Underground tanks. USSR projects underground boat

Trebeleva's underground passage

The inventor Peter Rasskazov first thought of an underground boat at the beginning of the 20th century. But he published his thoughts and ideas in one of the English magazines. What happened to Rasskazov after the revolution is unknown. He disappeared along with his developments.

The idea of ​​​​creating a device that moves underground was returned to before the start of the Second World War. In the USSR, engineer and designer Alexander Trebelev began work on creating an underground tunnel. He borrowed the operating principle of this device from moles. Moreover, the inventor approached the matter very thoroughly. Before starting to create the boat, he used X-rays to study the behavior of the animal when it dug holes. The designer paid special attention to the movements of the animal’s paws and head. And only then began to embody the mole in metal.

Trebelev borrowed the movement of the subterrine from the mole

Trebelev's underground boat resembled a capsule in shape, on the bow of which the inventor placed a drill. She also had an auger and two pairs of stern jacks. These jacks acted as mole paws. According to the creator's plan, the subterritory could be controlled both from the inside and from the outside. That is, from the surface using a special cable. The car received power through it.

Trebelev's creation turned out to be quite viable (it moved at a speed of 10 meters per hour), but needed many improvements. Eliminating them required a lot of money, so the designer still abandoned his brainchild.

There is a version that shortly before the collision with Germany, Ustinov set the designer Strakhov the task of finalizing Trebelev’s project. And the emphasis should be placed specifically on the military component of the subterrine. But the war began, and there was no time for fantastic combat vehicles.

German response

In parallel with the USSR, Germany also became interested in creating underground boats. For example, von Wern (or von Werner) patented an underwater-underground vehicle, which he gave the name Subterrine. The car could move underground at a speed of 7 km/h, transport 5 people and several hundred kilograms of explosives.

Subterrine wanted to be involved in Operation Sea Lion

The military became seriously interested in these projects. In their opinion, he was suitable for the role of “punisher of Britain.” In the special operation "Sea Lion" they had to swim to England and then continue their journey underground. Then deliver an unexpected blow to some important object.

But for some reason, underground boats were abandoned. The military leadership decided that Britain would be defeated in the air. And everything else is trifles. Therefore, the potential of von Wern’s creation remained unrevealed. Fortunately for those same Englishmen.

But von Wern is not the only German who wanted to create an underground tunnel. Designer Ritter took on the task of turning a more ambitious project into reality - “Midgard Schlange”. The underground boat was named “Midgard Serpent” in honor of the mythical creature. According to legend, this serpent encircled the entire earth.

Ritter's brainchild was distinguished by its amazing versatility. It just couldn't fly. And so, according to the creator’s plan, the car was supposed to move on land and water, underground and under water. It was assumed that the device could move in hard ground at a speed of about 2 km/h. If there was soft soil on the way, its speed increased to 10 km/h. On the ground, the “Snake” could even accelerate to 30 km/h. And under water its speed would be about 3 km/h.

They also suggested the size of the car. Ritter dreamed of creating not just an apparatus, but a real underground train with carriages on caterpillar tracks. The estimated length of the assembled equipment is from 500 meters. Actually, that’s why the project was called “Midgard Schlange”. According to calculations made by Ritter, the weight of the colossus was several tens of thousands of tons. In theory, a crew of thirty people could cope with the control of the Snake. The movement of the machine underground was ensured by 4 main drills of one and a half meters each, as well as 3 additional ones.

The Midgard Schlange project remained on paper

Since the “Snake” was conceived as a military vehicle, its armament was appropriate: a couple of thousand mines, more than a dozen coaxial machine guns, as well as torpedoes. It was planned that the subterrine would be involved in hostilities against France, Belgium and Great Britain. But they did not implement the project. He, like his “relatives” Subterrine, remained on paper.

Soviet "Mole"

After the war, the USSR returned to subterrines. The most active work in this direction began under Khrushchev. The fact is that he really liked the idea of ​​“getting the imperialists out of the ground.” Nikita Sergeevich took the project under his patronage and publicly announced the development of an underground tunnel. A secret plant for the production of subterrine was quickly erected on the territory of Ukraine. And already in 1964 the first boat with a nuclear reactor was ready. It received a telling name - “Battle Mole”.

There is no exact information about the boat left. According to various sources, its diameter ranged from 3 to 4 meters. And the length varied from 25 to 35 meters. As for the speed, depending on the ground it varied from 7 to 15 km/h. The Mole's crew consisted of 5 people. In addition to them, the boat could transport another 15 soldiers and about a ton of various cargo.

They counted on the “mole” in case of war with the United States

According to the creators' plan, the "Combat Mole" was supposed to destroy underground bunkers, missile launchers in mines and enemy command posts. Great hopes were placed on the subterritories in the event of aggravation of relations with the United States.

The “Battle Mole” was actively tested in different conditions. He demonstrated his capabilities especially well in the Urals, biting into rock with ease. But repeated tests put an end to the project. "Mole" exploded underground for unknown reasons. The crew could not be saved. After the disaster, they decided to abandon the creation of subterrines.

Perhaps some of you once watched the film “The Earth's Core” directed by John Amisel. According to the plot of the film, the earth's core stops rotating, which threatens the death of all humanity. To save everyone from the impending end of the world, a group of American scientists and engineers builds an underground boat that goes straight to the Earth's core in order to restore its rotation by detonating several atomic bombs. What nonsense, you ask, and you will be right. However, in the 20th century, several states were seriously working on the possibility of building underground boats (similar to submarines), or subterrines. Thus, famous phrase about the “submarine in the steppes of Ukraine” even makes some sense.

The 20th century as a whole was rich in developments that were strange at first glance, many of which were ultimately able to change our understanding of the world. Even before World War II, several states, including the USSR, Germany and Great Britain, were working on creating subterrines. The prototype for all projects was the so-called tunneling shield. For the first time such a shield was used in Foggy Albion during the construction of a tunnel under the Thames back in 1825. Metro tunnels in Moscow and St. Petersburg were also built with the help of a tunneling shield.

In our country, the idea of ​​building an underground boat was approached at the very beginning of the 20th century. So, back in 1904, Russian engineer Pyotr Rasskazov sent material to a British technical journal in which he described the possibility of developing a special capsule that could cover long distances by moving underground. However, later during the unrest in Moscow, he was killed by a stray bullet. In addition to Rasskazov, the idea of ​​​​creating an underground boat is also attributed to our other compatriot Evgeny Tolkalinsky. Being an engineer colonel tsarist army, in the winter of 1918 he fled the country through the Gulf of Finland. He made his career in Sweden, where at one of the companies he improved the already mentioned tunneling shield.

But real attention was paid to such projects only in the 1930s. The first underground self-propelled vehicle in those years was created by the Soviet engineer A. Treblev, who was helped in this by A. Baskin and A. Kirilov. It is curious that he largely copied the operating principle of his device from the actions of the famous builder of underground holes - the mole. Before starting work on the project, the designer studied the biomechanics of the animal’s actions and movements underground for a very long time. He paid special attention to the paws and head of the mole, and only then, based on the results obtained, he designed his mechanical device.

Subterrine of Alexander Trebelev

It is worth noting that, like any inventor, Alexander Trebelev was obsessed with his brainchild, but even he did not think about using an underground submarine for military purposes. Trebelev believed that the subterrine would be used for digging tunnels for utility purposes, geological exploration, and mining. For example, his subterrine could get close to oil reserves by extending a pipeline to them, which would begin to pump black gold to the surface. Even now Trebelev’s invention seems fantastic to us.

Trebelev's subterrine had a capsule shape and moved underground due to a drill, an auger and 4 stern jacks, which pushed it like the hind legs of a mole. At the same time, the underground boat could be controlled both from the outside - from the surface of the earth using cables, and directly from the inside. The subterrine would receive the necessary power via the same cable. The average speed of its movement underground was supposed to be 10 meters per hour. However, due to frequent failures and a number of shortcomings, this project was still closed.

According to one version, the unreliability of the machine was proven as a result of the first tests. According to another version, just before the war they tried to modify the underground boat on the initiative of the future People's Commissar of Armaments of the USSR D. Ustinov. If we are guided by the second version, then in the 1940s the designer P. Strakhov, on the personal instructions of Ustinov, managed to finalize and improve Trebelev’s project. Moreover, this project was immediately designed for military purposes, and the subterrine was supposed to operate without connection with the surface. In 1.5 years we managed to create one prototype. It was assumed that the underground boat would be able to work autonomously underground for several days. At this time, the boat was supplied with the necessary supply of fuel, and the crew, which consisted of only one person, with the necessary supply of oxygen, food and water. But the Great Patriotic War prevented the completion of this project. Patriotic War, while the fate of the prototype of the Strakhov underground boat is now unknown.

UK combat trenchers

Similar projects have been developed in the UK. In this country they were supposed to be used for digging tunnels on the front line. Through such tunnels, infantry and tanks were supposed to suddenly enter the enemy’s position, while avoiding direct assault ground fortifications. Work in this direction was due to the sad English experience trench warfare during the First World War. The order to develop underground boats was given personally by Winston Churchill, who was based precisely on the bloody experience of storming well-fortified positions. By the beginning of 1940, it was planned to build 200 of these underground boats. All of them were designated by the abbreviation NLE (Naval Land Equipment - naval and land equipment). To disguise the military purpose of the created machines, the developers gave them their own names: White Rabbit 6 (“White Rabbit 6”), Nellie (“Nellie”), Cultivator 6 (“Cultivator 6”), No mans Land Excavator (“Excavator without human intervention” ).

The trenchers created in England had the following dimensions: length - 23.47 meters, width - 1.98 meters, height - 2.44 meters and had two sections. The main section was tracked. In my own way appearance it resembled a very long tank, weighing 100 tons. The front section weighed less - 30 tons and could dig trenches 2.28 meters wide and 1.5 meters deep. The soil excavated by the machine was carried by conveyors to the surface and deposited on both sides of the trench, forming dumps whose height was 1 meter. The speed of the device was more than 8 km/h. After reaching a given point, the subterrine stopped and was transformed into a platform designed for tracked vehicles to exit the dug trench into open space.

Originally on this car they were going to install one Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which developed a power of 1000 hp. But then, due to a lack of these engines, they decided to replace them. Each underground boat was equipped with two Paxman 12TP engines, developing a power of 600 hp. every. One motor drove the entire structure, and the second was used for the cutter and conveyor in the front section. The rapid defeat of France in the war and a clear demonstration modern warfare motors slowed down the implementation of this project. As a result, subterrine tests took place only in June 1941, and in 1943 the project was closed. By this time, 5 such devices had been assembled in England. All of them were dismantled after the war, the last combat trencher in the early 1950s. In fairness, it is worth noting that English project although it turned out to be useless, it was quite real. Another thing is that, after all, it was only a “perverted” vision of a trencher, and not a full-fledged underground boat.

Subterrines of Germany

Germany also showed interest in such an unusual project. Before World War II, subterrines were also constructed here. In the 30s of the twentieth century, engineer von Wern (according to other sources - von Werner) received a patent for an underwater-underground “amphibian”, which she called Subterrine. The machine he proposed had the ability to move both in water and under the earth's surface. Moreover, according to von Wern’s calculations, when moving underground, his subterrine could reach speeds of up to 7 km/h. Moreover, the underground boat was designed to transport a crew and troops of 5 people, as well as 300 kg. explosives, it was originally a military project.

In 1940, Nazi Germany seriously considered von Wern's project; such devices could be useful in military operations against Great Britain. The plans for Operation Sea Lion, which envisaged the landing of German troops on British Isles, there would also be a place for submarines designed by von Wern. His brainchildren were supposed to sail unnoticed to the shores of Great Britain and continue moving underground through English territory, in order to then deliver a surprise blow to the enemy in the most unexpected area for the British troops.

The German Subterrine project fell victim to the arrogance of Goering, who led the Luftwaffe and believed that he could defeat the British in an air war without any help. As a result, von Wern's underground boat project remained in the form of an idea unrealized in practice, as, indeed, the fantasy of his famous namesake - French writer Jules Verne, long before the appearance of the first projects of underground boats, wrote his famous novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

Another much more ambitious project of the German designer Ritter was called, with a fair amount of pathos, Midgard Schlange (“Midgard Serpent”). This unusual name The project was named after the mythical reptile - the world serpent, which encircled the entire inhabited earth. According to the creator's idea, his car was supposed to move both above and underground, as well as through and under water at a depth of up to 100 meters. At the same time, Ritter believed that underground in soft ground his underground boat could reach a speed of up to 10 km/h, in hard ground - 2 km/h, on the earth's surface - up to 30 km/h, under water - 3 km/h.

However, what amazes the most is the size of this huge amphibious vehicle. Midgard Schlange was conceived by the creator as a full-fledged underground train, which included a large number of compartment cars on caterpillar tracks. Each carriage was 6 meters long. The total length of such an underground train ranged from 400 meters to 500 meters in the longest configuration. The path underground for this colossus had to be made by four one and a half meter drills at once. Also in the car there were 3 additional drilling kits, and total weight reached 60,000 tons. In order to control such a mechanical monster, 12 pairs of steering wheels and a crew of 30 people were needed. The design armament of the huge subterrine was also impressive: up to two thousand 250-kg and 10-kg mines, 12 coaxial machine guns and special underground torpedoes 6 m long.

Initially, this project was planned to be used to destroy strategic objects and fortifications in Belgium and France, as well as for demolition work in English ports. However, in the end, this crazy project of the gloomy German genius was never implemented in any acceptable form. But some technical information regarding the underground boats being developed in Germany did fall into the hands of Soviet intelligence officers at the end of the war.

Soviet "Battle Mole"

Another semi-mythical subterrine development project is a Soviet post-war project called "Battle Mole". Immediately after the end of World War II, the head of SMERSH V. Abakumov attracted professors G. Babat and G. Pokrovsky to implement the project for the construction of underground submarines; they had to work with captured drawings. However, real progress in this direction was achieved after the death of Stalin in the 1960s. The new Secretary General Nikita Khrushchev liked the idea of ​​“getting the imperialists out of the ground.” Moreover, Khrushchev even announced his plans publicly, perhaps he had some reasons for this.

Little is known about this development; it was mentioned only in a number of books that do not pretend to be reliable. According to available information, the Soviet subterrine “Battle Mole” was supposed to receive a nuclear reactor. The underground boat had a cylindrical titanium body with a pointed end and a powerful drill in the front. The dimensions of such an atomic subterrine could range from 25 to 35 meters in length and from 3 to 4 meters in diameter. The speed of the apparatus underground was in the range from 7 km/h to 15 km/h.

The crew of the “Battle Mole” consisted of 5 people. In addition, this device could immediately transport up to a ton of various cargo (weapons or explosives) or 15 paratroopers with their equipment. It was assumed that such underground boats would successfully hit underground bunkers, fortifications, command posts and silo-based strategic missiles. Such devices were also prepared for a special mission.

In the event of aggravation of relations between the USSR and the USA, according to the plan of the Soviet command, the subterrines could be used to launch a full-fledged underground strike on US territory. With the help of Soviet submarines, subterrines were to be delivered to American coast in the area of ​​seismically unstable California, and then drill into American territory and install underground nuclear charges in areas where the enemy’s strategic facilities were located. It was assumed that the detonation of atomic mines could trigger a powerful earthquake and tsunami, which, if something happened, could be attributed to ordinary natural disasters.

According to some reports, tests of the Soviet nuclear underground boat were carried out in different soils - in the Rostov and Moscow regions, as well as in the Urals. At the same time, the most strong impressions nuclear subterrine delivered to test participants in the Ural mountains. The “Battle Mole” easily passed through solid rock, destroying the training target in the end. However, during repeated tests, a tragedy occurred: the subterrine exploded for an unknown reason, and its crew died. After this incident, the project was closed.

Since ancient times, man has been drawn to either sink to the bottom, or rise into the air, or reach the very center of the Earth. However, this was possible until some time only in fantasy novels and fairy tales. Nowadays, an underground boat is no longer just a fantasy. Successful developments and tests have been carried out in this area. After reading our article, you will learn a lot of interesting things about such a device as an underground boat.

Underground boats in literature

It all started with a flight of fancy. In 1864, Jules Verne published famous novel entitled "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Its heroes descended to the center of our planet through the mouth of a volcano. In 1883, the book "Underground Fire" by Shuzi was published. In it, the heroes, working with pickaxes, dug a shaft to the earth's center. True, the book already said that the planet’s core is hot. Alexey Tolstoy, Russian writer, achieved more success. In 1927 he wrote "Engineer Garin's Hyperboloid". The hero of the work made his way almost through the thickness of the earth, while casually and even with some cynicism.

All these authors built hypotheses that could not be substantiated in any way. The matter remained with the inventors and engineers, the rulers of human thoughts at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. However, in “Winners of the Subsoil,” published in 1937, he reduced the problem of storming the earth’s subsoil to ordinary achievements of the USSR government. The design of the underground boat in his book seemed to have been copied from the drawings of a secret design bureau. Is this a coincidence?

First developments

Now no one can answer the question of what formed the basis of Grigory Adamov’s bold guesses. However, judging by the limited data, there were still grounds for them. The first engineer who allegedly created the drawings of the underground apparatus was Pyotr Rasskazov. This engineer was killed in 1918 by an agent who stole all his documentation. Americans believe that Thomas Edison began the first developments. However, it is more reliable that they were carried out in the late 20-30s of the 20th century by engineers from the USSR A. Treblev, A. Baskin and A. Kirilov. It was they who developed the design of the first underground boat.

However, it was intended exclusively for utilitarian purposes related to oil production, in order to facilitate this process and satisfy the needs of the socialist state. They took as a basis a real mole or earlier developments in this area by Russian or foreign engineers - it’s hard to say now. However, it is known that test “swims” of the boat were carried out at the Ural mines located below. Of course, the sample was experimental, more like a smaller copy than a full-fledged working device. Apparently, it resembled later coal miners. The presence of defects, a reliable engine, and a slow penetration speed were natural for the first model. It was decided to curtail the work on the underground tunnel.

Strakhov resumes the project

After some time, the era of mass terror began. Many specialists who participated in this project were shot. However, on the eve of the war they suddenly remembered the “Steel Mole”. Authorities were again interested in the underground boat. P.I. Strakhov, a leading expert in this field, was summoned to the Kremlin. At that time he worked as a curator on the construction of the Moscow metro. The scientist, in a conversation with D.F. Ustinov, who headed the arms commissariat, confirmed the opinion about the combat use of the underground tunnel. He was instructed to develop an improved experimental model based on the surviving drawings.

War interrupts work

People, funds, necessary equipment. The Russian underground boat had to be ready as soon as possible. However, the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, apparently, interrupted the work. Therefore, the state commission never accepted the experimental sample. He suffered the same fate as many other projects - the sample was sawn into metal. At this time, the country needed planes, tanks and submarines more for defense. But Strakhov never returned to the underground boat. He was sent to build bunkers.

German submarines

Naturally, similar designs were also carried out in Germany. Any superweapon that would be capable of bringing the Third Reich world domination, was necessary for leadership. In Nazi Germany, according to information received after the end of the war, underground military apparatus was being developed. The code name of the first of them is Subterrine (a project by R. Trebeletsky and H. von Wern). By the way, some researchers believe that R. Trebeletsky is A. Treblev, an engineer who fled the USSR. The second development is Midgardschlange, which means “Midgard Serpent”. This is Ritter's project.

After completion, Soviet authorities discovered adits of unknown origin near Königsberg, next to which were the remains of an exploded structure. It has been suggested that these are the remains of the "Midgard Serpent".

No less wonderful project was the “Sea Lion” (its other name is Subterrine). Back in 1933, Horner von Werner, a German engineer, filed a patent for it. According to his plan, this device could reach speeds of up to 7 m/h. There could be 5 people on board, and the weight of the warhead was up to 300 kg. This device, moreover, could move not only underground, but also under water. This underground submarine was immediately classified. Her project ended up in the military archives.

Probably no one would have remembered him if the war had not started. Count von Staufenberg, who oversaw military projects, retrieved it from the archives. He suggested that Hitler use a submarine to invade the British Isles. She had to cross the English Channel unnoticed and secretly go underground to the desired location.

However, these plans were not destined to come true. Hermann Goering convinced Adolf Hitler that it would be much cheaper and faster to force England to surrender by simple bombing. Therefore, the operation was not carried out, although Goering was unable to fulfill his promise.

Studying the Sea Lion Project

After the victory over Germany in 1945, an unspoken confrontation began on the territory of this country. Former allies began to compete with each other for possession of German military secrets. Among some other developments, a German project for an underground boat called the Sea Lion fell into the hands of Abakumov, a SMERSH general. A group led by professors G.I. Pokrovsky and G.I. Babata began studying the capabilities of this device. As a result of the research, the following verdict was made - the underground tunnel can be used by the Russians for military purposes.

Development by M. Tsiferov

Engineer M. Tsiferov created his own underground projectile at the same time (in 1948). He was even given a USSR author's certificate for the development of an underground torpedo. This device could move independently in the thickness of the earth, while developing a speed of up to 1 m/s!

Construction of a secret factory

In the USSR, meanwhile, Khrushchev came to power. Were needed in the beginning cold war their trump cards, military and political. Engineers and scientists who were faced with this problem proposed a solution that advanced the underground boat project to a new level of development. It was supposed to be made like the first submarines that had atomic reactor. In a short time for pilot production, it was necessary to build another secret plant. By order of Khrushchev, its construction began at the beginning of 1962 near the village of Gromovka (Ukraine). Soon Khrushchev publicly declared that the imperialists should be reached not only from space, but also from underground.

Development of "Battle Mole"

Two years later, the plant produced the first underground boat of the USSR. She had a nuclear reactor. The underground nuclear boat was called the "Battle Mole". The design had a titanium body. The stern and bow were pointed. The underground boat "Battle Mole" reached 3.8 m in diameter and its length was 35 meters. The crew consisted of five people. In addition, the underground boat "Battle Mole" was capable of taking on board a ton of explosives, as well as 15 more paratroopers. The "Battle Mole" allowed the boat to reach speeds of up to 7 m/h.

What was the nuclear underground boat "Battle Mole" intended for?

The combat mission that was assigned to her was the destruction of enemy missile silos and underground command bunkers. The General Staff planned to deliver such “subs” to the United States using nuclear submarines specially designed for this purpose. California was chosen as the destination, where high seismic activity was observed due to frequent earthquakes. She could disguise the movement of the Russian underground. An underground boat of the USSR, in addition, could install a nuclear charge and, by detonating it remotely, in this way cause an artificial earthquake. Its consequences could be attributed to normal disaster. This could undermine the power of the Americans financially and materially.

Testing a new underground boat

In 1964, in early autumn, the “Battle Mole” was tested. The underground tunnel demonstrated good results. He managed to overcome heterogeneous soil, and also destroy the command bunker located underground, which belonged to the mock enemy. Several times the prototype was demonstrated to members of government commissions in the Rostov region, the Urals and Nakhabino near Moscow. After this, mysterious events began. During scheduled tests, the nuclear-powered submarine allegedly exploded in Ural mountains. The crew, led by Colonel Semyon Budnikov (it is possible that this is a fictitious name), died heroically. The reason for this is supposedly a sudden breakdown, as a result of which the “mole” was crushed by rocks. According to other versions, there was sabotage by foreign intelligence services or even the device entered an anomalous zone.

Minimizing programs

After Khrushchev was removed from leadership positions, many programs were curtailed, including this project. The underground boat again ceased to interest the authorities. Economy Soviet Union was bursting at the seams. Therefore, this project, like many other developments, such as Soviet ekranoplans flying over the Caspian Sea in the 60-70s, was abandoned. in the ideological war it could compete with the United States, but was noticeably losing in the arms race. I had to save on literally everything. The common people felt this and Brezhnev understood it. The existence of the state was at stake, so advanced, bold projects that did not promise immediate superiority were kept secret for a long time and curtailed.

Is work still ongoing?

In 1976, information about the underground nuclear fleet of the Soviet Union was leaked to the press. This was done for the purposes of military-political disinformation. The Americans fell for this bait and began building similar devices. It is difficult to say whether such machines are currently being developed in the West and in the USA. Does anyone need an underground boat today? The photos presented above, as well as historical facts- arguments in favor of the fact that this is not just a fantasy, but a real reality. How much do we know about the modern world? Perhaps right now underground boats are plowing through the earth somewhere. No one is going to advertise the secret developments of Russia, as well as other countries.

Talking about the development of this unique superweapon, it is impossible not to recall the American science fiction thriller “Tremors.” Unlike the movie monster worm, which killed all living things in its path, Soviet designers managed to create its real mechanical prototype.
However, the Soviet mechanical “mole” self-destructed along with the people inside.

Without “Mole” life is not the same

As is most often the case in the scientific world, the designers were engaged in the development of a machine that could freely pass deep underground and suddenly commit sabotage behind enemy lines different countries. This was one of the fix ideas of the twentieth century. However, leadership in in this direction belongs to Muscovite Pyotr Rasskazov, who was the first to schematically depict an underground self-propelled vehicle in 1904.

It should be immediately noted here that everything connected with the invention of the “mole” mechanism is, from the very beginning, accompanied by numerous and varied digressions that strongly smack of mysticism.

Rasskazov was allegedly accidentally killed by a stray bullet during the 1905 revolution. Then his drawings disappeared, and over time miraculously materialized in Germany.

The two world superpowers began working on a similar project at the same time. In the USSR in the early 30s, this project was led by engineer Alexander Trebelev. Hot on his heels was his German colleague Horner von Werner.

Treblev, obsessed with the idea of ​​​​building a machine that would copy genuine mole skills, allegedly managed to create a prototype. But that's where it ended. The Nazis also did not launch their “Midgard Schlange” (“Midgard Serpent”, that was the name of the monster from the Scandinavian saga): the project cost fabulous amounts of money, for this reason the scrupulous Germans curtailed it.

They took something stolen, but it was theirs

The further history of the creation of the Soviet underground submarine becomes increasingly overgrown with conspiracy theories, as the documentary evidence for certain events is gradually lost. Probably in in this case These nuances can be attributed to the law of the genre. Or, if you prefer, on the secrecy of the topic as such.

However, it was the borrowed experience of foreign developments of “combat moles” in the Stalinist USSR that was taken as a basis. No one else remembered that it was founded by a Russian scientist. The topic was personally supervised by the Minister of State Security of the Soviet Union V. S. Abakumov. Apparently, the time has not yet come to find out about the details of the task that Viktor Semenovich personally gave to the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences Sergei Ivanovich Vavilov - these details are still hidden under the heading “top secret”.

The sinister secret of the Soviet combat Nautilus: it died while biting into the depths

It is alleged that the Soviet “Battle Mole” was nevertheless created. And the underground combat vehicle was endowed with unprecedented abilities: it was supposedly equipped with a nuclear power plant like a classic nuclear submarine. The technical characteristics of the Soviet mechanical “Tremors” are also described: 35 meters in length, 3 meters in diameter. All this was controlled by a five-man crew, the speed of the “Battle Mole” was 7 kilometers per hour.

The Soviet "Mole" could bite into the ground with 15 paratroopers on board, by 1962 everything was ready for "practical use." In 1964, a pilot copy of an underground submarine was created to the point of “going off the stocks.”

The conspiracy theory behind the creation of the “Battle Mole” is replete with details that currently have no scientific confirmation. In particular, Academician Andrei Sakharov is considered one of the founding fathers of the underground fighting machine.

There are descriptions of the practical use of the “Mole” (they date back to 1964), but this experience is more like the ending of a science fiction story than the result of a scientific experiment: supposedly at a depth of ten meters an underground boat exploded, and it was nuclear explosion. The people in the evaporated apparatus died.

... The mystery of the Soviet “Big Mole” is reminiscent of the Dyatlov Pass story. But if in the case of the story of the death of a group of Soviet climbers, if not all, then very many details of what happened are open to researchers today, then with the fate of the underground Soviet submarine there are still more ambiguities than any textural certainty on which it would be possible to build a reasonable version of the creation and testing of Soviet scientific and technical development.

There is no need to tell anyone anything about submarines. But few people know that, along with underwater ones, projects of underground combat vehicles were being developed. According to the inventors, the underground tank was buried in the ground, like a mole digging an underground tunnel and coming to the surface behind enemy lines in the very unexpected place. (website)

Underground warfare in ancient times

Also in ancient times Undermining was used during the siege of fortresses. Tunnels were dug under the city walls with the aim of collapsing them, and sometimes underground passages were dug all the way to the very center of the city. The procedure is effective, although it takes a long time. But in those days, sieges lasted 7-10 years, so there was no time ancient heroes there was plenty. Alexander the Great thus in 322 BC. took Gaza, Sulla in 86 BC. Athens, Pompey in 72 BC. Palencia.

With the invention of gunpowder, tactics changed slightly. An immeasurable charge of gunpowder was placed into a gallery dug under the fortress wall, it was exploded, and soldiers rushed into the resulting gap, destroying everyone who was still alive after the terrible explosion. This is exactly how Kazan was taken by Ivan the Terrible after a long siege.

First underground world

The First World War was marked by the transition to siege warfare. The enemy lines of fortifications became impregnable. Several rows of barbed wire delayed the attackers, and machine guns mowed down hundreds of them. Ground offensives resulted in huge losses and almost never led to a breakthrough of the enemy's defenses.

A return to the traditions of underground warfare in such a situation was quite natural. In 1916, the British organized 33 tunnel companies numbering 25 thousand people. Digging tunnels as a way to break into the enemy's defense line was used in both the Russian and German armies.

The troops now have wiretapping services, staffed by listening specialists to detect underground attacks by the enemy. In case of detection of enemy conduct underground works they dug a counter-gallery with the aim of capturing and blowing up the enemy tunnel. Serious battles took place underground: tons of dynamite were torn, soldiers fought hand-to-hand.

The appearance of the tank gave rise to the idea of ​​​​creating the same underground vehicle.

Subterranean von Wern

In 1933, an underground tunnel was patented in Germany by engineer von Wern. The machine was supposed to be used for mining, geological exploration, digging tunnels for city communications, etc. But of course, the military was the first to pay attention to it. Having no funds to implement the project, the Germans classified it and put it in the archive so that France and England would not get ahead of them.

In 1940, Vern met with Claus von Stauffenberg (the one who would plant a bomb under the now unloved Fuhrer in 1944), showed him his project, and he introduced it to the Wehrmacht leadership. To the German generals Those who were planning a landing in Britain in the near future (Operation Sea Lion) liked the idea of ​​​​attacking England from underground, and Werner was given considerable funds. According to the project, the Verna tank with a crew of 5 people, moving at a speed of 7 km/h, carried a warhead of 3400 kg.

However, Goering, caring about his beloved Luftwaffe, managed to convince Hitler that instead of dozens of underground tanks it was better to build the same number of bombers, and von Wern’s project was closed without even going beyond laboratory experiments.

Nazi "Midgard Serpent"

The project of engineer Ritten had a more successful fate. Independently from Verne, he developed his own version of the underground vehicle in 1934, calling it the “Midgard Serpent,” planning the vehicle primarily for the assault on the French Maginot Line. Ritten's project was striking in scale. The “Snake” was an entire 500m train consisting of compartments measuring 7m long, 6m wide and 3.5m high with a bedroom for 30 people, three repair shops, a radio station, a kitchen and a lifeboat for exiting to the surface.

The train was pulled at a speed of 3 to 10 km/h (depending on the nature of the soil) by the head car with 4 drilling rigs and 9 electric motors driving them. Another 14 engines powered the chassis. Plus 4 electric generators and a fuel tank of 960 cubic meters. Armament - one thousand 250 kg mines, one thousand 10 kg mines, underground torpedo “Fafnir” 6 m long. and 12 coaxial machine guns.

The Germans planned to build 20 of these underground cruisers, but everything came down to money. The production of one “Snake” required 30 million Reichsmarks. It is believed that the project remained on paper. However, former SS-Hauptsturmführer Walter Schulke claimed that the traction unit was built and tested in 1944 near Königsberg. The tests ended unsuccessfully, the “Snake” exploded and remained underground along with 11 crew members.

Made in England

Similar research and development work was carried out in England. At the end of the 30s, W. Churchill gave personal instructions to begin the development of underground tanks. It was planned to produce 200 cars by 1940. In secret documents the machines were referred to as “Excavators” and “Cultivators”. The British underground train consisted of 2 sections and moved at a speed of 8 km/h; total length 23.5m, width 2m, height 2.5m. By 1943, 5 cars were built, the last one survived until the early 50s.

Made in USSR

There were plenty of enthusiasts in Russia developing their own underground tunnel projects. Engineer Pyotr Rasskazov created his project back in 1904. In the 30s, engineer Treblev worked in this direction.

In 1945 the idea was returned to. Allegedly, the impetus was the remains of the “Midgard Serpent” found near Koenigsberg. Treblev's drawings were retrieved from the archive. In 1946, the single-seater vehicle built was tested in the Urals. At a speed of 10 m/h she passed through Mount Grace. However, the design did not prove to be reliable enough, and the project was closed.

Work resumed under Khrushchev. According to the plan of the Secretary General, who threatened to show the Americans “Kuzka’s mother,” the underground crawlers were supposed to crawl to the United States, plant and detonate nuclear charges under strategic objects, causing major earthquakes.

In 1964, the built “Battle Mole” was tested there in the Urals. A 35m long underground ship with a crew of 5 people carried 15 landing soldiers and 1 ton of explosives, speed – 7 km/h. During the second test, the car exploded, killing the crew. The work stalled, and Brezhnev, who replaced Khrushchev, stopped it completely.

Does the underground tunnel have a future?

Whether such machines are currently being developed is a mystery shrouded in darkness. Theoretically, this is quite possible. At one time, Academician Sakharov (yes, that same one) and Professor Pokrovsky were looking for methods to increase the speed of movement of the underground tunnel. They proved that in a cloud of hot particles a car can move underground at speeds of tens and even hundreds of km/h. So it’s too early to shelve the “Battle Mole” project.