Yakov Taubin
Yakov Grigoryevich Taubin | |
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Яков Григорьевич Таубин | |
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Born | 1900 Pinsk, Minsk Governorate, Russian Empire |
Died | |
Nationality | Soviet Union (Belarusian) |
Occupation | Weapons designer |
Known for | Creating the first successful automatic grenade launcher |
Children | 3 |
Awards | Order of Lenin[1] |
Yakov Grigoryevich Taubin (Russian: Яков Григорьевич Таубин; 1900 – 28 October 1941) was a Soviet weapons designer. He is best known for creating the first successful automatic grenade launcher. He also designed a prototype gun for the Ilyushin Il-2 which lost in trials against the Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23, and he subsequently was arrested and executed by Soviet authorities.
Early life
Taubin was born in 1900 in Pinsk in the Russian Empire (present Belarus). The date of his birth is not known.[1] His father, an accountant, died in 1915.
In 1929 Taubin entered the
The Taubina AG-2 grenade launcher
In the fall of 1931, he sent a draft of a design, which used regular 40.8 mm (1.61 in) MG Dyakonov
This weapon, the AG-2 Taubina , used a 40.6 mm (1.60 in) round with a fragmentation grenade based on the standard Dyakonov, fitted with a flangeless sleeve. The Taubina was magazine-fed and could fire single shots or bursts in either direct or indirect fire. The rate of fire of earlier models, already substantial at 50 to 60 rounds per minute, was later increased to about 436 rounds per minute, although the magazine was initially just five rounds.[3]
The prototypes used a small powder charge which did not provide reliable operation, so the weapon had to be substantially redesigned. Initially gas-operated, in 1936 it was changed to recoil operation. The Taubina originally had a tripod mount and was later mounted on a light wheeled machine-gun carriage.[2] Barrel heating and wear was small due to the small charge, so the maximum rate of fire could be maintained, but the charge was large enough to achieve a maximum range for the weapon of 1,200 m (3,900 ft).[3]
The Taubina had some shortcomings. The extractor and ejector springs were of poor quality, leading to 7.2% of shots causing a failure. The machine was also inaccurate, with rounds scattering in azimuth. After each clip, it was necessary to re-lay the weapon.
The idea of an automatic grenade launcher was opposed by Grigory Kulik, chief of the Main Artillery Directorate, and other military leaders. In 1937–1938, the Taubina was rejected as a company-level support weapon in favour of a mobile, cheap, and well-tested 50 mm (2.0 in) mortar, based on a 1938 design by B. I. Shavyrina.
In 1938, sea trials of the Taubina were made on craft of the Dnieper Flotilla; based on these, the Navy made a small order in January 1939 but soon reversed itself. The Taubina was used in small numbers with success by the Red Army during the Winter War against Finland, but soon all work on the automatic grenade launcher was ended.
- Comparison of Taubin AG-2 and standard Red Army light mortar[4]
Taubin AG-2 | Standard mortar | |
---|---|---|
Weapon Weight | 45.5 kg (100 lb) | 12 kg (26 lb) |
Caliber | 40.8 mm (1.61 in) | 50 mm (2.0 in) |
Projectile weight | 0.59 kg (1.3 lb) | 0.85 kg (1.9 lb) |
Practical rate of fire | 57 rounds per minute | 30 rounds per minute |
Effective range | 1,250 m (1,370 yd) | 800 m (870 yd) |
Other weapons
Taubin, together with OKB-16 deputy chief designer Mikhail Baburin, developed other weapons.
For the
Competitive trials were conducted between Taubin's design and the newly developed, gas-operated Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23, a 23mm gun with generally similar characteristics. The VYa-23 won the trials and the development of the MP-6 gun was terminated in May 1941 and Taubin subsequently arrested.
Taubin also developed a tank-based version of the MP-6 (the PT-23TB (Tank Gun 23mm System Taubina-Baburina)), a 23mm infantry air defence gun,[6] and a 12.7mm aircraft machine gun (the AN-12.7), but none of these finished development.
Arrest and execution
On the night of May 16, 1941,[1] Taubin and several associates were arrested on charges of "preserving samples of unfinished weapons and egregiously plotting production of technically unfinished and unsatisfactory weapons systems", namely the 23mm cannons and the 12.7mm machine gun.
Following trial, Taubin was executed by shooting on October 28, 1941, in the village of Barbysh near
The actual impetus for Taubin's arrest and execution was likely Kulik's strong opposition to the AG-2 automatic grenade launcher and consequent hostility toward Taubin.[3]
After his death, leadership of OKB-16 fell to
Taubin was rehabilitated on December 20, 1955.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Таубин Яков Григорьевич" [Taubin, Yakov Grigoryevich]. Карта-справочник города Королев (Maps and Directories of Korolev). Retrieved 28 February 2015. (in Russian)
- ^ a b Alexander Shirokorad (November 2007). "Получи, фашист, гранату!: Супероружие Якова Таубина" [Eat Grenades, Fascist! Jacob Taubina's Superweapon]. Популярная механика (Popular Mechanics (Russian Edition)). Retrieved 26 February 2015. (in Russian)
- ^ a b c d e "Гранатомет АГ-2 (Таубина)" [Grenade launcher AG-2 (Taubina)]. Encyclopedia of Weapons and Ammunition. Retrieved 27 February 2015. (in Russian)
- ^ Peter Goregliad; Nikolai Lomakin (2007). "обогнавший время" [Ahead Of Its Time] (PDF). Kalishnikov Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2015. (in Russian)
- ^ "Штурмовой самолет "Ильюшин-2"" [Assault aircraft "Ilyushin-2"]. Airpages.ru. Retrieved 28 February 2015. (in Russian)
- ^ "Яков Таубин биография" [Yakov Taubin biography]. Famous People of the World. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2015. (in Russian)