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MBV-2

1938 WORLD WAR 2

History

During World War II (1939-1945), several major military powers in continental Europe used some form of armored trains. The concept was proven and was collected decades ago on armored trains of the First World War (1914-1918). In the ensuing clashes with the two listed powers, the Germans, the Soviets, and others all displayed some form of armored train, which brought the capabilities of this equipment to heart. Modernization efforts in the 1930s resulted in a whole new generation of armored trains in service with the Soviet Union, the most powerful of which became the "MBV-2" series.

From 1936 to 1937, the Kirow factory (Leningrad) produced only two copies.

Armored trains offer battlefield value because they have considerable firepower and can be quickly (and relatively inexpensively) erected on existing rail cars. The length of the platoon may vary by design and mission needs, and the weapons are equally variable, depending primarily on the existing stock of howitzers/field guns.

Locomotives and support vehicles, as well as dedicated anti-aircraft vehicles and "artillery vehicles", were designed to best suit the role, with extensive armor added where possible. Local defense against infantry and aircraft attack is provided by machine guns on trainable mounts.

The completed MBV-2 platoon is a huge product, now equipped with less than three complete turret installations and multiple machine gun ports. A pyramidal structure amidships forms a sort of conning tower protruding from the sloping armored hull. This hull simply slides over the existing carriage. Unlike other armoured trains seen before, the MBV-2 contains its own powerplant - a diesel engine connected to a hydraulic drivetrain - which has the quality of being self-propelled and does not require the use of a dedicated locomotive. Throughout its career, the value of the MBV-2 has been the gradual updating of its armament - its original 76.2mm KT-28 gun/turret, towed by the outgoing T-28 medium tank, was replaced by the newer, more powerful 76.

2mm gun from the L-11 / F-34 family of T-34 medium tanks.

In practice, MBV-2 platoons are commonly used as long-range fire support weapons and as a deterrent on critical fronts. Its firepower was able to stop all known light and medium German tanks of the war, leading German war planners to take their threat seriously.

However, the MBV-2 trains suffer from what other armored trains suffer - they are confined to the existing rail network and weighed down by heavy weapons, ammunition and armor. Fortunately for the Soviet Union, the country had an extensive railway network, the value of which had already proved its worth during the First World War. Additionally, these actions can also serve as valuable static defenses if disabled for any reason. There is at least one (second) MBV-2 armored platoon along the Leningrad front, which is part of the 14th Independent Armored Platoon Battalion (23rd Army).

This specimen was preserved from scrap after the war as an exhibit at the Kubinka Tank Museum.

During the early stages of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union suffered so much from the number of armored trains that a new construction program was launched in late 1941. Many platoons were available until the end of the war in 1945, but by then, the added value of self-propelled artillery (SPG) vehicles operating on land alongside main battle tanks and infantrythese vehicleswas significantly reduced Their tactical value is much more flexible than their train pendants. While the armored train continued to serve as a military weapon in the years following the war, it was so valuable that little effort was made to improve its type. They proved more useful in Third World regions where rail networks had been established - like the French in Indochina.

Temporary armored trains have also appeared in recent conflicts, although they have no standardized design.

MBV D-2 is another class of armored trains with armored superstructures, but only two turrets (one at the front and the other at the rear). This vehicle, not to be confused with the MBV-2 in this article, is a smaller size armored train, some examples were used by the NKVD border guards (predecessor of the MVD secret police) during World War II.