to open next chapter. - NASA's History Office

Rockets and People
those who knew the subsequent events was Major General Pavel Trubachev, a
Leningrad Mining Institute and Artillery Academy graduate who was sent to GAU
after completing his studies in 1940. From his first days of service at GAU, he was
directly involved in the testing, production, and acceptance of rocket launchers as
standard armaments for the infantry. I made his acquaintance in 1945 in Germany.
At that time he was a colonel-engineer. 8 Later, Trubachev became a military
regional engineer at NII-88, at Korolev’s OKB-1, and department chief at the
Main Directorate of Rocket Armaments. I had the chance to interact unofficially
with the retired Pavel Yefimovich at the Pirogovskiy Reservoir, where we both had
garden plots.This is what he said about Stalin’s assignment.
In March 1941, under Aborenkov’s leadership, they had conducted successful
range firings.There were no doubts as to reliability and effectiveness of the vehicle-mounted,
multi-barreled rocket launchers. However, a demonstration of the
rocket projectiles to the higher command was put off time after time.The demonstration
was finally held on 15 June 1941.
Minister of Defense Timoshenko wanted a demonstration of new artillery
armaments to be conducted at the firing range.The preparations for this undertaking
took much longer than had been anticipated because the distinguished chief
designers at the firing range were striving to present the new guns and mortars in
the best light at the demonstration. The rocket launchers were mounted on
ZIS-6 vehicle chassis at NII-3. The demonstration included a large number of
artillery exhibits, and the plain outward appearance of the two trucks did not
inspire much confidence. Standing by each artillery piece was its chief designer,
sometimes along with the factory director and military representatives.They were
all prepared to report to the People’s Commissar of Defense not only the tactical
advantages of their new model, but also its readiness for mass production.
Two BM-13 launchers, each with twenty-four projectiles, stood modestly to the
side of the main exhibits. They were not accompanied by a chief designer or
authorized industrial representative, since Colonel Aborenkov and the NII-3 engineers
and workmen had taken the trouble completely on themselves to prepare the
launchers for inspection.
The demonstration of the rocket weaponry was the last item on the schedule.
The effect of the drumfire and the howling of forty-eight flying projectiles made
a staggering impression on the marshals and generals. Clouds of dust rose up and
flames raged in the area of the target. It seemed that nothing living could have
withstood such an artillery strike.
Timoshenko addressed Kulik harshly, “Why have you kept silent and not
reported on such a weapon?” Kulik excused himself by pointing out that the
weapon had not been fully developed and troop tests had not yet been conducted.
8. Those officers in the Soviet armed forces who had received a higher engineering degree combined their
rank with the title ‘Engineer.’
170