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Question about Katushas (stalin organs)


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Anyone know any data on these weapons? I know they were mounted on trucks with x number of pipes and they made the sound that gave them the nick name.

But what mm did they have? 175, 210? Were there different models or only one througout the war?

I also read that their targetting was much worse than the Nebelwerfers. Did they ever hit anything?

Why I ask here and not some generic WW2 forum is because I'm thinking of CM2 and it's uses there.

Thanks in advance

Marcus

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The Ruskies had the M-8 88mm rocket, the M-13 132mm andM-30 and M-31 300mm rockets.

M-8 1.1 lbs explosive - range 5900M

M-13 10.8 lbs - range 8500M most common.

M-30 63.7 lbs - range 2800M

M-31 63.7 lbs - range 4300 m

Most Ruskies used them in mass, so accuracy was not important. Most were truck mounted. Esp. lend lease trucks. Not sure of website but I have an old copy of War Machine magazine by orbis circa 1985 I used for the numbers

Tony

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Guest Michael emrys

I only just discovered that site myself earlier this evening. It does look interesting. They even have a forum that looks pretty good. Lots of piccies of blown-up tanks too, for your grisly delectation.

Michael

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Guest Rommel22

those katayushas are a wonderfull sound to my ears. I like to see those videos of them looks nice.

Any of you ever tried the PG2 but with the user made mods by Lesse Jensen, Andreas Spiedel, Steve Brown and more. They have these wonderfull sound of the katyushak and wow.

------------------

Russian tactics as said by von Mellenthin "Bridge heads everywhere"

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Guest Rommel22

those katayushas are a wonderfull sound to my ears. I like to see those videos of them looks nice.

Any of you ever tried the PG2 but with the user made mods by Lesse Jensen, Andreas Spiedel, Steve Brown and more. They have these wonderfull sound of the katyushak and wow.

------------------

Russian tactics as said by von Mellenthin "Bridge heads everywhere"

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Do a search here. I wrote up a comparison of Neb's vs Stal's. Nebs were spin stabilized and 'organs were fin "stabilized".

Ive seen footage of these russian "weapons" firing and estimate the launch angles being up to 10-15 degrees apart for individual rockets ripple fire. Ive also seen them being fired up a street and hitting a building very closeby. I wouldnt want to be anywhere in front of them on either side.

Lewis

[This message has been edited by :USERNAME: (edited 07-30-2000).]

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marcusm wrote:

... and they made the sound that gave them the nick name.

They had also other nicknames. In addition to the Stalin's Organ name Finns called them with the name "Hehtaaripyssy" (literally, "Hectare gun") because their dispersion was so large. Also, note that Finns called the Nebelwerfers "Hitler's Organs".

I also read that their targetting was much worse than the Nebelwerfers. Did they ever hit anything?

Sometimes. A couple of months ago I posted here an example where the II/Nordland of the SS-Wiking Division suffered very hard losses when it got caught under fire of a 12-organ batallion.

- Tommi

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Interesting Tommi, I didn't know they were used in the winter war as well.

Found an interesting note in a book where it said that both sides were equally surprised the first time it was used. The sound scared the crap out of both Russians and German infantry.

Marcus

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marcusm wrote:

Interesting Tommi, I didn't know they were used in the winter war as well.

Actually, they weren't. As far as I know they were first used against the Finnish Army in summer 1943 (or was it in '42), during the battle of strongpoint Pallo near Rukajärvi. There may have been earlier occasions but I can't remember them.

The sound scared the crap out of both Russians and German infantry.

Nearly all Finnish sources state that when coming under Katjusha fire, the first thing that you heard was a distant clatter that sounded like someone had dropped a bucketfull of potatoes on a wooden floor. Then there came the howling noice of the rockets that ended in sudden explosions. After having been in the first barrage, the men would usually duck immediately after they heard "the potatoe sound".

- Tommi

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