Testing of nuclear weapons in the USSR. Atomic flame test

OPERATION "SNOWBALL" IN THE USSR.

50 years ago, the USSR carried out Operation Snowball.

The 50th anniversary was celebrated on September 14 tragic events at the Totsky training ground. What happened on September 14, 1954 in the Orenburg region, long years surrounded by a thick veil of secrecy.

At 9:33 a.m., an explosion of one of the most powerful nuclear bombs of that time thundered over the steppe. Next on the offensive - past forests burning in a nuclear fire, villages razed to the ground - the "eastern" troops rushed into the attack.

The planes, striking ground targets, crossed the stem of the nuclear mushroom. 10 km from the epicenter of the explosion, in radioactive dust, among molten sand, the “Westerners” held their defense. More shells and bombs were fired that day than during the storming of Berlin.

All participants in the exercises were required to sign a non-disclosure of state and military secrets for a period of 25 years. Dying from early heart attacks, strokes and cancer, they could not even tell their attending physicians about their exposure to radiation. Few participants in the Totsk exercises managed to survive to this day. Half a century later, they told Moskovsky Komsomolets about the events of 1954 in the Orenburg steppe.

Preparing for Operation Snowball

“The entire end of summer, military trains from all over the Union were coming to the small Totskoye station. None of those arriving - not even the command of the military units - had any idea why they were here. Our train was met at each station by women and children. Handing us sour cream and eggs, women they lamented: “Dear ones, you’re probably going to China to fight,” says Vladimir Bentsianov, chairman of the Committee of Veterans of Special Risk Units.

In the early 50s, they were seriously preparing for the Third World War. After tests carried out in the USA, the USSR also decided to test a nuclear bomb in open areas. The location of the exercises - in the Orenburg steppe - was chosen due to its similarity with the Western European landscape.

“At first, combined arms exercises with a real nuclear explosion were planned to be held at the Kapustin Yar missile range, but in the spring of 1954, the Totsky range was assessed, and it was recognized as the best in terms of safety conditions,” Lieutenant General Osin recalled at one time.

Participants in the Totsky exercises tell a different story. The field where it was planned to drop a nuclear bomb was clearly visible.

“For the exercises, the strongest guys from our departments were selected. We were given personal service weapons - modernized machines Kalashnikov, rapid-fire ten-shot automatic rifles and R-9 radios,” recalls Nikolai Pilshchikov.

The tent camp stretches for 42 kilometers. Representatives of 212 units arrived at the exercises - 45 thousand military personnel: 39 thousand soldiers, sergeants and foremen, 6 thousand officers, generals and marshals.

Preparations for the exercise, code-named “Snowball,” lasted three months. By the end of summer, the huge Battlefield was literally dotted with tens of thousands of kilometers of trenches, trenches and anti-tank ditches. We built hundreds of pillboxes, bunkers, and dugouts.

On the eve of the exercise, officers were shown a secret film about the action nuclear weapons. “For this purpose, a special cinema pavilion was built, into which people were admitted only with a list and an identity card in the presence of the regiment commander and a KGB representative. Then we heard: “You have a great honor - for the first time in the world to act in real conditions of using a nuclear bomb.” It became clear , for which we covered the trenches and dugouts with logs in several layers, carefully coating the protruding wooden parts with yellow clay. “They should not have caught fire from light radiation,” recalled Ivan Putivlsky.

“Residents of the villages of Bogdanovka and Fedorovka, which were 5-6 km from the epicenter of the explosion, were asked to temporarily evacuate 50 km from the site of the exercise. They were taken out by troops in an organized manner; they were allowed to take everything with them. The evacuated residents were paid daily allowances throughout the entire period of the exercise,” - says Nikolai Pilshchikov.

“Preparations for the exercises were carried out under artillery cannonade. Hundreds of planes bombed designated areas. A month before the start, every day a Tu-4 plane dropped a “blank” - a mock-up of a bomb weighing 250 kg - into the epicenter,” recalled exercise participant Putivlsky.

According to the recollections of Lieutenant Colonel Danilenko, in an old oak grove, surrounded by mixed forest, a white limestone cross measuring 100x100 m was made. The training pilots aimed at it. The deviation from the target should not exceed 500 meters. Troops were stationed all around.

Two crews trained: Major Kutyrchev and Captain Lyasnikov. Until the very last moment, the pilots did not know who would be the main one and who would be the backup. Kutyrchev’s crew, who already had flight testing experience, had an advantage atomic bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site.

To prevent damage from the shock wave, troops located at a distance of 5-7.5 km from the epicenter of the explosion were ordered to remain in shelters, and further 7.5 km - in trenches in a sitting or lying position.

On one of the hills, 15 km from the planned epicenter of the explosion, a government platform was built to observe the exercises, says Ivan Putivlsky. - The day before it was painted with oil paints green and white colors. Surveillance devices were installed on the podium. To the side of it from the railway station, an asphalt road was laid along the deep sands. The military traffic inspectorate did not allow any foreign vehicles onto this road."

“Three days before the start of the exercise, senior military leaders began to arrive at the field airfield in the Totsk area: Marshals of the Soviet Union Vasilevsky, Rokossovsky, Konev, Malinovsky,” recalls Pilshchikov. “Even the defense ministers of the people’s democracies, generals Marian Spychalsky, Ludwig Svoboda, Marshal Zhu-De and Peng-De-Hui. All of them were located in a government town pre-built in the area of ​​the camp. A day before the exercises, Khrushchev, Bulganin and the creator of nuclear weapons Kurchatov appeared in Totsk."

Marshal Zhukov was appointed head of the exercises. Around the epicenter of the explosion, indicated by a white cross, there was a Combat vehicles: tanks, planes, armored personnel carriers, to which “landing troops” were tied in trenches and on the ground: sheep, dogs, horses and calves.

From 8,000 meters, a Tu-4 bomber dropped a nuclear bomb on the test site

On the day of departure for the exercise, both Tu-4 crews prepared in full: nuclear bombs were suspended on each of the planes, the pilots simultaneously started the engines, and reported their readiness to complete the mission. Kutyrchev's crew received the command to take off, where Captain Kokorin was the bombardier, Romensky was the second pilot, and Babets was the navigator. The Tu-4 was accompanied by two MiG-17 fighters and an Il-28 bomber, which were supposed to conduct weather reconnaissance and filming, as well as guard the carrier in flight.

“On September 14, we were alerted at four o’clock in the morning. It was a clear and quiet morning,” says Ivan Putivlsky. “There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We were taken by car to the foot of the government podium. We sat tight in the ravine and took pictures. The first signal was through loudspeakers. government rostrum sounded 15 minutes before the nuclear explosion: “The ice has moved!” 10 minutes before the explosion we heard a second signal: “The ice is coming!” We, as we were instructed, ran out of the cars and rushed to pre-prepared shelters in the ravine on the side of the podium. We lay down on our stomachs, with our heads towards the explosion, as taught, with our eyes closed, our hands under our heads and our mouths open. The last, third signal sounded: “Lightning!” A hellish roar was heard in the distance. The clock stopped at the mark 9 hours 33 minutes."

The carrier aircraft dropped the atomic bomb from a height of 8 thousand meters on the second approach to the target. The power of the plutonium bomb under the code word "Tatyanka" was 40 kilotons. TNT equivalent- several times larger than the one that exploded over Hiroshima. According to the memoirs of Lieutenant General Osin, a similar bomb was previously tested at the Semipalatinsk test site in 1951. Totskaya "Tatyanka" exploded at an altitude of 350 m from the ground. The deviation from the intended epicenter was 280 m in the northwest direction.

At the last moment, the wind changed: it carried the radioactive cloud not to the deserted steppe, as expected, but straight to Orenburg and further, towards Krasnoyarsk.

5 minutes after the nuclear explosion, artillery preparation began, then a bomber strike was carried out. Guns and mortars of various calibers, Katyusha rockets, self-propelled artillery units, and tanks buried in the ground began to speak. The battalion commander told us later that the density of fire per kilometer of area was greater than during the capture of Berlin, recalls Casanov.

“During the explosion, despite the closed trenches and dugouts where we were, a bright light penetrated there; after a few seconds we heard a sound in the form of a sharp lightning discharge,” says Nikolai Pilshchikov. “After 3 hours, an attack signal was received. Airplanes striking strike on ground targets 21-22 minutes after the nuclear explosion, crossed the stem of a nuclear mushroom - the trunk of a radioactive cloud. I and my battalion in an armored personnel carrier followed 600 m from the epicenter of the explosion at a speed of 16-18 km/h. I saw it burned from root to top forest, crumpled columns of equipment, burnt animals." At the very epicenter - within a radius of 300 m - there was not a single hundred-year-old oak tree left, everything was burned... The equipment a kilometer from the explosion was pressed into the ground...

“We crossed the valley, one and a half kilometers from which the epicenter of the explosion was located, wearing gas masks,” recalls Casanov. “Out of the corner of our eyes we managed to notice how piston aircraft, cars and staff vehicles were burning, the remains of cows and sheep were lying everywhere. The ground resembled slag and some kind of monstrous whipped consistency.

The area after the explosion was difficult to recognize: the grass was smoking, scorched quails were running, bushes and copses had disappeared. Bare, smoking hills surrounded me. There was a solid black wall of smoke and dust, stench and burning. My throat was dry and sore, there was a ringing and noise in my ears... The Major General ordered me to measure the radiation level at the burning fire nearby with a dosimetric device. I ran up, opened the damper on the bottom of the device, and... the arrow went off scale. “Get in the car!” the general commanded, and we drove away from this place, which turned out to be close to the immediate epicenter of the explosion..."

Two days later - on September 17, 1954 - a TASS message was published in the Pravda newspaper: "In accordance with the plan for research and experimental work in last days The Soviet Union tested one of the types of atomic weapons. The purpose of the test was to study the effect atomic explosion. The testing obtained valuable results that will help Soviet scientists and engineers successfully solve problems of protection against atomic attack."

The troops completed their task: the country's nuclear shield was created.

Residents of the surrounding two-thirds of the burned villages dragged the new houses built for them log by log to the old - inhabited and already contaminated - places, collected radioactive grain in the fields, potatoes baked in the ground... And for a long time the old-timers of Bogdanovka, Fedorovka and the village of Sorochinskoye remembered strange glow from the wood. The woodpiles, made from trees charred in the area of ​​the explosion, glowed in the darkness with a greenish fire.

Mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, cows, horses and even insects that visited the “zone” were subjected to close examination... “After the exercises, we only went through radiation control,” recalls Nikolai Pilshchikov. “The experts paid much more attention to what was given to us in "the day of training with dry rations, wrapped in an almost two-centimeter layer of rubber... He was immediately taken away for examination. The next day, all soldiers and officers were transferred to a regular diet. The delicacies disappeared."

They were returning from the Totsky training ground, according to the memoirs of Stanislav Ivanovich Casanov, they were not in the freight train in which they arrived, but in a normal passenger carriage. Moreover, the train was allowed through without the slightest delay. Stations flew past: an empty platform, on which a lonely stationmaster stood and saluted. The reason was simple. On the same train, in a special carriage, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny was returning from training.

“In Moscow, at the Kazansky station, the marshal had a magnificent welcome,” recalls Kazanov. “Our cadets of the sergeant school received neither insignia, nor special certificates, nor awards... We also did not receive the gratitude that Minister of Defense Bulganin announced to us anywhere later. ".

The pilots who dropped a nuclear bomb were awarded a Pobeda car for successfully completing this task. At the debriefing of the exercises, crew commander Vasily Kutyrchev received the Order of Lenin and, ahead of schedule, the rank of colonel from the hands of Bulganin.

The results of combined arms exercises using nuclear weapons were classified as “top secret.”

Participants in the Totsk exercises were not given any documents; they appeared only in 1990, when they were equal in rights to Chernobyl survivors.

Of the 45 thousand military personnel who took part in the Totsk exercises, a little more than 2 thousand are now alive. Half of them are officially recognized as disabled people of the first and second groups, 74.5% have diseases of the cardiovascular system, including hypertension and cerebral atherosclerosis, another 20.5% have diseases of the digestive system, 4.5% have malignant neoplasms and blood diseases.

Ten years ago in Totsk - at the epicenter of the explosion - a memorial sign was erected: a stele with bells. Every September 14, they will ring in memory of all those affected by radiation at the Totsky, Semipalatinsk, Novozemelsky, Kapustin-Yarsky and Ladoga test sites.
Rest, O Lord, the souls of your departed servants...

The first nuclear explosion of the USSR was carried out on August 29, 1949, and the last nuclear explosion was carried out on October 24, 1990. Program nuclear tests USSR lasted between these dates 41 years 1 month 26 days. During this time, 715 nuclear explosions were carried out, both for peaceful purposes and for combat purposes.

The first nuclear explosion was carried out at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (SIP), and the last nuclear explosion of the USSR was carried out at the Novaya Zemlya Northern Test Site (SNPT). The names of the geographical areas of nuclear testing sites correspond to the period of existence of the USSR.

In 1950 and 1952 in the USSR there were breaks in nuclear testing due to the specifics of the initial stage of work on the program nuclear weapons. In 1959-1960 and until August 1, 1961, the USSR did not conduct nuclear tests, participating in a moratorium on nuclear testing together with the United States and Great Britain. In 1963 and until March 15, 1964, the USSR did not conduct nuclear tests in connection with the preparation of the 1963 treaty banning nuclear tests in three environments, and the transition to the implementation of an underground nuclear testing program. From August 1985 to February 1987, and from November 1989 to October 1990 and later, the USSR did not conduct nuclear tests, participating in moratoriums on their conduct.

All tests can be divided into stages:

1. stage from 08/29/49 to 11/03/58, which began with the testing of the first atomic bomb of the USSR and ended in connection with the announcement of the USSR (together with the USA) of the first moratorium on nuclear tests.
2. stage from 09/01/61 to 12/25/62, which began in connection with the USSR’s withdrawal from the first moratorium (due to the aggravation of the military-political situation, the impetus for which was the incident with the flight of a U-2 spy plane over the territory of the USSR in May 1961) and ended due to the USSR stopping atmospheric nuclear explosions.
3. stage from 03.15.64 to 12.25.75, which was started by the implementation of the USSR nuclear test program under the terms of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Tests in Three Environments (USSR, USA, Great Britain). Ended due to the USSR stopping nuclear explosions with energy release above the threshold value E = 150 kt in accordance with the entry into force of the 1974 Treaty. on the threshold limitation of nuclear test power.
4. stage from 01/15/76 to 07/25/85, which began with the implementation of the USSR nuclear testing program under the terms of the Treaty on Threshold Limitation of Nuclear Test Power and ended due to the unilateral announcement of a moratorium on nuclear testing by the USSR.
5. stage from 02.26.87 to 10.24.90 (with a break between 10.19.89 and 10.24.90) represents work under the conditions of the M.S. course. Gorbachev to stop nuclear testing of the USSR.

Stages I and II can be combined into one stage, conventionally called the period of atmospheric nuclear testing, and stages III, IV and V - into the second stage - the stage of underground nuclear testing of the USSR. The total energy release of nuclear tests in the USSR was Eo = 285.4 Mt, including during the period of “atmospheric nuclear tests” Eo = 247.2 Mt and during the period of “underground nuclear tests” Eo = 38 Mt.

It is of interest to compare these characteristics with similar characteristics US nuclear testing program . In the period 1945-1992. The US has conducted 1,056 nuclear tests and nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes (including 24 tests in Nevada jointly with the UK), which can also be divided into a number of stages:

1. stage from 07/16/45 to 05/14/48, which began with the test of the first US atomic bomb (Trinity) and ended due to internal circumstances;
2. stage from 01/27/51 to 10/30/58, which began with the first test at the Nevada Test Site and ended with the US entering into a joint moratorium with the USSR in 1958;
3. stage from 09/15/61 to 06/25/63, which began in connection with the US withdrawal from the moratorium due to the aggravation of the military-political situation and ended with the entry into the period determined by the Treaty on the Ban of Nuclear Tests in Three Environments;
4. stage from 08/12/63 to 08/26/76, which began under the terms of the Treaty on the Ban of Nuclear Tests in Three Environments, and ended in connection with the entry into force of the Treaty on Threshold Limitation of Nuclear Tests;
5. stage from 10/06/76 to the present, which began under the terms of the Treaty on Threshold Limitation of Nuclear Tests and is considered in these materials until September 1992.

Phases I, II, and III can be combined into a single phase called the atmospheric nuclear testing phase (although much of the US nuclear testing during this time was conducted underground), and phases IV and V can be combined into the underground nuclear testing phase.

The total energy release of US nuclear tests is estimated at Eo = 193 Mt, including during the period of “atmospheric nuclear tests” Eo = 154.65 Mt and during the period of “underground nuclear tests” Eo = 38.35 Mt.

From comparisons general characteristics Nuclear tests in the USSR and the USA show the following:

• The USSR conducted ~1.47 times fewer nuclear tests than the USA, and the total energy release of nuclear tests in the USSR was 1.47 times greater than the total energy release of US nuclear tests.
• during the period of atmospheric nuclear tests, the USSR conducted 1.5 times fewer nuclear tests than the United States, and the total nuclear test power in the USSR was 1.6 times greater than the total nuclear test power of the United States during this period;
• During the period of underground nuclear tests, the USSR conducted 1.46 times fewer nuclear tests than the United States, with approximately the same total energy release of nuclear tests in both countries.
• the maximum intensity of nuclear tests of the USSR during the “atmospheric period of nuclear tests” occurred in 1962 (79 tests); The maximum intensity of nuclear tests in this period by the United States also occurred in 1962 (98 tests). The maximum annual energy release from nuclear tests in the USSR occurred in 1962 (133.8 Mt), and in the USA in 1954 (48.2 Mt).
• in the period 1963-1976. The maximum intensity of nuclear tests of the USSR is 24 tests (1972), the USA - 56 tests (1968). The maximum annual energy release from nuclear tests in the USSR during this period was 8.17 Mt (1973), the USA - 4.85 Mt (1968,1971).
• in the period 1977-1992. The maximum intensity of nuclear tests of the USSR is 31 tests (1978, 1979), the USA - 21 tests (1978). The maximum annual energy release of nuclear tests in the USSR during this period was 1.41 Mt (1979), the USA - 0.57 Mt (1978, 1982).

From the given characteristics of the dynamics of nuclear testing, a number of conclusions can be drawn:

• The USSR entered each new stage of nuclear testing (1949, 1963) with a delay in the development of testing technology compared to the USA;
• in 1962, the gap between the USSR and the United States in the ability to carry out atmospheric explosions was eliminated; with a close total number of tests (79 tests by the USSR, 98 tests by the USA), the total energy release of nuclear explosions in the USSR exceeded the total energy release of nuclear explosions in the USA for that year by ~ 3.6 times;
• in 1964-1961 the number of nuclear tests of the USSR was ~ 3.7 times less than the number of nuclear tests conducted by the USA during these years, and the total energy release of nuclear explosions of the USSR was ~ 4.7 times lower than the total energy release of nuclear explosions of the USA. In 1971-1975 the average annual number of nuclear tests conducted by the USSR and the USA was already close (20.8 and 23.8 tests), and the total energy release of the USSR nuclear tests exceeded ~ 1.85 times this value for US nuclear tests;
• in the period 1977-1984. (before the moratorium policy of M.S. Gorbachev) the average annual number of nuclear tests of the USSR was 25.4 tests per year compared to 18.6 tests per year in the USA (that is, ~1.35 times higher); the average annual energy release of USSR nuclear tests during this period was 0.92 Mt/year compared to 0.46 Mt/year in the USA (that is, it was ~2 times higher).

Thus, we can talk about eliminating the backlog and realizing certain advantages in conducting nuclear tests of the USSR compared to the USA in 1962, 1971-1975, and 1977-1984. This success was prevented from being developed in 1963. Treaty banning nuclear tests in three environments, after 1975. - Treaty on Threshold Limitation of Nuclear Test Power after 1984. - politics M.S. Gorbachev.

When comparing the nuclear testing programs of the USSR and the USA, it is of interest to highlight nuclear testing for civilian purposes.

The US program of nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes (Plowshare program) was carried out in 1961 -1973. and totaled 27 experiments. In the USSR it was carried out during 1964-1988. a total of 124 industrial explosions and 32 nuclear tests in the interests of testing industrial charges.

Combined arms testing of nuclear weapons

"Those who despise danger,
who completed their military
duty in the name of defense
the power of the Motherland"
/inscription on the obelisk
at the epicenter of the Totsky explosion/

Total in Soviet army, it can be considered that two military exercises were carried out using nuclear weapons: on September 14, 1954 - at the Totsky artillery range in the Orenburg region and on September 10, 1956 - a nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site with the participation of military units. Eight similar exercises were conducted in the United States.

Totsk combined arms exercises using nuclear weapons

"Snowball" - the code name of the Totsk military exercises

TASS message:
"In accordance with the plan of research and experimental work, in recent days a test of one of the types of atomic weapons was carried out in the Soviet Union. The purpose of the test was to study the effect of an atomic explosion. During the test, valuable results were obtained that will help Soviet scientists and engineers successfully solve problems on protection against atomic attack"
Pravda newspaper, September 17, 1954.

Nuclear weapons, possessing enormous destructive force and specific damaging factors: shock in one, light radiation, penetrating radiation, radioactive contamination of the area required a revision of the existing methods of warfare, a revision of the structure of the country's economy and increasing its survivability, protecting the population on an unprecedented scale.

The military exercise with the use of atomic weapons on September 14, 1954 took place after the USSR government made a decision to begin training the country’s Armed Forces for actions in the conditions of the actual use of nuclear weapons by a potential enemy. Making such a decision had its own history. The first development of proposals on this issue at the level of the country's leading ministries dates back to the end of 1949. This was due not only to the successful first nuclear tests in the former Soviet Union, but also to the influence of American funds mass media, who fed our foreign intelligence with information that the US Armed Forces and Civil Defense were actively preparing for actions in the event of the use of nuclear weapons in the event of an armed conflict. The initiator of the preparation of proposals to conduct an exercise with the use of nuclear weapons was the Ministry of Defense of the USSR (at that time the Ministry of the Armed Forces) in agreement with the ministries of atomic energy (at that time the First Main Directorate under the Council of Ministers of the USSR), healthcare, chemical and radio engineering industries of the USSR. The direct developer of the first proposals was a special department General Staff Armed Forces of the USSR (V.A. Bolyatko, A.A. Osin, E.F. Lozovoy). The development of proposals was led by the Deputy Minister of Defense for Armaments, Marshal of Artillery N.D. Yakovlev.

The first submission of the proposal for the exercise was signed by Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky, B.L. Vannikov, E.I. Smirnov, P.M. Kruglov, other responsible persons and sent to the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N.A. Bulganin. Over four years (1949-1953), more than twenty ideas were developed, which were sent mainly to N.A. Bulganin, as well as L.M. Kaganovich, L.P. Beria, G.M. Malenkov and V.M. Molotov.

On September 29, 1953, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, which marked the beginning of the preparation of the Armed Forces and the country for actions in special conditions. At the same time, on the recommendation of V.A. Bolyatko, N.A. Bulganin approved for publication a list of guidance documents previously developed by the 6th Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, in particular the Handbook on Nuclear Weapons, a manual for officers " Combat properties Nuclear Weapons", Manual on Conducting Operations and Combat in Conditions of the Use of Nuclear Weapons, Manual on Anti-Nuclear Defense, Manual on the Protection of Cities. Manual on Medical Support, Manual on Radiation Reconnaissance, Manual on Decontamination and Sanitization and Memo to Soldiers, Sailors and the Population on protection against atomic weapons. On the personal instructions of N. Bulganin, within a month, all these documents were published by Military Publishing House and delivered to groups of forces, military districts, air defense districts and fleets. At the same time, a screening of special films on nuclear weapons testing.

The practical testing of new views on warfare began with the Totsky military exercises using a real atomic bomb created by scientists and designers of KB-11 (Arzamas-16).

In 1954 strategic aviation The United States had more than 700 atomic bombs in its arsenal. The United States conducted 45 nuclear tests, including 2 nuclear bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Surveys of the use of atomic weapons and protection against them have been widely tested not only at test sites, but also in military exercises of the US Army.

By this time, only 8 tests of atomic weapons had been carried out in the USSR. The results of the atomic bombing by US aircraft of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were studied. The nature and scale of the destructive effect of this formidable weapon were quite well known. This made it possible to develop the first instructions on the conduct of combat operations in conditions of the use of atomic weapons and methods of protecting troops from the damaging effects of atomic explosions. From the point of view of modern ideas, the recommendations contained in them are largely true today.

Under these conditions, it was extremely necessary, in the interests of improving the anti-nuclear protection of troops and checking the calculated standards for the destruction of equipment and weapons by atomic weapons, to conduct an exercise as close as possible to a combat situation. The implementation of such a plan was also dictated by the desire to keep up with the US Army in the training of the USSR Armed Forces.

To conduct the exercises, consolidated military units and formations were formed, collected from all regions of the country from all branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the armed forces, intended to subsequently pass on the experience gained to those who did not take part in these exercises.

To ensure safety in the event of an atomic explosion, a plan for ensuring safety in the event of an atomic explosion, instructions for ensuring the safety of troops during corps exercises, a memo to soldiers and sergeants on safety during exercises, and a memo to the local population were developed. The main measures to ensure safety in the event of an atomic explosion were developed based on the expected consequences of an atomic bomb explosion at an altitude of 350 m above the ground (air explosion) in the area of ​​195.1. In addition, special measures were envisaged to protect troops and the population from damage by radioactive substances in the event that an explosion occurs with large deviations from the specified conditions in range and altitude. All troop personnel were provided with gas masks, protective paper capes, protective stockings and gloves.

To carry out partial sanitization and decontamination, the troops had the required number of decontamination kits. Partial sanitization and decontamination were to be carried out directly in combat formations. Complete sanitization and decontamination were planned at washing and decontamination points.

In the initial position for the offensive and in the defense areas of the units, places for washing and decontamination points were equipped, and chemical defense units were ready to carry out decontamination work.

In order to exclude the possibility of damage to troops by light radiation, personnel were prohibited from looking in the direction of the explosion until the shock or sound wave passed, and the troops closest to the epicenter of the atomic explosion were given special dark films for gas masks to protect their eyes from damage by light radiation .

To prevent damage from the shock wave, the troops located closest (at a distance of 5-7.5 km) had to be in shelters, then 7.5 km - in open and covered trenches, in a sitting or lying position. Ensuring the safety of troops from damage by penetrating radiation was entrusted to the chemical troops. The standards for permissible contamination of personnel and military equipment were reduced by four times compared to the then acceptable levels in the troops.

To carry out measures to ensure the safety of the population, the training area within a radius of up to 50 km from the explosion site was divided into five zones: zone 1 (prohibited zone) - up to 8 km from the center of the explosion; zone 2 - from 8 to 12 km; zone 3 - from 12 to 15 km; zone 4 - from 15 to 50 km (in the sector 300-0-110 degrees) and zone 5, located north of the target along the combat course of the carrier aircraft in a strip 10 km wide and 20 km deep, over which the carrier aircraft flew with an open bomb bay.

Zone 1 was completely freed from the local population. Residents of populated areas, as well as livestock, fodder and all movable property were transported to other populated areas located no closer than 15 km from the center of the atomic explosion.

In zone 2, three hours before the atomic explosion, the population was withdrawn to natural shelters (ravines, gullies) located near populated areas; In 10 minutes, at a set signal, all residents had to lie face down on the ground. Public and private livestock were driven to safe areas in advance.

In zone 3, 1 hour before the explosion, the population was removed from their houses to their personal plots at a distance of 15-30 meters from buildings; 10 minutes before the explosion, at a signal, everyone lay down on the ground.

In zone 4, the population was protected only from possible severe radioactive contamination of the area along the path of the cloud, mainly in the event of a ground explosion. Two hours before the atomic explosion, the population of this zone was sheltered in their houses in readiness to evacuate in case of severe infection.

The population of Zone 5 was moved outside of it to safe areas 3 hours before the explosion. The cattle were driven away or sheltered in barns.

In total, about 45 thousand personnel, 600 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, 500 guns and mortars, 600 armored personnel carriers, 320 aircraft, 6 thousand tractors and cars were involved in the exercise.

The leadership of all military branches and naval forces, the command of all groups of troops, military districts, districts took part in the exercise air defense, fleets and flotillas. All defense ministers of countries friendly to us at that time were invited.

The training ground was chosen as the location for the exercise. ground forces, located in the interior of the country in the Orenburg region north of the village of Tonkoye in a sparsely populated area, characteristic in terms of relief and vegetation not only of the Southern Urals, but also of a number of regions of the European part of the USSR and other European countries.

A military exercise on the topic “Breakthrough the enemy’s prepared tactical defense using atomic weapons” was scheduled for the fall of 1954. The exercise used a 40 kt atomic bomb, tested at the Semipalatinsk test site in 1951. The leadership of the exercise was entrusted to Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov (at that time Deputy Minister of Defense). The leadership of the Ministry of Medium Engineering of the USSR, headed by V.A., took an active part in the preparation and during the exercise. Malyshev, as well as leading scientists - creators of nuclear weapons I.V. Kurchatov, K.I. Click et al.

The main task in the preparatory period was the combat coordination of troops and headquarters, as well as individual training of specialists in the branches of the military for action in conditions of the actual use of atomic weapons. The training of troops involved in the exercise was carried out according to special programs designed for 45 days. The teaching itself lasted one day. Various types of training and special activities were organized in areas similar to the training area. In all, without exception, the memories of the participants in the exercise note intensive combat training, training in protective equipment, engineering equipment of the area - in general, difficult army work, in which both the soldier and the marshal participated.

For the attacking side, the theme was set: “Breakthrough by a rifle corps of the enemy’s prepared tactical defense with the use of atomic weapons”; for the defending side - “Organization and conduct of defense in conditions of the use of atomic weapons.”

The general objectives of the exercise were as follows:

1. To study the impact of the explosion of a medium-caliber atomic bomb on an area of ​​​​prepared defense, as well as on weapons, military equipment, and animals. Establish the degree of protective properties of various engineering structures, terrain and vegetation cover from the effects of an atomic explosion.
2. Study and practically test under conditions of using an atomic bomb:
   • features of the organization of offensive and defensive actions of units and formations;
   • actions of advancing troops when breaking through defensive lines following atomic bombs;
   • actions of defending troops in the conditions of the use of atomic weapons by the attacking side, carrying out a counterattack following an atomic strike on the advancing enemy troops;
   • organization of anti-nuclear protection of troops in defense and offensive;
   • methods of command and control of troops in offensive and defensive;
   • logistical support of troops in combat conditions.
3. Study and demonstrate one of the possible options for preparing and conducting an offensive from a position of direct contact with the enemy, without withdrawing friendly troops from the first position during an atomic strike.
4. It was necessary to teach the army personnel - privates and commanders - how to practically act in the offensive and defensive in the front line when atomic weapons are used by one's own troops or the enemy. Let the troops feel “the breath and the whole picture of an atomic explosion.”

The exercise was planned to be carried out in two stages:

Stage I- breakthrough of the division's defense line (main line of defense);
Stage II- capturing on the move a strip of corps reserves (the second line of defense) and repelling a counterattack of a mechanized division.

The main attention during the exercise was paid to the actions of the attacking side, whose troops actually carried out atomic, artillery and aviation preparations for a breakthrough and overcame the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe atomic explosion.

Due to the fact that the exercise involved real atomic, artillery and aviation preparations for breaking through certain sections of the defense line, the defending troops occupying this zone were withdrawn to a safe distance in advance. Subsequently, these troops were used to hold the rear position and sections of the corps reserve strip.

The resistance of the defending units when the attackers broke through the first two positions of the division's defense line was played out by representatives of the leadership headquarters specially appointed for this purpose in military units.

The training area was a moderately rugged terrain, covered in forest in some areas and separated by wide valleys of small rivers.

The forests east of the Makhovka River greatly facilitated the camouflage of the battle formations of the first echelon regiments and the main artillery positions of the attackers, and the line of the Ananchikova, Bolshaya and Mezhvezhya mountains hid the defenders from ground observation battle formations corps and at the same time provided visibility of the enemy’s defense to a depth of 5-6 km from the front edge.

The open areas of terrain that existed in the offensive zones of regiments and divisions made it possible to conduct an offensive at a high pace; At the same time, forest lands in a number of areas made movement difficult, and after the atomic explosion, due to forest debris and fires, they could become very difficult to pass even for tanks.

The rugged terrain in the area targeted for the detonation of an atomic bomb provided a comprehensive test of the effects of an atomic explosion on engineering structures, military equipment and animals and made it possible to identify the influence of terrain and vegetation cover on the propagation of the shock wave, light radiation and penetrating radiation.

The location of populated areas in the exercise area made it possible in the event of an atomic explosion not to cause significant damage to the interests of the local population, to choose the flight route of the aircraft carrying the atomic bomb, bypassing large populated areas, and also ensured safety during the movement of the radioactive cloud in the eastern, northern and northwestern directions.

Until mid-September, clear, dry weather was forecast to remain in the exercise area. This ensured good cross-country ability for all types of transport, favorable conditions for engineering work and made it possible to drop an atomic bomb with visual aiming, which was defined as a prerequisite.

The troops for the exercise were withdrawn in specially developed states in relation to the organization adopted in 1954, and were provided with new weapons and military equipment, adopted to supply the army.

How the troops prepared for the upcoming exercise can be judged from the reporting documents. In the initial areas of troop deployment alone, more than 380 km of trenches were dug, more than 500 dugouts and other shelters were built.

The command decided to carry out bombing from a TU-4 aircraft. Two crews were allocated to participate in the exercises: Major Vasily Kutyrchev and Captain Konstantin Lyasnikov. The crew of Major V. Kutyrchev already had experience in flight tests of an atomic bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site. Preparations for the exercises were carried out in Akhtuba (near Volgograd, 850 km from the city of Totsky). Training bombing in Totskoye was carried out with 250 kg blank bombs. In training flights, bombing was carried out with a spread of only 50-60 meters at a flight altitude of ten kilometers. The average flight time in training flights for the crews of aircraft carrying the atomic bomb for this exercise was more than 100 hours. The command of the ground forces did not believe that bombing could be so accurate.

Until the very last moment, none of the crews knew who would be the main crew and who would be the backup. On the day of departure for the exercise, the two crews prepared in full, hanging an atomic bomb on each plane.

At the same time, they started the engines, reported their readiness to carry out the building, and waited for the command as to who would taxi for takeoff. The command came to the crew of V. Kutyrchev, where the bombardier was captain L. Kokorin, the second pilot was Romensky, the navigator was V. Babets. The plane was accompanied by two MIG-17 fighters and an IL-28 bomber.

It was clear to all participants in the exercise that such an exercise was forced, necessary measure. Its repetition was excluded, and it was necessary to prepare in such a way as to obtain the greatest benefit for the Armed Forces. And above all, in matters of combat use of military branches, ensuring anti-nuclear protection of personnel, additional assessment and demonstration to personnel of the impact of the damaging factors of an atomic explosion on equipment, weapons and engineering structures. For this purpose, samples of military equipment and weapons were displayed in the area of ​​the explosion, and fortifications. For scientific purposes, to study the effect of a shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation and radioactive contamination on living organisms and to evaluate the protective properties of engineering structures (trenches with overlap, reinforced dugouts, protected firing points, shelters for tanks and artillery pieces, etc.) various animals.

As can be seen from official sources, confirmed by the memories of direct participants in this exercise, the emphasis was placed on individual training of personnel and on the training of units as a whole. The personnel acted consciously, competently and proactively, which is noted in the memories of the participants and the assessments of the leaders of the exercise.

Especially big job was carried out to ensure the safety of troops. The most serious attention was paid to training the actions of personnel both at the time of the explosion and when overcoming areas that were supposedly contaminated with radioactive substances. In all areas where the impact of the damaging factors of an atomic explosion was expected, special warning signals were provided, according to which military personnel carried out protective actions immediately before the explosion and during the entire period of possible danger. Basic safety measures were developed based on the expected consequences of an aerial explosion of an atomic bomb.

The training documents confirm that the planned safety measures excluded the impact of the damaging factors of an atomic explosion on personnel in excess of the established permissible standards. They took into account elements of increased peacetime security requirements. In particular, the standards for permissible contamination of personnel and military equipment were reduced several times compared to the standards determined by the Manual on Anti-Nuclear Defense of Troops. Areas of terrain with radiation levels above 25 rad/hour for the period of the exercise were declared prohibited zones, marked with prohibitory signs, and troops were required to bypass them. Strict compliance with all stipulated rules and instructions did not allow any possibility of injury to personnel.

The start of practical safety measures was planned well in advance. A restricted area was established. The following detail is typical: shelters and shelters 5 km from the intended epicenter of the explosion were equipped as if they were located 300-800 meters from the epicenter of the atomic bomb explosion. This example once again confirms that engineering structures were built with a significant margin of safety.

Five days before the start of the exercises, all troops were withdrawn from the restricted area. Security was posted along the perimeter of the restricted area. From the moment of reception under guard and during the first three days after the explosion, access to it was made only through a checkpoint using special passes and tokens. The order of the exercise commander stated: “On the day of the exercise, from 5.00 to 9.00, the movement of single persons and vehicles is prohibited. Movement is allowed only as part of teams with responsible officers. From 9.00 to 11.00, all movement is prohibited. The withdrawal of troops outside the restricted zone will be completed by the end of September 9 and report to me in writing. All prepared shelters and shelters, as well as the readiness of communication means to receive and transmit signals, should be checked by special commissions and the results of the check documented in an act."

An analysis of official documents shows that the safety measures taken during the exercise allowed it to be carried out without gross violations and to prevent personnel from remaining in areas contaminated with radioactive substances for a long time.

Let's imagine the situation in the training area on the morning of September 14, 1954. According to the exercise plan, readiness reports have been received, final orders are being given, and communications are being checked. The troops occupied the original areas. A fragment of the situation in the area of ​​the atomic explosion is shown in the diagram. “Western” - defending - occupy areas at a distance of 10-12 km from the intended center of the target of the atomic explosion, "eastern" - attacking - beyond the river, 5 km eastern of the explosion area. For safety reasons, the leading units of the attackers were withdrawn from the first trench and placed in shelters and shelters in the second trench and in depth.

At 9:20 a.m., the exercise management heard the latest reports on the meteorological situation and made a decision to detonate an atomic bomb. The decision is recorded and approved. After which the plane crew is given an order via radio to drop the atomic bomb.

10 minutes before the atomic strike, upon the “atomic alarm” signal, the troops occupy shelters and shelters.

At 9 hours 34 minutes 48 seconds (local time) an airborne atomic explosion is carried out. The memories of the training participants objectively paint a picture of the explosion, and there is practically little that can be added here.

The materials of the exercise detail the actions of the troops and the radiation situation that existed in the exercise area after the atomic explosion. It was of exceptional practical and scientific value, and therefore great credit goes to the personnel who carried out various measurements and observations. However, even in this case, the security regime was not reduced.

According to the exercise plan, artillery preparation begins five minutes after the atomic explosion. At the end of the artillery preparation, bombing and air assault strikes are carried out.

In order to determine radiation levels and the direction of the epicenter of an atomic bomb explosion, after live firing, it was planned to use dosimetric patrols of neutral (independent) radiation reconnaissance. Patrols must arrive in the area of ​​the explosion 40 minutes after the explosion and begin conducting reconnaissance in designated sectors and marking the boundaries of contamination zones with warning signs: the actual radiation level in the area of ​​the epicenter of the explosion after 1 hour is indicated: a zone with a level of 25 r/hour, above 0.5 r/hour and 0.1 r/hour. The patrol personnel, measuring the level of radiation at the epicenter of the explosion, are located in a tank, the armor of which reduces the dose of penetrating radiation by 8-9 times.

At 10:10 a.m. the “Eastern” attack the positions of the mock enemy. The diagram shows the position of the troops of the parties at various times after the atomic explosion. By 11 o'clock the units board the personnel on the equipment and continue the offensive in pre-battle formations (columns). Reconnaissance units, together with military radiation reconnaissance, move ahead.

At about 12.00 on September 14, the advance detachment, overcoming fires and rubble, enters the area of ​​the atomic explosion. After 10-15 minutes, behind the advance detachment, units of the first echelon of the “eastern” move forward to the same area, but north and south of the epicenter of the explosion. Since the area of ​​contamination from an atomic explosion should already be marked with signs posted by neutral reconnaissance patrols, the units are aware of the radiation situation in the area of ​​the explosion.

During the exercise, in accordance with the plan, atomic explosions are simulated twice by detonating explosives. The main purpose of such a simulation was the need to train troops to operate in conditions of “radioactive contamination of the area.” After completing the objectives of the exercise, at 16:00 on September 14, the troops are given a clear signal. In accordance with the safety measures plan, after the completion of the exercise, personnel are checked, radiation monitoring of personnel and military equipment is carried out. In all units operating in the area of ​​the atomic explosion, at specially equipped points, sanitary treatment of personnel is carried out with the replacement of outer uniforms and decontamination of equipment.

Assessing the exercise conducted in 1954 from a modern perspective, one can clearly state its enormous importance for improving the practice of training troops for operations in the conditions of the use of atomic weapons and, in general, for strengthening the combat readiness and combat capability of the Soviet Armed Forces.

And, of course, retired major S.I. Pegaiov is right, emphasizing that “... the September exercise was that brick in the wall that stood in the way of a nuclear catastrophe” (“Red Star”, November 16, 1989).

Indeed, judging by the publications, the assessment of the role and place of training in the life of the army and the problems that have arisen due to the lack of official information concern many. Moreover, now these issues have become more acute than 35 years ago.

Answers to many questions of the exercise participants, including personal ones, can and should be given today. A specific example of this is the meeting of the head of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy, Army General A.D. Lizichev, with exercise participant V.Ya. Bentsianov, whose memoirs accumulated the problems of many who were affected by September 1954. During the conversation, issues were discussed questions raised in the publications of the memoirs of participants in the exercises, and the measures taken by the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Currently, hospitals of the Russian Ministry of Defense are instructed to check the health status of the training participants who contacted them and provide them with comprehensive assistance in treatment. In addition, the S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy is ready to accept them for a specialized examination.

The Totsky exercises with the use of an atomic bomb... There are many legends and fables about them, which still disturb hundreds of thousands of people, both in Russia and abroad. For some reason, the Japanese press and television are showing increased interest in them.

Semipalatinsk military exercises using atomic weapons

On September 10, 1956, a military exercise was held at the Semipalatinsk training ground on the topic “The use of tactical airborne assault following an atomic strike in order to maintain the affected area of ​​an atomic explosion until the approach of advancing troops from the front.” General management of the coordination of a nuclear explosion and the actions of troops was carried out by the deputy. USSR Minister of Defense for Special Weapons, Marshal of Artillery M. M. Nedelin. The timely execution of the explosion and nuclear technical support was entrusted to Colonel General V. A. Bolyatko. Managed parts Airborne troops Lieutenant General S. Rozhdestvensky.

The main objective of the exercise was to determine the time after the explosion when it would be possible to land an airborne assault force, as well as the minimum distance of the landing site from the epicenter of the airborne explosion of a nuclear bomb. In addition, this exercise contributed to the acquisition of skills to ensure a safe landing within the affected area of ​​a nuclear explosion.

In total, one and a half thousand military personnel were involved in the exercise. 272 people landed directly in the area of ​​the epicenter of the explosion: the second parachute battalion of the 345th regiment (minus one company), reinforced by a platoon of 57-mm guns of regimental artillery, six B-10 recoilless rifles, a platoon of 82-mm mortars and a chemical department of the regiment with means of conducting radiation and chemical reconnaissance. To deliver troops to the landing area. Located at the P-3 test site, a regiment of Mi-4 helicopters consisting of 27 combat vehicles was used.

For dosimetric support and control of the radiation situation, four dosimetrist officers were allocated and acted together as a landing force, one for each landing company, as well as a senior dosimetrist, who accompanied the lead vehicle of the regiment commander. The main task of dosimetrist officers was to exclude the possibility of landing helicopters and landing troops on terrain with radiation levels above 5 roentgens per hour and, in addition, to monitor the compliance of landing personnel with radiation safety requirements. Dosimetrist officers were required to report cases of violation of established safety rules to the commanders of the airborne units.

The initial area for landing was 23 km from the conventional front line and 36 km from the planned explosion of a nuclear bomb (site P-3 of the experimental field). The flight path for helicopters with military personnel and equipment on board was 3 km wide. The flight of the helicopter column with the landing force was to be carried out during a half-hour artillery preparation for the attack of the advancing troops. The enemy's defenses were marked by trenches and placed targets.

All landing personnel and helicopter crews were provided with personal protective equipment. Decontamination and the required number of dosimetric instruments. In order to prevent radioactive substances from entering the soldiers’ bodies, it was decided to parachute personnel without food or supplies. drinking water and smoking accessories.

Nuclear explosion aerial bomb, dropped from a Tu-16 aircraft that rose to a height of eight km, occurred 270 meters from the ground with a deviation of 80 meters from the aiming center. The TNT equivalent of the explosion was 38 kt.

25 minutes after the explosion, when the front of the shock wave passed and the explosion cloud reached maximum height, neutral radiation reconnaissance patrols left the starting line in cars and carried out reconnaissance of the explosion area. marked the landing line and radioed about the possibility of landing in the area of ​​the explosion. The landing line was designated at a distance of 650-1000 meters from the epicenter. Its length was 1300 meters. The level of radiation on the ground at the time of the landing ranged from 0.3 to 5 roentgens per hour.

The helicopters landed in the designated area 43 minutes after the nuclear explosion. The border of the landing area closest to the epicenter of the explosion was previously reconnoitered and marked by “neutral” radiation reconnaissance. (“Neutral” radiation reconnaissance consisted of 3 patrols on Mi-4 helicopters and 4 patrols on GAZ-69 vehicles. At the time of the nuclear explosion, the “neutral” radiation reconnaissance group, operating in vehicles, occupied an initial position 7 km from the center of the P-3 site in a civil defense shelter of the second category).

The almost complete absence of wind in the surface layer of the atmosphere led to stagnation of smoke from the fires and a cloud of dust caused by the explosion, which made it difficult to observe the landing site from the air. The landing of the helicopters led to the rise into the air large quantity dust, thereby creating difficult conditions for landing troops.

7 minutes after landing, the helicopters took off to proceed to the special processing point. 17 minutes after landing, the landing units reached the line, where they gained a foothold and repelled the enemy counterattack. 2 hours after the explosion, the exercise was called off, after which all landing personnel with weapons and military equipment were delivered for sanitization and decontamination.

At the Alamogordo test site in New Mexico. The atomic bomb test operation was codenamed Trinity. Planning for the operation began in the spring of 1944. The complex theory of nuclear reactions and doubts about the correctness of the design of the atomic bomb required verification before the first combat use. At the same time, the option of the bomb not working, an explosion without launch, was initially considered chain reaction or a low power explosion. To preserve at least part of the expensive plutonium and eliminate the threat of contamination of the area with this extremely toxic substance, the Americans ordered a large, durable steel container capable of withstanding the explosion of a conventional explosive.

A local resident near one of the abandoned mines where nuclear tests were carried out, Semipalatinsk, 1991
© ITAR-TASS/V. Pavlunin
International Day against Nuclear Tests: consequences of explosions

A sparsely populated area of ​​the United States was selected in advance for the test, and one of the conditions was the absence of Indians in it. This was not caused by racism or secrecy, but by the complex relationship between the leadership of the Manhattan Project (which developed nuclear weapons) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As a result, at the end of 1944, the Alamogordo area in New Mexico was chosen, which was under the jurisdiction of an air base, although the airfield itself was located away from it.

The nuclear bomb was installed on a 30-meter steel tower. This was done taking into account the intended use of nuclear warheads in aerial bombs. Also, the mid-air detonation maximized the impact of the explosion on the target. The bomb itself received the code name "Gadget", now widely used to designate electronic devices. Fissile materials, two plutonium hemispheres, were installed in the Gadget at the last moment.

How the explosion happened

The explosion, which marked the beginning of the nuclear era, thundered at 5:30 a.m. local time on July 16, 1945. At that time, no one could clearly predict what would happen in a nuclear explosion, and the night before, one of the physicists participating in the Manhattan Project, Enrico Fermi, even debated whether a nuclear bomb would set the Earth's atmosphere on fire, causing a man-made Apocalypse. Another physicist, Robert Oppenheimer, on the contrary, pessimistically estimated the force of the future explosion at only 300 tons of TNT. Estimates varied from “dummy” to 18 thousand tons. However, there were no more frightening consequences in the form of a set fire to the atmosphere. Everyone participating in the test noted the bright flash of the bomb explosion, which filled everything around with a blinding light. The blast wave far from the explosion point, on the contrary, somewhat disappointed the military. In fact, the force of the explosion was monstrous and the giant 150-ton Jumbo container was easily knocked over. Even far from the test site, residents were shaken by the terrifying force of the explosion.

Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima
© AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi
Media: Thousands of people ask Obama to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Associated with a weak blast wave is a unique method for measuring the force of an explosion. Fermi took pieces of paper and held them in his hand at a certain height, which he had measured in advance. When the shock wave arrived, he opened his fist and let the shock wave sweep away the pieces of paper from his palm. Having then measured the distance at which they flew away, the physicist hastily estimated the force of the explosion on a slide rule. It is usually claimed that Fermi's calculation coincided exactly with data obtained later based on the readings of complex instruments. However, the estimate coincided only against the background of the spread of preliminary assumptions from 300 tons to 18 thousand tons. The force of the explosion calculated from the instrument readings at the Trinity test was about 20 thousand tons. The United States received a terrifying weapon that was used both in political game, both already at the Potsdam Conference, and in two attacks on Japan on August 6 and 9, 1945.

Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The US initially planned to drop 9 atomic bombs, 3 in support of each landing operation on the Japanese islands, scheduled for late September 1945. The US military planned to detonate the bombs over rice fields or the sea. And in this case, a psychological effect would be achieved. But the government was adamant: bombs should be used against densely populated cities.

The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On August 6, two B-29 bombers appeared over the city. The alarm signal was given, but, seeing that there were few planes, everyone thought that this was not a major raid, but reconnaissance. When the bombers reached the city center, one of them dropped a small parachute, after which the planes flew away. Immediately after this, at 8:15 a.m., a deafening explosion was heard.

Among the smoke, dust and debris, wooden houses burst into flames one after another, and until the end of the day the city was engulfed in flames. And when the flames finally subsided, the whole city was nothing but ruins.

© TASS Photo Chronicle/Nikolai Moshkov
The first atomic bomb test in the Soviet Union. Dossier

The bomb destroyed 60 percent of the city. Of the 306,545 residents of Hiroshima, 176,987 people were affected by the explosion. 92,133 people were killed or missing, 9,428 people were seriously injured and 27,997 people were slightly injured. This information was published in February 1946 by the headquarters of the American occupation army in Japan. Various buildings within a radius of two kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion were completely destroyed.
People died or were severely burned within 8.6 kilometers, trees and grass were charred at a distance of up to 4 kilometers.

On August 8, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. It also caused great damage and resulted in numerous casualties. The explosion over Nagasaki affected an area of ​​approximately 110 square km, of which 22 were water surfaces and 84 were only partially inhabited. According to a report from Nagasaki Prefecture, "people and animals died almost instantly" at a distance of up to 1 km from the epicenter. Almost all houses within a 2 km radius were destroyed. The number of deaths by the end of 1945 ranged from 60 to 80 thousand people.

The first atomic bomb in the USSR

In the USSR, the first test of an atomic bomb - the RDS-1 product - was carried out on August 29, 1949 at the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan. RDS-1 was a drop-shaped aviation atomic bomb, weighing 4.6 tons, with a diameter of 1.5 m and a length of 3.7 m. Plutonium was used as a fissile material. The bomb was detonated at 7.00 local time (4.00 Moscow time) on a mounted metal lattice tower 37.5 m high, located in the center of an experimental field with a diameter of approximately 20 km. The power of the explosion was 20 kilotons of TNT.

Product RDS-1 (the documents indicated the decoding " jet engine"C") was created in design bureau No. 11 (now the Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics, RFNC-VNIIEF, Sarov), which was organized to create an atomic bomb in April 1946. The work on creating the bomb was led by Igor Kurchatov (scientific director of work on the atomic problem since 1943; organizer of the bomb test) and Yuliy Khariton (chief designer of KB-11 in 1946-1959).

© ITAR-TASS/Yuri Mashkov
Ministry of Defense: US atomic bomb tests are provocative

The first test of the Soviet atomic bomb destroyed the US nuclear monopoly. The Soviet Union became the second nuclear power in the world.
The report on the testing of nuclear weapons in the USSR was published by TASS on September 25, 1949. And on October 29, a closed resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On awards and bonuses for outstanding scientific discoveries and technical achievements in the use of atomic energy” was issued. For the development and testing of the first Soviet atomic bomb, six KB-11 workers were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor: Pavel Zernov (design bureau director), Yuli Khariton, Kirill Shchelkin, Yakov Zeldovich, Vladimir Alferov, Georgy Flerov. Deputy Chief Designer Nikolai Dukhov received the second Gold Star Hero of Socialist Labor. 29 employees of the bureau were awarded the Order of Lenin, 15 - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, 28 became laureates of the Stalin Prize.

The situation with nuclear weapons today

In total, 2062 tests of nuclear weapons have been carried out in the world, which are carried out by eight states. The United States accounts for 1,032 explosions (1945-1992). The United States of America is the only country to use these weapons. The USSR conducted 715 tests (1949-1990). The last explosion took place on October 24, 1990 at the Novaya Zemlya test site. In addition to the USA and the USSR, nuclear weapons were created and tested in Great Britain - 45 (1952-1991), France - 210 (1960-1996), China - 45 (1964-1996), India - 6 (1974, 1998), Pakistan - 6 (1998) and DPRK - 3 (2006, 2009, 2013).

© AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Lavrov: US nuclear weapons remain in Europe, capable of reaching Russian territory

In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) came into force. Currently, its participants are 188 countries. The document was not signed by India (in 1998 it introduced a unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests and agreed to put its nuclear facilities under the control of the IAEA) and Pakistan (in 1998, it introduced a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing). North Korea, having signed the treaty in 1985, withdrew from it in 2003.

In 1996, a universal cessation of nuclear testing was enshrined in the international Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). After that nuclear explosions carried out only by three countries - India, Pakistan and North Korea.

At the beginning of 1954, by a secret decision of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee and the order of the USSR Minister of Defense, Marshal N. Bulganin, it was decided to conduct secret corps exercises with the real use of atomic weapons at the Totsky training ground of the South Ural Military District. Leadership was entrusted to Marshal G.K. Zhukov. The exercises were entitled "Breakthrough of the enemy's prepared tactical defense with the use of nuclear weapons." But this is official, but the code name for the Totsk military exercises was peaceful and affectionate - “Snowball”. Preparation for the exercise lasted three months. By the end of summer, the huge battlefield was literally dotted with tens of thousands of kilometers of trenches, trenches and anti-tank ditches. We built hundreds of pillboxes, bunkers and dugouts.

Military formations of the Belarusian and South Ural military districts took part in the exercises. In June-July 1954, several divisions were transferred from the Brest area to the exercise area. Directly, judging by the documents, over 45,000 military personnel, 600 tanks and self-propelled guns took part in the exercises. artillery installations, 500 guns and Katyusha rocket launchers, 600 armored personnel carriers, over 6,000 various automotive equipment, communications and logistics equipment. Three Air Force divisions also took part in the exercises. A real atomic bomb was supposed to be dropped on a defense area codenamed “Banya” (with a mark of 195.1). Two days before the start of the exercises, N. Khrushchev, N. Bulganin and a group of scientists led by I. Kurchatov and Yu. Khariton came to the training ground. They carefully examined the built fortifications and gave advice to commanders on how to protect military personnel from an atomic explosion.

Five days before the atomic explosion, all troops were removed from the eight-kilometer restricted zone and took up their starting positions for attack and defense.

On the eve of the exercise, officers were shown a secret film about the operation of nuclear weapons. For this purpose, a special cinema pavilion was built, into which people were admitted only with a list and an identity card in the presence of the regiment commander and a KGB representative. Then they heard: “You have a great honor - for the first time in the world to act in real conditions of using a nuclear bomb.” In an old oak grove, surrounded by mixed forest, a lime cross measuring 100x100 m was made. The deviation from the target should not exceed 500 m. Troops were stationed all around.

On September 14, 1954, from 5 to 9 o'clock the movement of single vehicles and persons was prohibited. Movement was allowed only in teams led by an officer. From 9 to 11, all movement was prohibited altogether.

On Mount Medvezhya, 10.5 km from the intended epicenter of the explosion, sapper units built an observation post, which was a stationary observation tower the height of a three-story house. It featured large open loggias as viewing stands. Below there were open trenches and a concrete bunker with embrasures. There were closed shelters and three more observation points.

Early in the morning of September 14, the high military command, led by the First Deputy Minister of Defense and the head of the exercises, Marshal Zhukov, drove 40 ZIM vehicles from Totskoye-2 to the main observation point. As the carrier aircraft approached the target, Zhukov stepped out onto the open observation platform. He was followed by all the marshals, generals and invited observers. Then Marshals A. Vasilevsky, I. Konev, R. Malinovsky, I. Bagramyan, S. Budyonny, V. Sokolovsky, S. Timoshenko, K. Vershinin, P. Peresypkin, V. Kazakov and academicians Kurchatov and Khariton climbed the tower in the right wing of the viewing platform.

On the left are delegations of the armies of the Commonwealth countries, led by ministers of defense and marshals, including Marshal of Poland K. Rokossovsky, Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China Peng De-Hui, Minister of Defense of Albania Enver Hoxha.

The viewing platform was equipped with loudspeaker communications. Zhukov heard reports on the meteorological situation at the test site. The weather was clear, warm, and a moderate wind was blowing.

The Marshal decided to start the exercises... The order was given to the “Eastern” to break through the prepared defense of the “Western”, for which they would use a strategic aviation group of bomber and fighter aircraft, an artillery division and tanks. At 8 o'clock the first stage of the Vostochny's breakthrough and offensive began.

Over loudspeaker installations located throughout the exercise area, it was announced that the nuclear-powered TU-4 aircraft, carrying a bomb, had taken off from one of the airfields of the Volga Military District, located in the Saratov region. (Two crews were selected to participate in the exercises: Major Kutyrchev and Captain Lyasnikov. Until the very last moment, the pilots did not know who would be the main one and who would be the backup. Kutyrchev’s crew, who already had experience in flight testing an atomic bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site, had an advantage .)

On the day of departure for the exercise, both crews prepared in full: nuclear bombs were suspended on each of the planes, the pilots simultaneously started the engines, and reported their readiness to complete the mission. Kutyrchev's crew received the command to take off, where Captain Kokorin was the bombardier, Romensky was the second pilot, and Babets was the navigator.

10 minutes before the atomic strike, on the signal "Lightning" (atomic alarm), all troops located outside the restricted zone (8 km) took shelters and shelters or lay face down in trenches, communication passages, put on gas masks, closed their eyes, that is According to the memo, we took personal safety measures. Everyone present at the Bear Mountain observation post put on gas masks with dark protective films on the eyepieces.

At 9:20 a.m., the carrier aircraft, accompanied by two Il-28 bombers and three MiG-17 fighters, flew up to the territory of the Totsky training ground and made the first reconnaissance approach to the target.

Having made sure that all calculations based on earthly landmarks were correct, the commander, Major V. Kutorchev, brought the plane into the designated corridor in zone No. 5 and on the second approach set down on a combat course.

The crew commander reported to Zhukov: “I see the object!” Ukov gave the order on the radio: “Complete the task!” The answer was: “I’m covering it, I threw it away!”

So, at 9 hours 33 minutes, the crew of the carrier aircraft, at a speed of almost 900 km/h from an altitude of 8000 meters, dropped the Tatyanka atomic bomb (a beautiful name that became a symbol of death) weighing 5 tons, with a power of 50 kilotons. According to the memoirs of Lieutenant General Osin, a similar bomb was previously tested at the Semipalatinsk test site in 1951. After 45 seconds, at an altitude of 358 meters, an explosion occurred with a deviation of 280 meters from the planned epicenter in the square. By the way, in Japan, during the explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bombs with a yield of 21 and 16 kilotons were used, and the explosions were carried out at an altitude of 600 and 700 meters.

At the moment the thick steel shell of the bomb ruptured, a loud deafening sound (thunder) arose, then a blinding flash in the form of a large fireball. The resulting ultra-high pressure of several trillion atmospheres compressed the surrounding airspace, so a vacuum arose in the center of the ball. At the same time, an ultra-high temperature of 8 to 25 thousand degrees was formed with ultra-high one-time, all-penetrating radiation in the air, on the surface and in the ground.

The explosive in the bomb turned into plasma and scattered in different directions. Uprooted trees, earthen soil with living vegetation, dust and soot weighing several thousand tons rose from the surface of the earth into the resulting vacuum hole.

As a result, a nuclear mushroom stalk with a diameter of 2.5 - 3 km was formed. At this time, it became difficult for people and animals to breathe. At the same time, a high-power shock wave was formed at the center of the explosion. It hit the carrier aircraft and the accompanying aircraft. They were thrown up 50 - 60 meters, although they had already moved 10 kilometers away from the explosion site. The shock sound wave shook the surface of the earth within a radius of up to 70 kilometers, first in one direction and then in the other direction. The shaking of the earth within a radius of 20 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion was the same as during an earthquake of 6-9 points. At this time, the reaction continued in the center of the explosion at an altitude of 358 meters. First, a cumulus white-gray spinning cloud formed around the fiery one, which began to turn into a huge mushroom cap, growing like a giant monster. Uplifted trees three girths thick “floated” in it. The mushroom cap shimmered with multi-colored flowers and at an altitude of 1.5-3 km its diameter was 3-5 km. Then it turned white-gray, rose to 10 km and began to move east at a speed of 90 km/h. On the ground, within a radius of up to 3 km from the epicenter, a fire tornado arose, which caused severe fires within a radius of 11 km from the explosion. The radiation caused radioactive contamination of the air, land, water, experimental animals, equipment and, most importantly, people.

Zhukov and the observers were at the observation post at the time of the explosion. A bright flash burned everyone's faces. Then there were two powerful impacts: one from a bomb explosion, and the second reflected from the ground. The movement of the feather grass showed how the shock wave was going. Many had their caps torn off, but neither Zhukov nor Konev even looked back. Zhukov gazed intently at the course and consequences of the nuclear explosion.

5 minutes after the nuclear explosion, artillery preparation began, followed by a bomber strike. Guns and mortars of various calibers, Katyushas, ​​tanks, self-propelled guns began to speak. More shells and bombs were fired that day than during the storming of Berlin.

An hour after the explosion, which changed the landscape of the training ground beyond recognition, infantry in gas masks and armored vehicles walked through the epicenter. To protect against light radiation, the fighters were recommended to wear an extra set of underwear. That's all! Almost none of the test participants knew then what the dangers of radioactive contamination were. For reasons of secrecy, no checks or examinations of the military and the population were carried out. On the contrary, all participants in the exercises were required to sign a non-disclosure of state and military secrets for a period of 25 years.

The pilots who dropped a nuclear bomb were awarded a Pobeda car for successfully completing this task. At the debriefing of the exercises, crew commander Vasily Kutyrchev received the Order of Lenin and, ahead of schedule, the rank of colonel from the hands of Bulganin.

"...In accordance with the plan of research and experimental work, in recent days a test of one of the types of atomic weapons was carried out in the Soviet Union, the purpose of which was to study the effect of a nuclear explosion. The test obtained valuable results that will help Soviet scientists and engineers successfully solve problems on protection against atomic attack."

This TASS message was published in Pravda on September 17, 1954. Three days after military exercises with the first use of atomic weapons, held at the Totsky training ground in the Orenburg region. It was these teachings that were hidden behind this vague formulation.

And not a word about the fact that the tests, in fact, were carried out with the participation of soldiers and officers, civilians who, in essence, performed an unprecedented sacrificial feat in the name of the future of peace and life on earth. But then they themselves still knew about it.

Now it is difficult to judge how justified such sacrifices were, because many people subsequently died from radiation sickness. But one thing is obvious - they despised death, fear and saved the world from nuclear madness.

Nuclear (or atomic) weapons are explosive weapons based on an uncontrollable chain reaction of fission of heavy nuclei and thermonuclear fusion reactions. To carry out the fission chain reaction, either uranium-235 or plutonium-239, or, in some cases, uranium-233, is used. Refers to weapons of mass destruction along with biological and chemical ones. The power of a nuclear charge is measured in TNT equivalent, usually expressed in kilotons and megatons.

Nuclear weapons were first tested on July 16, 1945 in the United States at the Trinity test site near the city of Alamogordo (New Mexico). That same year, the United States used it in Japan during the bombing of the cities of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9.

In the USSR, the first test of an atomic bomb - the RDS-1 product - was carried out on August 29, 1949 at the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan. RDS-1 was a drop-shaped aviation atomic bomb, weighing 4.6 tons, with a diameter of 1.5 m and a length of 3.7 m. Plutonium was used as a fissile material. The bomb was detonated at 7.00 local time (4.00 Moscow time) on a mounted metal lattice tower 37.5 m high, located in the center of an experimental field with a diameter of approximately 20 km. The power of the explosion was 20 kilotons of TNT.

The RDS-1 product (the documents indicated the decoding of “jet engine “S”) was created in design bureau No. 11 (now the Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics, RFNC-VNIIEF, Sarov), which was organized for the creation of an atomic bomb in April 1946. The work on creating the bomb was led by Igor Kurchatov (scientific supervisor of work on the atomic problem since 1943; organizer of the bomb test) and Yuliy Khariton (chief designer of KB-11 in 1946-1959).

Research on atomic energy was carried out in Russia (later the USSR) back in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1932, a core group was formed at the Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology, headed by the director of the institute, Abram Ioffe, with the participation of Igor Kurchatov (deputy head of the group). In 1940, the Uranium Commission was created at the USSR Academy of Sciences, which in September of the same year approved the work program for the first Soviet uranium project. However, with the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, most research on the use of atomic energy in the USSR was curtailed or discontinued.

Research on the use of atomic energy resumed in 1942 after receiving intelligence information about the deployment by the Americans of work to create an atomic bomb (the “Manhattan Project”): on September 28, the State Defense Committee (GKO) issued an order “On the organization of work on uranium.”

On November 8, 1944, the State Defense Committee decided to create a large uranium mining enterprise in Central Asia on the basis of deposits in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In May 1945, the first enterprise in the USSR for the extraction and processing of uranium ores, Plant No. 6 (later Leninabad Mining and Metallurgical Plant), began operating in Tajikistan.

After the explosions of American atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, by decree of the State Defense Committee of August 20, 1945, a Special Committee was created under the State Defense Committee, headed by Lavrentiy Beria, to “manage all work on the use of intra-atomic energy of uranium,” including the production of an atomic bomb.

In accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated June 21, 1946, Khariton prepared a “tactical and technical specification for an atomic bomb,” which marked the beginning of full-scale work on the first domestic atomic charge.

In 1947, 170 km west of Semipalatinsk, “Object-905” was created for testing nuclear charges (in 1948 it was transformed into training ground No. 2 of the USSR Ministry of Defense, later it became known as Semipalatinsk; it was closed in August 1991). Construction of the test site was completed by August 1949 in time for bomb testing.

The first test of the Soviet atomic bomb destroyed the US nuclear monopoly. The Soviet Union became the second nuclear power in the world.

The report on the testing of nuclear weapons in the USSR was published by TASS on September 25, 1949. And on October 29, a closed resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On awards and bonuses for outstanding scientific discoveries and technical achievements in the use of atomic energy” was issued. For the development and testing of the first Soviet atomic bomb, six KB-11 workers were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor: Pavel Zernov (design bureau director), Yuli Khariton, Kirill Shchelkin, Yakov Zeldovich, Vladimir Alferov, Georgy Flerov. Deputy Chief Designer Nikolai Dukhov received the second Gold Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor. 29 employees of the bureau were awarded the Order of Lenin, 15 - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, 28 became laureates of the Stalin Prize.

Today, a model of the bomb (its body, the RDS-1 charge and the remote control with which the charge was detonated) is stored in the Museum of Nuclear Weapons of the RFNC-VNIIEF.

In 2009, the UN General Assembly declared August 29 as the International Day of Action against Nuclear Tests.

In total, 2062 tests of nuclear weapons have been carried out in the world, which are carried out by eight states. The United States accounts for 1,032 explosions (1945-1992). The United States of America is the only country to use these weapons. The USSR conducted 715 tests (1949-1990). The last explosion took place on October 24, 1990 at the Novaya Zemlya test site. In addition to the USA and the USSR, nuclear weapons were created and tested in Great Britain - 45 (1952-1991), France - 210 (1960-1996), China - 45 (1964-1996), India - 6 (1974, 1998), Pakistan - 6 (1998) and DPRK - 3 (2006, 2009, 2013).

In 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) came into force. Currently, its participants are 188 countries. The document was not signed by India (in 1998 it introduced a unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests and agreed to place its nuclear facilities under the control of the IAEA) and Pakistan (in 1998 it introduced a unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests). North Korea, having signed the treaty in 1985, withdrew from it in 2003.

In 1996, a universal cessation of nuclear testing was enshrined in the international Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). After that, only three countries carried out nuclear explosions - India, Pakistan and North Korea.