketch one primarily in enhanced protection. The growth in the calibers of tank weapons of potential enemies, the introduction of sub-caliber and cumulative shells, as well as the urgent need for biological protection of the crew from nuclear weapons predetermined the direction of a fundamentally new approach to creating protection for a modern tank. Therefore, for the first time in world tank building, a complex multilayer combined protection was used on the "432" tank, consisting of armor steel, anti-cumulative jet-extinguishing materials and special anti-radiation materials.

As a result of the work carried out by the Morozov Design Bureau to improve the "432" tank, a new medium tank was put into service in 1966 under the designation "T-64".

While in September 1962 the first prototypes of the T-64 tank were just beginning to roll off the assembly line of the plant, Alexander Morozov and his colleagues were already working to further improve this new tank.

Due to the fact that the T-64 tank had a significant lead in terms of protection and maneuverability compared to other tanks, in order to maintain a long-term advantage over all existing domestic and foreign tanks, the chief designer A.A. Morozov, it was decided to significantly increase its firepower. This was achieved by installing a 125-mm D-81 high-ballistic smoothbore gun on the tank. Later, the NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun with remote control from the commander was introduced.

At the same time, other constructive measures were provided: a more accurate optical rangefinder was installed, the protection of the nose assembly and in the area of ​​​​the driver's hatch was strengthened, the landing of the commander and gunner was improved by increasing the volume of their jobs, equipment for self-digging was installed, a mount for mounting a KMT mine trawl -6, chemical and radiation protection of the crew was ensured through the installation of PCRB equipment.

The upgraded tank received the index "Object 434". The technical design of the new tank was completed in 1964, and the design bureau immediately began issuing working drawing and technical documentation. Prototypes were made in 1966-1967, and after extensive comprehensive tests in May 1968, the tank was adopted by the Soviet army under the designation "T-64A". In 1969, their serial production was mastered.

Fundamentally new design solutions were reflected in the T-64A tank: a loading mechanism was created that ensured a high rate of fire for the gun; a number of fire control systems and assemblies have been developed (a rangefinder sight, a stabilizer in two planes, a calculating device in the FCS), which ensured high fire efficiency; fundamentally new combined protective barriers were developed, which provided an increase in protection against cumulative and armor-piercing projectiles by more than two times compared to the newest T-62 tank at that time; installed automatic system collective protection of the crew from weapons of mass destruction; a fundamentally new layout and design of the engine compartment was created; for the first time in domestic tank building, a planetary transmission with hydraulic control was created, which ensured a sharp decrease in the weight and overall parameters of the MTO of the tank; the lightest undercarriage in tank building with internal damping rollers was created; for the first time, the problem of overcoming water obstacles along the bottom without time and distance restrictions was solved with the ability to overcome fords up to 1.8 m deep without special training and the crew leaving the tank. In addition, a system was installed on the new tank that ensures the operation of the engine in high altitude conditions. New layout and design solutions, combined with high performance characteristics and a relatively small (36.5 tons) weight, predetermined the high technical level of the T-64A tank.

Remaining in the weight of a medium tank, the new tank had the parameters of a heavy tank in terms of armament and protection. Thus, in connection with the creation of the T-64A, the division of tanks into medium and heavy was finally eliminated (which confirmed the correctness of the concept put forward by the Design Bureau back in 1954) and a new concept appeared - the main battle tank. The T-64A tank became the first main combat domestic tank.

This event marked another victory for domestic tank building, a qualitative leap in comparison with the tanks of the leading tank-building states - a new, third, generation of Soviet tanks appeared.

For the development of the T-64 tank and its modifications, Morozov was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1967, and in 1972 he was awarded the second Gold Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.

Starting from the second half of the 1970s, the tank was constantly modernized in the process of mass production. In 1976, an armament complex was installed that fired anti-tank missiles through the barrel of a tank gun. The modification of the tank received the index T-64B. After being equipped with hinged dynamic protection in 1985, the tank became known as the T-64BV. In 1987, the production of these combat vehicles was discontinued.

In the early seventies, under the leadership of A. Morozov, a number of works were carried out in the amount of preliminary designs for a deep modernization of the T-64A tank. These works were directly carried out by the first deputy chief designer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Shomin.

On the basis of the work, a technical design of the T-64A tank with guided missile and cannon weapons ("Object-447") was completed. The new tank was characterized by significant improvements in the fire control system, including the installation of a laser rangefinder (instead of an optical one), a ballistic computer, input information sensors to take into account deviations in firing conditions from normal. A high percentage of unification (95%) allowed the plant to switch to mass production of tanks "447" and "437" (variants of the "Object 447" without the installation of guided weapons equipment) with minimal changes in the manufacturing and assembly process.

In September 1976, the tanks "447" and "437" were adopted by the Soviet army. They were assigned the T-64B and T-64B1 brands. The efficiency of the T-64B tank has increased by 1.6 times compared to the T-64A tank.

ALEXANDER Alexandrovich Morozov died in 1979. After the death of the former chief designer, the Kharkov Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering was named after him. He worked in the bureau for over 50 years, 36 of which he was the permanent chief designer. He took part in the creation of almost all Soviet medium and main battle tanks for many decades, thus making an invaluable contribution to strengthening the defense power of our Motherland. He will remain in our memory not only as one of the outstanding designers of the legendary T-34, but also as the creator of the first and second generation main battle tanks. So, the design and layout of his last tank T-64, the loading mechanism, transmission, hull and turret were so successful that many design solutions began to be used in other tank design bureaus, on vehicles of a later development, for example, the T-72 and T- 80. They are still used with minor changes in domestic and foreign tank building.

Sergei Monetchikov, "Brother" magazine, 2005