Who invented anti-tank hedgehogs. Anti-tank barriers

Many often and with pleasure revise Soviet movies about war. Almost in each of them we definitely meet this engineering structure. Several rails welded together, resembling a six-pointed star.

The whole course of the Great Patriotic War clearly showed that not only complex weapons systems with excellent performance can be effective, but also simple and cheap products. So, a small anti-tank mine can not only seriously damage, but completely destroy enemy tank, and a simple concrete pyramid can simply not let it into its territory. Among such simple and effective types of barriers and weapons, special fame during the war years received anti-tank hedgehogs. Extremely simple and easy to manufacture, they greatly helped the Red Army soldiers in battles and even managed to become symbols of the war.

Many often and with pleasure review Soviet films about the war. Almost in each of them we definitely meet this engineering structure. Several rails welded together, resembling a six-pointed star.

For many years, this military engineering structure was considered a product of soldier's creativity. And no one thought that the "hedgehog" has an author who had to work hard to create an effective barrier to German tanks.

Rows of concrete gouges, Aachen, Germany

barriers various types have been used in military affairs since time immemorial. Also in Ancient Rome collapsible wooden structures were used, installed in those areas where it was necessary to prevent the enemy from breaking through. Over time, this idea only developed, combined with other inventions, such as barbed wire, etc. However, the appearance on the battlefield of tanks, which were originally created as a means of breaking through obstacles, required retaliatory actions to maintain defense.

First, gouges appeared - granite or concrete blocks installed in tank-hazardous areas. They were quite effective in deterring the enemy, which, however, was more than offset by the complexity of manufacturing and installation. Something simpler was needed.

Major General of the Technical Troops Mikhail Gorikker went down in history primarily as the inventor of the "anti-tank hedgehog", also known as the "slingshot" and "Gorikker's star". For more than half a century, the name of the inventor of the "hedgehogs" was unknown to the general public. The “secret” stamp tightly enveloped the many years of work of a talented military engineer.

So what is the genius of the "hedgehog"? In the simplicity of its design. The profile or rails were cut into approximately equal pieces. Then the cut pieces were welded to each other in the form of the letter "Zh". And that's it, an insurmountable barrier for German technology is ready.

Gorikker proposed to assemble a six-pointed structure from rolled metal, which he called "asterisk". Theoretically, any suitable metal part could be used as raw material for sprockets. However, from the calculations of General Gorikker it followed that the I-profile is optimal. Other types of rolled products - a square beam, a tee or a channel - did not fit in terms of strength. Gorikker proposed riveting with scarves as a way to connect beams. In principle, if possible, welding was also allowed, but even here everything rested on the strength of the structure: for sufficient rigidity and strength, larger scarves had to be used on the welded sprocket, which, in turn, led to unnecessary consumption of materials.

However, in this case, an accurate calculation of welding was required. "Hedgehog" was not supposed to be higher than the beginning of the frontal armor plate of the tank. Its height was 80 cm. Tests proved that the "correct hedgehog" could withstand a collision with a tank weighing 60 tons. The next phase of organizing the defense was the effective installation of barriers. The defense line of "hedgehogs" - four rows in a checkerboard pattern - turned into a serious problem for tanks. The meaning of the "hedgehog" is that he had to be under the tank, and the tank - to stand on its hind legs. As a result, the armored vehicle finally stopped, “hovering” above the ground, and it could be knocked out with anti-tank weapons. The "Gorriker stars", as the barriers were called in some documents, turned out to be so "ideal" that they did not require further refinement in the future. This invention became one of the symbols of the Battle of Moscow in the winter of 1941. About 37,500 "hedgehogs" were placed on the near lines of defense of the capital of the USSR alone. In Khimki there is a monument to anti-tank hedgehogs, but there is no name of their creator.

Film director Vladimir Gorikker, the son of a general, made a lot of efforts to have a memorial plaque in honor of his father appear in Moscow. “I remember the first days after the Nazi attack on the USSR. Father was appointed to command the defense of Kyiv, to which the enemy was approaching. There was a lot of work, but when he returned home late at night, dad, instead of even a little rest, "requisitioned" from me the toy models of tanks, which he himself had given earlier, and almost all night long conjured over them, rearranging them on the table along with some constructions of matches connected with glue or plasticine. To me, the kid, the purpose of these gizmos was not clear. I even thought that my father was simply trying to distract himself in this way, struggling with insomnia. But, one day, he returned earlier than usual, literally beaming, and almost from the threshold of the apartment shouted enthusiastically: “We ruined two tanks !!!”. Here are those on! The family knew how carefully he treats the preservation of equipment, how he gives reprimands even for minor violations that can lead to damage to tanks, and here he does not hide his joy at the breakdown of two combat vehicles ... Only much later did I understand the full significance of the event, which happened that day at the Syrets training ground of the Kyiv Tank Technical School, ”recalls the son of the famous military engineer.

Making anti-tank hedgehogs on the outskirts of Moscow.

Here is an excerpt from the act of testing carried out on July 3, 1941. “A commission consisting of the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party / used / U for mechanical engineering comrade. Bibdychenko, head Department of the Defense Industry of the Central Committee Comrade. Yaltansky, secretary of the CPC comrade. Shamrilo, Chief of the Kyiv Garrison, Major General Comrade. Gorikker, Directors of factories: Bolshevik - comrade Kurganov, 225 comrade. Maksimova, Lenkoznya comrade. Merkuriev and representatives of the KTTU, Colonel Raevsky and military engineer 2nd rank Kolesnikov, tested an anti-tank obstacle - a 6-pointed sprocket made of scrap rails, the proposal of Major General of the technical troops Comrade. Gorikker.

Test Conclusion: The tank was forced to stop, as the fang [of the barrier] got between the caterpillar and the drive wheel of the caterpillar, and the fang of the sprocket of the 3rd line of the barrier, resting on the bottom of the bow of the tank, lifted the latter into the air. This position without outside help makes it impossible to continue driving. Stopping the tank on the barrier is the most effective phenomenon for shooting it with artillery at previously targeted sections of the established barrier.

Conclusion: "The Commission believes that anti-tank obstacles six-pointed stars are an effective anti-tank barrier, this type of barrier can be widely used in the area of ​​​​URs, fashion shows and especially important directions."

On the same tests, we selected optimal dimensions six pointed star. The height of the finished barrier should lie in the range from one to one and a half meters. The reasons for this are as follows: the sprocket should be higher than the ground clearance of the tank, but at the same time its upper part should not rise beyond the upper cut of the lower frontal plate. In this case, the tankers who first met the stars, seeing the small size of the obstacle and the absence of any attachment to the ground, may simply want to move it to the side. The driver begins to move forward, the sprocket falls under the lower front plate, and from there it “creeps” under the bottom of the tank. In addition, in some cases, the sprocket can turn under the front of the armored vehicle. One way or another, the tank that drove onto the sprocket finds itself in a very uncomfortable position: the front part is suspended in the air. Moreover, the tracks that have risen above the ground cannot provide proper adhesion to the surface, and the tank can no longer move off the sprocket without outside help. An armored vehicle, designed to suppress enemy firing points, itself becomes a fairly easy target.

The ease of manufacture of Gorikker sprockets, combined with their efficiency, influenced further fate inventions. In the most as soon as possible a manual for the manufacture of barriers was distributed to all parts of the Red Army. For characteristic appearance in the army, this barrier was nicknamed the hedgehog. It was under this name that the anti-tank asterisk of Gorikker went down in history. The simplicity of production and the low cost of raw materials made it possible to make tens of thousands of anti-tank hedgehogs in the shortest possible time and install them on a large part of the front. In addition, even when assembled, the hedgehog could be transported from place to place, which also improved the reputation of the new barrier. In general, the new hedgehog fell in love with the Red Army. Much more he "liked" the German tankers. The fact is that at first everything went exactly as Gorikker had intended - seeing an unfamiliar but loose barrier, the tankers tried to move it and drive further, which led to spending time in a literally suspended state. An unpleasant event, especially if there is a Soviet anti-tank gun somewhere nearby. It is hardly possible to imagine best target than a stationary tank raised above ground level. Finally, in a completely unfortunate set of circumstances, the hedgehog beam pierced the lower frontal plate or bottom, passed inside the tank and caused damage to the engine or transmission. Features of the placement of the transmission on German tanks pz Kpfw III and PzKpfw VI only increased the chances of the vehicle getting such damage.

True, the Germans quickly realized that they should first make passages in the barriers, and then only go along them. Here, to some extent, they were helped by the fact that hedgehogs were not fixed to the surface of the earth in any way. A couple of tanks with the help of tow ropes could quickly make a gap for the passage of troops. The Red Army answered this with a bookmark anti-personnel mines next to the hedgehogs, as well as, if possible, the placement of machine guns or anti-tank guns close to the fence. Thus, attempts to pull the hedgehogs apart or tie them to the tank were severely punished by machine-gun and even artillery fire. Soon, another trick appeared to make it difficult to make passages: hedgehogs began to be tied to each other and tied to various objects on the ground. As a result, German tankers and sappers had to first solve the "puzzle" with cables and chains, and only after that remove the hedgehogs themselves. And do all this under enemy fire.

However, as is often the case with a great idea, there were also unsuccessful incarnations. So, often for reasons of economy or for other similar reasons, hedgehogs were made not from I-beams, but from other profiles. Naturally, the strength of such barriers was less than necessary, and sometimes the tank could simply crush the “wrong” hedgehog. Another problem with the Gorikker asterisk was its exacting location - it needed a hard surface to effectively counter tanks. Asphalt was best suited, which was strong enough to withstand the pressure of the tank on the hedgehog. As for even harder concrete, it was not recommended to put hedgehogs on it. The fact is that the friction on such a surface was insufficient and the tank could move the hedgehog, and not run into it. Finally, at some points in the war, hedgehogs could not perform their duties for more pleasant reasons. For example, on the outskirts of Moscow, such barriers were installed in the fall of 1941. But, fortunately, the Red Army did not allow the enemy to get close to the hedgehogs on the outskirts of the capital

Anti-tank hedgehogs of the system of Major General M.L. Gorikker played an important role in the Great Patriotic War. They helped with relatively small forces to improve the army's ability to contain the enemy. It should be noted that not only the Red Army used Gorikker's invention. The Germans, retreating, also actively used a simple barrage structure of three rails and fasteners. On the way to all the important points of the German defense, the Red Army had to see familiar angular objects. And the allies, having landed in Normandy, were also able to get acquainted with Soviet means barriers. Exists interesting opinion, which says that the Germans themselves did not produce hedgehogs, but only dismantled and stored the Soviet ones, which came in handy by the end of the war. In any case, this is how, according to some historians, one can explain a large number of hedgehogs in front of the German positions at that stage of the war, when Germany experienced serious difficulties even with the production of weapons.

In early September 1941, General Gorikker was recalled to Moscow, where he held the posts of head of the Main Directorate of the Motor Transport and Road Service of the Red Army, head of the auto control of the Leningrad Front, head of the inspection of the Main Motor Transport Directorate of the Red Army. After the war, he commanded automobile schools, died in Moscow in 1955. By the way, the Germans subsequently used the idea of ​​our "hedgehogs" during the defense in 1944-1945.

The legendary defensive barrier "hedgehog" played decisive role during military operations during the Great Patriotic War. "Hedgehogs" stopped more than one German tank. A monument to them stands at the entrance to the city of Khimki. Today, however, few people remember their creator, Mikhail Gorikker. Only thanks to accidentally found in home archive documents, the son of the general, film director Vladimir Gorikker, managed to find irrefutable evidence that the "anti-tank hedgehog" was designed by his father.

General Gorikker was not only an outstanding inventor, but also a brave soldier. Participated in the First and Second World Wars and was awarded the soldiers' St. George's Crosses of the 3rd and 4th degrees, as well as the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Red Star and the Patriotic War of the 1st degree.

Mikhail Lvovich Gorikker was born in 1895 in the city of Berislav Kherson province. He graduated from the Pedagogical College in 1912, worked as a teacher, participated in the First World War. Since 1918 - in the Red Army, participant civil war. After graduating from the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army. Stalin Gorikker served as a military engineer of the motorized mechanized troops of the Red Army, commanded experienced tank units, served as head of the Moscow Tank Technical School. In 1940, Gorikker was one of the first to receive the rank of Major General of the Technical Troops.

Gorikker took part in the Great Patriotic War from the very first days. In June 1941, while remaining the head of the Kyiv Tank Technical School, he was also appointed head of the Kyiv garrison and head of the defense of Kyiv. On July 3, 1941, on the twelfth day of the war, Gorikker conducted the first successful tests of the "anti-tank hedgehog" at a training ground near Kyiv. After the war, General Gorikker served as head of the Ryazan, and then the Ordzhonikidze Military Automobile School, and in 1951 he resigned.

Anti-tank hedgehog, so well known from documentary footage and photographs initial period The Great Patriotic War was invented in June 1941 by the head of the Kyiv garrison, the head of the Kyiv Tank Technical School, Major General of the Technical Troops Gorikker M.L.

Camp KTTU - Syrets 3.7 1941.

ACT OF TESTING.

1.3 - July 1941, a commission consisting of the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party / used / U for mechanical engineering, comrade BIBDYCHENKO, head of the Department of Defense Industry of the Central Committee, comrade YALTANSKY, secretary of the CPC comrade SHAMRILO, Head of the Kyiv Garrison Major-General comrade GORICKER, Directors of factories: BOLSHEVIK - comrade KURGANOVA, 225 comrade MAKSIMOVA, Lenkoznya comrade MERKURYEV and representatives of the CTTU Colonel RAEVSKII and military engineer 2nd rank KOLESNIKOV tested an anti-tank obstacle - a 6-pointed sprocket made of scrap rails, the proposal of Major General of the technical troops comrade Gorikker.
The tests were carried out on the training field of KTTU - the Small Tankodrome, sandy-soft soil. 2 tanks BT-5 and T-26 were allocated from KTTU for the test to overcome obstacles. Technical condition dedicated machines - quite serviceable. Anti-tank obstacles were placed in the 4th line of obstacles with gaps between the axes of the obstacles 2-3 meters. along the front 2-2.5 meters.
The light tank T-26 was disabled during the first entry into the obstacle - the hatch of the oil pump was torn off and the oil supply pipes to the tube were damaged, as a result of which the oil from the engine leaked out after 3-5 minutes, which led to a forced stop of the vehicles.
The BT-5 tank, due to the large reserve of dynamic force, overcame the initial arrangement of obstacles, having as a result of this defect in the form of a bruise on the bottom of the tank, which affected its control and operation of the onboard clutches, and the tank required a two-hour repair.
The most effective arrangement of anti-tank obstacles in the variant of the following arrangement made on 3.7-41: an obstacle in 4 lines of obstacles with the arrangement of stars in a checkerboard pattern in depth 1st line of obstacles after 6 meters, 2nd line of obstacles after 4 meters, 3- I line the barriers to through 2 meters. 4th and last line of barriers.
The distance between the axes along the front: 1st line 1.5 mtr., 2nd and subsequent lines 2-2.5 mtr. gave positive result, on the 1st line of obstacles, the dynamic forces of the tank were partially muffled, the tank lost speed and was forced to stop on the 2nd and 3rd lines, as the tusk of the 2-1 line fell between the caterpillar and the drive wheel-caterpillar and the sprocket 3 fang th line, resting on the bottom of the bow of the tank, lifted the latter into the air.
This position without help from / outside does not allow to continue moving and towing the tank after clearing the field from the obstacle. Stopping the tank on the barrier is the most effective phenomenon for shooting tanks with artillery at previously targeted sections of the established barrier.
CONCLUSION: The Commission believes that anti-tank obstacles six-pointed stars are an effective anti-tank barrier, this type of barrier can be widely used in the area of ​​levels, defile and especially important directions.
see n / about.

The number of obstacles "Asterisks" per 1 km, up to 1200 pcs. Average weight variant of lightweight construction of welded type 200-250 kg. Dimensions-beams along the length of 1.9-2 mtr, only 6 pcs. at the intersection of 3 planes.
The weight of the structure filled with steel is from 300-400 kg. Structures transported by motor vehicles and railway transport in ready-made to the place of application.
The designs are not complex and can be produced by any factory in large quantities.

APPENDIX: Photos of the experiments.

P/SIGNED:

SECRETARY OF THE CC CP/b/U /BIBDYCHENKO/
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL C.K
SECRETARY OF THE K.P.K. /SHAMRILO/
MAJOR GENERAL /GORICKER/
COLONEL /RAEVSKY/
MILITARY ENGINEER /KOLESNIKOV/
DIRECTOR OF Z-DA "BOLSHEVIK / KURGANOV /
- "- 225 / MAKSIMOV /
- "- LENKUZNYA / MERCURYEV /
Copy is correct HEAD OF SECRET DEPARTMENT
TECHNICIAN QUARTER 2 RANK
-/VORNIKOV/-

The hedgehog is made from three pieces of rolled steel (usually an I-beam - a rail, a corner, etc. are less durable) so that the ends of the beams form an octahedron. The beams are connected with rivets on scarves (the structure must withstand the weight of the tank - up to 60 tons). On hedgehogs industrial production leave holes for barbed wire, make one of the beams removable. To complicate the work of enemy sappers, hedgehogs can be connected with chains or cables, mine the area around, etc.
Hedgehogs are installed on solid ground (asphalt street surfaces are best suited). Concrete is not good - the hedgehog will slide on concrete. If the tanker tries to push the hedgehog away, it rolls under the bottom, and the tank is raised. The tracks lose their grip on the ground, the tank begins to slip and is often unable to move off the hedgehog; a protruding beam can even pierce the bottom. The defending forces can only destroy the stopped tanks and prevent the tankers from pulling the hedgehogs apart with tow ropes. And if the enemy led the tanks in a different way, the anti-tank defense, all the more, fulfilled its task.
Hedgehogs are about 1 m in height - more than the ground clearance of the tank, but below its front plate. It is impractical to make hedgehogs large sizes- a hedgehog that is higher than the front plate, the tank will easily move.

Anti-tank hedgehogs - the legendary weapon of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

What's tricky in a hedgehog? To make it easier than ever, these are three pieces of steel beam welded together, something similar was encountered by the Nazis before on European asphalt, these barriers were moved by tanks on the side of the road without harming themselves. Anti-tank hedgehogs - today practically forgotten way fighting tanks, their design is simple and ingenious as folk wisdom, however, we have before us a real invention, created in accordance with all the rules of military science. The author of the hedgehogs is Major General of the Technical Service Gorikker, head of the Kiev Tank Technical School. At first, hedgehogs called Gorikker's asterisk. At first they were used in the defense of Kyiv, then migrated to Moscow, then dispersed on all fronts.

Guderian writes in his memoirs that German tankers laughed when they saw tiny iron structures by tank standards in front of their tanks.

In the first, not a static, but an active obstacle appeared, the hedgehog did not fix itself in place, did not dig into the ground, so German tanker there was a temptation to move the barrier and when the tank ran into it, it easily turned over the modest structure, the hedgehog rolled under the tank, the tracks lost traction and the tank turned out to be raised above the ground, this was the main hidden purpose of the invention. The hedgehog bit into the armor from below with its free edge, and when it tried to move back, the speed and power of the tank worked against it, tearing the armor with its sharp edge, causing monstrous damage. Any tank in which the transmission and gearbox were in front ran into a hedgehog, pierced the bottom, the hedgehog invariably destroyed the transmission, and German lungs tanks Pz.II (T-2) (T-3) (T-4), all were with a front-mounted transmission, so naturally running into a hedgehog, they failed for a long time.

Mikhail Lvovich Gorikker inventor of anti-tank hedgehogs

The inventor of hedgehogs, Mikhail Lvovich Gorikker, was born in 1895, the first world war a soldier, awarded two St. George crosses, to the civilian commissar of field hospitals of the southwestern front, then commissar of command courses for heavy artillery. After the Civil War, the chief inspector of the Red Army for military educational institutions. In the late 1930s, Gorikker was appointed head of the Moscow Tank Technical School, moved to Kyiv in 1938, and in 1940 received the rank of major general.

In this rank, the war of 1941-1945 finds him. Mikhail Lvovich Gorikker thought, what if we made a barrier below the tank, and not higher, slightly higher than the tank's clearance, this was the first revolutionary solution. Then the front part of the tank, having run into the edge of a protruding hedgehog, began to push it, and pushing it to turn it over. It's amazing how the general proposed his invention in time, on the act of testing the so-called "asterisk" is the date July 3, 1941. All front-line factories began to manufacture anti-tank hedgehogs, all metal industrial profiles, railway rails were used, in the first months of the war, great amount hedgehogs, only for the defense of Moscow, almost 30,000.

However, it is worth remembering that anti-tank hedgehogs were effective against light and medium tanks weighing no more than 40 tons, fortunately the German troops did not have other tanks at that time. The most powerful German tank at the beginning of the war was the t3 21 ton, with a 50 mm cannon, if he tried to overcome the hedgehog himself, he climbed and hung on it. And our artillery or infantry finished off an immovable tank with grenades or incendiary bottles. Gorikker's invention helped in the defense of Kyiv, but the city was doomed by that time.

hedgehog test

It takes an average of 280-300 kg to make one hedgehog. metal and only an hour and a half of working time, it took 6 minutes to install with a crane, but more often they did without any equipment, manually, two people are quite enough for this. According to the Gorikker scheme, the hedgehogs should be staggered, this key condition was not met, in addition, they were often tied with barbed wire, which is not right, the hedgehogs must roll freely in order to eventually end up under the bottom of the tank.

The hedgehog doesn’t fight with the tank, he delays it, then the guns say, and they weren’t enough in the winter of 1941, and the infantrymen who were nearby couldn’t do anything, often they don’t even have anti-tank rifles. In those sectors of the front where there were anti-tank guns behind the hedgehogs, the efficiency of the hedgehogs was high. Hedgehogs generally justified themselves if the anti-tank hedgehog was installed in interconnection and provided with fire, mine laying, and artillery. By the end of November, Gorikker managed to correct the mistakes associated with the combat use of hedgehogs, the harsh time teaches them how to make them correctly and correctly inflame and successfully cover with fire. In total, 37,500 hedgehogs are used in the defense of Moscow.

Monument to anti-tank hedgehogs in Khimki

December 6, 1966, Leningradskoe highway, 23 km Muscovites gathered for the opening of the most unusual monument to the defender of Moscow. The place is expensive Soviet people, huge anti-tank hedgehogs symbolize unparalleled resilience, this monument was erected by the youth of the capital. The anti-tank hedgehog, the only obstacle in the world, receives a second birth as a memorial ensemble. The granite of the commemorative plaque keeps the names of the authors of the monument, architects are designers here, there is no information about the author of the hedgehog himself, and was he? It is generally accepted that the hedgehog was created by the tireless soldier's ingenuity.

The use of anti-tank hedgehogs by the Germans.

According to war historian Eremeev: German troops took out 20,000 hedgehogs and used them in the defense of Berlin. The Germans were so convinced of the effectiveness of Russian hedgehogs that they began to install them not only on land, but also at sea in 1944, they were placed in the Channel in shallow water off the coast of Normandy against the Allied landing barges.

Anti-tank hedgehogs in other countries

That's what I never knew. that these hedgehogs have an author. I thought that they were simply boiled from rails by eye, without much science. But it turns out that's not the case at all. And the man puzzled over them for a long time.

Attention to non-explosive barriers in military science in post-war period was not given. Meanwhile, they, including anti-tank hedgehogs, under certain conditions and in modern war can play, although not decisive, but a significant role in the success of the defense of one side and the failure of the attack of the other.

The main mistake in the manufacture of hedgehogs is to exceed the size. Even in the Instructions, the height of the anti-tank hedgehog is indicated as 1 m. 45 cm.

Meanwhile, the essence of this barrier is that the hedgehog should have a height higher than the ground clearance of the tank, but lower than or equal to the distance from the ground to the upper edge of the lower frontal plate of the tank. Approximately the height of the hedgehog should be about 0.9 -1.0 meters.
Because the hedgehog is not fixed in place and does not dig into the ground like a gouge, then the tanker should be tempted to move the hedgehog with the frontal armor of his vehicle. When the tank moves onto the hedgehog, the latter begins to roll under it, and eventually the tank is raised above the ground. Its tracks lose reliable grip on the ground. And since the bottom of the tank is flat, then when trying to move back from the hedgehog, the tank is often unable to do so.

But zlobny_troll dug up somewhere material about the author:

There is silence outside the windows, because this house, standing opposite the now former “Tishinka”, is protected from the noise of the street by a whole army of huge trees. And, imagine, the old-timers remember the one who planted each tree. They called him "general". But the main monument to General Mikhail Lvovich GORIKKER stands at the entrance to Moscow - an anti-tank "hedgehog" enlarged several times - a symbol of the first terrible days of the war. And every boy knew that the "hedgehog" would stop the German tank. But not many people know the name of the inventor, although on the tracing papers sent to the armies, indicating how to place tank barriers, how many of them should be per kilometer of defense, there was a laconic Hedgehog GorikkerThe first days of the war. The military commandant of Kyiv, General Gorriker, head of the Kyiv tank technical school, spends days and nights at headquarters and at the tankodrome, and at night in his office, makes calculations and makes everything out of matches, plasticine, putty, bread crumb, strings, some strange geometric figurines. In the mornings, his son, fifteen-year-old Vladimir, looks at them with surprise, lost in conjectures. We have an act of testing "hedgehogs" in the editorial office. It describes “the most effective arrangement of anti-tank obstacles in four lines, the distance between the axes along the front” and how “the tusk of the 2nd line got between the caterpillar and the drive wheel of the caterpillar and the tusk of the 3rd line, resting on the bottom of the bow of the tank, lifted the latter into the air." The commission concluded: it is necessary to use the “asterisk”, as at first they dubbed the “hedgehog” - the people later gave him a tougher and sharper name - in especially important areas.

It’s easy to make a “hedgehog” - you need railway rails, and they were stacked at the stations, and welding. But an accurate calculation so that the “hedgehog”, acting on the principle of “roly-do-it-yourself” turns over, striking, and when placed - so that it has a place where to roll over: the tank itself turned him into his enemy.General Gorikker was called to Moscow and flew along the fronts, giving precise instructions ...

Today, Tishinka's house has many memorabilia related to the war. “Lives” here is an old piano, taken out by cadets from burning Kyiv in the forty-first. It went to the Urals on a platform along with tanks. The general's son lives, the director of miraculous films-operas "Iolanta", "The Tsar's Bride" Vladimir Mikhailovich Gorikker. On the 55th anniversary of the Victory at the Museum of the Armed Forces, he saw on one of the exhibits a “hedgehog” taken to the museum directly from the military streets of the capital.” And he stands next to the Heinkeil shot down over Moscow by Viktor Talalikhin. And on the welded rails there is an inscription: “Gorriker’s hedgehog”, And all this is because the act of testing the “hedgehog”, tracing papers of the drawings sent to the armies, the general’s son recently found in his apartment in a box where the films and his “Iolanthe” lay. ... "Hedgehog", crossed out the swastika.

The inventor of the anti-tank hedgehog, Major General of the Technical Troops Gorikker Mikhail Lvovich (1895-1955). During the First World War, a soldier of the Russian Army. He was awarded two St. George's crosses. During the Civil War, commissar of field hospitals of the Southwestern Front, commissar of command courses for heavy artillery, commissar of infantry command courses. At the end of the Civil War, the chief inspector of the Political Directorate of the Red Army for military educational institutions. From 1929 to 1933 he was a student of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army named after Stalin. Upon graduation from the academy, he was appointed head of the Moscow Tank Technical School. In 1938, together with the school, he moved to Kyiv. In June-July 1941, being the head of the Kyiv Tank Technical School, he was also the head of the Kyiv garrison and the head of the defense of Kyiv. During the war years, he successively held the positions of head of the motor transport department of the Main Directorate of the Motor Transport and Road Service of the Red Army, head of the operation and road transportation department of the Main Automobile Directorate, head of the auto department of the Leningrad Front, head of the inspection of the Main Motor Transport Directorate of the Red Army. In the post-war years, the head of the Ordzhonikidzevsky, then the Ryazan Automobile School. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner of War, the Order of the Patriotic War, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Medal of the XX Years of the Red Army, the medals "For the Defense of Moscow", For the Defense of Leningrad", For the Defense of Stalingrad", "For the Victory over Germany" and other medals.

Many often and with pleasure review Soviet films about the war. In almost every one of them, it is imperative to meet an engineering structure, popularly nicknamed the anti-tank "hedgehog". Several rails welded together, resembling a six-pointed star. Who was the author of this invention?

For many years, this military engineering structure was considered a product of soldier creativity. And no one thought that the "hedgehog" there is an author who had to work hard to create an effective barrier to German tanks. This person's name is Mikhail Lvovich Gorriker. Mikhail Lvovich - a participant in two world wars, by the beginning of World War II - major general of technical troops, head of a tank school.

There were also anti-tank hedgehogs in other countries. In the world, anti-tank hedgehogs have an established name Czech hedgehog, in 1938 such a structure existed and was used as one of the elements Czech Defense. The Czech hedgehog was made from reinforced concrete, its shape is different, he can lift the tank if he runs into both paws of the hedgehog, but if one, as happens more often, it goes into the ground or collapses. In our country, too, it was possible to use the entire concrete industry to pour such hedgehogs, but something was needed fast and not expensive. The leadership of the USSR adopted simpler, more reliable and efficient metal hedgehog design General Gorikker.

So what is genius "hedgehog"? In simplicity his designs. The profile or rails were cut into approximately equal pieces. Then the cut pieces were welded to each other in the form the letters "J". And all , an insurmountable barrier ready for German technology. However, this case required exact calculation welding. "Hedgehog" should not have been higher the beginning of the front sheet tank armor. Its height was 80 cm. Tests have proven that "correct hedgehog" could withstand the impact of a tank weighing 60 tons. The next phase of defense organization was effective installation of barriers. Defense line from "hedgehogs" - four rows in a checkerboard pattern - turned into serious problem for tanks. The meaning of the "hedgehog" is that he had to be under the tank, and the tank - to stand on its hind legs. As a result, an armored car finally stopped, "hovering" above the ground, and it could be knocked out from anti-tank weapons.

"Asterisks of Gorriker", as the barriers were called in some documents, they turned out so much perfect what's in the future did not demand improvements. This invention became one of the symbols of the Battle of Moscow in the winter of 1941. Only for nearby defense lines the capitals of the USSR was placed around 37,500 hedgehogs. In Khimki there is a monument to anti-tank "hedgehogs", but there no last name their creator.