On the eve of World War II, the Soviet Union and Germany were actively developing new weapons - combat subterrins (underground boats) designed to strike at strategically important enemy targets literally from the ground.

The ideas of the underground war were not forgotten even after the victory over Germany, but until now, developments in this area are under a veil of secrecy. According to some reports, 50 years ago, a successful prototype of a new type of combat vehicle was created in the USSR.

Back in 1904, Russian inventor Pyotr Rasskazov published material in an English magazine about a self-propelled capsule that could move underground. Moreover, later his drawings surfaced in Germany. And the first underground self-propelled vehicle in the 1930s of the last century was created by Soviet engineer and designer A. Trebelev, who was assisted by A. Kirilov and A. Baskin.

The principle of operation of this underground boat was largely copied from the actions of a mole digging a hole. Before proceeding with the design of the subterrine, the designers carefully studied the biomechanics of the movements of the animal placed in a box of earth using X-rays.

Particular attention was paid to the work of the head and paws of the mole, and on the basis of the results obtained, its mechanical “double” was designed. Trebelev's capsule-shaped subterrine was propelled underground by a drill, an auger, and four stern jacks that pushed it like a mole's hind legs.

The machine could be controlled both from the inside and outside - from the surface of the earth using a cable. The underground boat also received power through the same cable. average speed the movement of the subterrane was 10 meters per hour.

But due to a number of shortcomings and frequent failures of the apparatus, the project was closed. According to one of the versions, the unreliability of the subterrine was already revealed during the first tests. According to another, just before the war, they still tried to finalize it on the initiative of the future People's Commissar of Arms of the USSR D. Ustinov.

According to the second version, at the beginning of 1940, the designer P. Strakhov, on the personal assignment of Ustinov, improved the Trebelev subterrine. Moreover, this project was originally created exclusively for military purposes, and the new underground boat was supposed to operate without communication with the surface.

A prototype was created in a year and a half. It was assumed that he would be able to work autonomously underground for several days. For this period, the subterrine was supplied with fuel, and the crew, consisting of one person, with oxygen, water and food. However, the war prevented the completion of the project. The fate of the prototype of Strakhov's underground boat is unknown.

Interest in underground boats was shown not only Soviet Union. Before the war, German designers also developed subterrins. In the 1930s, engineer von Wern (according to other sources - von Werner) filed a patent for an underwater-underground "amphibian" which was called Subterrine.

The device had the ability to move both in the water element and under the surface of the earth, and, according to von Vern's calculations, in the latter case, the subterrine could reach speeds of up to 7 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the Subterrine was designed to transport a crew and troops of five people and 300 kilograms of explosives.

In 1940, Germany seriously considered the von Wern project for use in military operations against Great Britain. In the plans of Operation Sea Lion, developed by Hitler, which provided for the landing of German troops on the British Isles, there was a place for von Wern's submarines.

His amphibians were supposed to swim unnoticed to the British shores and continue moving through English territory underground, in order to then deliver a surprise blow to the British defenses in the most unexpected area for the enemy.

The Subterrine project was destroyed by the arrogance of G. Goering, who led the Luftwaffe and expected to defeat the British in an air war without help from underground. As a result, von Vern's underground boat remained an unrealized idea, as did the fantasies of his famous namesake Jules Verne, who wrote the science fiction novel Journey to the Center of the Earth long before the appearance of underground boats.

Another even more grandiose project of the German designer named Ritter was named with a fair amount of pathos "Midgard Serpent" (Midgard Schlange) in honor of the mythical reptile - the world serpent encircling the entire inhabited earth.

This machine was supposed to move above and below ground, as well as on water and under water at a depth of up to one hundred meters. At the same time, it was assumed that the "Snake" would move underground at a speed of 2 km / h (in hard ground) to 10 km / h (in soft ground), 3 km / h - under water and 30 km / h - on the surface earth.

But most of all, the colossal dimensions of this gigantic machine are striking. Midgard Schlange was conceived as an underground train consisting of many caterpillar compartment cars. Each one is six meters long. The total length of the “serpentine” phalanx wagons connected together was from 400 meters, in the longest configuration - more than 500 meters.

The path of the "Snake" in the ground was punched by four one and a half meter drills. In addition, the car had three additional drilling kits, and its weight was 60,000 tons. To manage such a colossus, 12 pairs of rudders and 30 crew members were required.

The armament of the giant subterrin was also impressive: two thousand 250-kilogram and 10-kilogram mines, 12 coaxial machine guns and six-meter underground torpedoes. Initially, it was planned to use the Midgard Serpent to destroy fortifications and strategic objects in France and Belgium, as well as to undermine British ports.

But in the end, the underground colossus of the Reich did not take part in any of the military operations. There is no exact data on whether at least a prototype of the “Snake” was made or whether this idea, like Subterrine, remained only in paper incarnation.

It is known that the upcoming Soviet troops discovered mysterious adits near Koenigsberg, and nearby - a destroyed machine of unknown purpose. In addition, technical documentation describing German underground boats fell into the hands of scouts.

After the war, the subterrina project was attempted to be implemented by the head of SMERSH, V. Abakumov, who involved professors G. Babat and G. Pokrovsky to work with captured drawings and materials. But it was only in the 1960s, when N. Khrushchev came to power, that real progress was made in this area.

The new leader of the USSR liked the idea of ​​"getting the imperialists out of the ground." Moreover, he even announced these plans publicly. And, apparently, for such statements by that time there were already good reasons. In particular, it is known that a secret plant for the production of underground boats was built in Ukraine near the village of Gromovka.

In 1964, the first Soviet subterrine with a nuclear reactor was released, called the Battle Mole. Little is known about this development, however. The underground boat had an elongated titanium cylindrical hull with a pointed end and a powerful drill.

According to various sources, the size of the atomic subterrine ranged from 3 to almost 4 meters in diameter and from 25 to 35 meters in length. Underground speed - from 7 km/h to 15 km/h. In the crew Battle mole There were five people included. In addition, the car could carry up to 15 paratroopers and about a ton of cargo - explosives or weapons.

Such combat vehicles were supposed to destroy fortifications, underground bunkers, command posts and rocket launchers in mines. In addition, the "Battle Moles" were preparing for a special mission. According to the plan of the military command of the USSR, in the event of an aggravation of relations with the United States, the subterrins could be used for an underground strike against America.

With the help of submarines, it was planned to deliver the Battle Moles to the coastal waters of seismically unstable California, then drill into the United States and install underground nuclear charges in areas where American strategic facilities were located.

If atomic mines were set off, there would be powerful earthquakes and tsunamis, which could be attributed to ordinary natural disaster. According to some reports, the tests of the Soviet nuclear subterranean were carried out in different soils - in the Moscow region, Rostov region and in the Urals.

The test of the newest "wonder weapon" took place on the territory of the Sverdlovsk region, near the town of Kushva, in the area of ​​Mount Blagodat. The first Ural test was completed successfully. All test participants were amazed by the result of the first launch in the conditions of solid Ural soils - the underground boat passed at low speed through from one mountain slope to another.

However, during the second test, in the thickness of the rock of Mount Blagodat, an experimental machine with a nuclear reactor exploded for unknown reasons, the entire crew of the boat died due to the explosion, and the boat remained immured in the thickness of the rock. The fate of the boat's nuclear reactor remained unknown.

Mount Grace with a chapel on top, 1910

After the accident, the project was closed, and all data on testing the latest weapons were either destroyed or classified. There was no official confirmation of the tests and there is still no.

After the closure of the project, according to some reports, they tried to convert equipment and prototypes of installations for civilian needs and adapt combat vehicles for mining needs, for example, for the construction of a subway. But military technology required significant improvements before it could be used in a civilian environment.

As a result, it was decided not to spend money on the re-equipment of machines and their processing, but simply to eliminate everything. Thus was put an end to the history of the underground combat vehicle. Unfortunately, the Soviet designers failed to make the fairy tale come true.

Used materials from the article by Andrey Lyubushkin from the site

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 trials have been carried out in this area. After reading our article, you will learn a lot of interesting things about such an apparatus as an underground boat.

Underground boats in literature

It all started with a flight of fancy. In 1864, Jules Verne published a famous novel called Journey to the Center of the Earth. His heroes descended to the center of our planet through the mouth of a volcano. In 1883 Shuzi's Underground Fire was published. In it, the heroes, working with pickaxes, laid a mine to the earth's center. True, the book has already said that the core of the planet is hot. Alexei Tolstoy, the Russian writer, has had 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 people's thoughts of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. However, in the "Winners of the Subsoil" published in 1937, he reduced the problem of storming the earth's interior to the usual achievements of the USSR authorities. The design that the underground boat had in his book seemed to have been written off 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 few data, there were still reasons for them. The first engineer who allegedly created the drawings of the underground apparatus was Petr Rasskazov. This engineer was killed in 1918 by an agent who stole all his documentation from him. The Americans believe that the first developments were started by Thomas Edison. 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 solely 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 - now it's hard to say. However, it is known that in the Ural mines located under the test "floats" of the boat were carried out. Of course, the sample was experimental, rather a reduced copy than a full-fledged working apparatus. Apparently, it resembled later coal mining combines. The presence of flaws, a reliable engine, a slow penetration rate was natural for the first model. It was decided to curtail the work on the subway.

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". The authorities were again interested in the underground boat. P. I. Strakhov, a leading specialist 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 vehicle. He was instructed to develop an improved experimental model according to the surviving drawings.

War interrupts work

People, funds, necessary equipment were urgently allocated. The Russian underground boat had to be ready as soon as possible. However, the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, apparently, interrupted the work. Therefore, the state commission never adopted an experimental sample. He was destined for the fate of many other projects - the sample was sawn into metal. The country at that time needed more aircraft, tanks and submarines for defense. But Strakhov never returned to the underground boat. He was sent to build bunkers.

German submarines

Similar designs, of course, were also carried out in Germany. Any superweapon capable of bringing world domination to the Third Reich was necessary for leadership. AT Nazi Germany, according to information received after the end of the war, there were developments of underground military vehicles. The code name of the first of them is Subterrine (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 a Ritter project.

After the completion of the organs Soviet power adits were found not far from Koenigsberg of unknown origin, next to which were the remains of a blown-up structure. It has been suggested that these are the remains of the Midgard Serpent.

No less remarkable 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. On board could be 5 people, 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 archive.

Probably no one would have remembered him if the war had not started. Count von Staufenberg, who oversaw military projects, pulled it out of the archive. He suggested that Hitler use a submarine to invade the British Isles. She had to quietly cross the English Channel and secretly go underground to the right place.

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

Exploring 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 among themselves for the possession of German military secrets. Among some other developments, the German project of an underground boat called "Sea Lion" fell into the hands of Abakumov, a SMERSH general. The group, led by professors G. I. Pokrovsky and G. I. Babata, began to study the capabilities of this apparatus. As a result of the research, the following verdict was issued - the underground vehicle can be used by the Russians for military purposes.

Designed by M. Tsiferov

Engineer M. Tsiferov created his own underground projectile at the same time (in 1948). He was even given a USSR copyright 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

Meanwhile, Khrushchev came to power in the USSR. In the beginning of the Cold War, their own trump cards, military and political, were needed. The engineers and scientists who were confronted with this problem came up with a solution that took the underground boat project to a new level of development. It was supposed to be done with the type of the first submarines that had a nuclear reactor. In a short time for pilot production, it was necessary to build another secret plant. By order of Khrushchev, in early 1962, construction began near the village of Gromovka (Ukraine). Khrushchev soon announced publicly that the imperialists should be obtained not only from space, but also from underground.

Development of the "Battle Mole"

After 2 years, the plant produced the first underground boat of the USSR. She had a nuclear reactor. The underground nuclear boat was named "Battle Mole". The design had a titanium body. The stern and bow were pointed. The underground boat "Battle Mole" in diameter reached 3.8 m, and its length was 35 meters. The crew consisted of five people. In addition, the underground boat "Battle Mole" was able to take on board a ton of explosives, as well as another 15 paratroopers. "Battle Mole" allowed the boat to reach speeds of up to 7 m / h.

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

The combat mission that was assigned to her was the destruction of missile silos and underground command bunkers of the enemy. The General Staff planned to deliver such "subs" to the United States using nuclear submarines specially designed for this. California was chosen as the destination, where high seismic activity was observed due to frequent earthquakes. She could mask the movement of the Russian subway. The 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 the usual 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 subway showed good results. He managed to overcome the heterogeneous ground, as well as destroy the underground command bunker, which belonged to conditional adversary. Several times the prototype was demonstrated to members of government commissions in the Rostov region, in the Urals and in Nakhabino near Moscow. After that began mysterious events. During scheduled tests, the nuclear-powered ship allegedly exploded in Ural mountains. The crew, led by Colonel Semyon Budnikov, died heroically (it is possible that this is a fictitious name). The reason for this is an allegedly sudden breakdown, as a result of which the "mole" was crushed by rocks. According to other versions, there was a sabotage by foreign intelligence services or even the device got into the 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. The economy of the Soviet Union was bursting at the seams. Therefore, this project, like many other developments, such as the Soviet ekranolet flying over the Caspian in the 60-70s, was abandoned. in the ideological war could compete with the United States, but noticeably lost in the arms race. I had to save money on literally everything. This was felt by the common people and Brezhnev understood. The existence of the state was put on the line, so the advanced bold projects that did not promise quick superiority were classified and curtailed for a long time.

Is work ongoing?

In 1976, information about the underground nuclear fleet of the Soviet Union was leaked to the press. This was done for the purpose of military-political disinformation. The Americans fell for this bait and set about building such devices. It is difficult to say whether the development of such machines is currently underway in the West and in the USA. Does anyone need an underground boat today? The photos above and also 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 modern world? Perhaps, right now, underground boats are plowing the earth somewhere. No one is going to advertise the secret developments of Russia, as, indeed, of other countries.

On the eve of World War II, the USSR and Germany were actively developing new weapons - combat subterrins (underground boats) designed to strike at strategically important enemy targets literally from the ground. The ideas of the underground war were not forgotten even after the victory over Germany, but until now, developments in this area are under a veil of secrecy.

Trebel's capsule

Back in 1904, Russian inventor Pyotr Rasskazov published material in an English magazine about a self-propelled capsule that could move underground. Moreover, later his drawings surfaced in Germany. And the first underground self-propelled vehicle in the 30s of the last century was created by the Soviet engineer and designer A. Trebelev, who was assisted by A. Kirilov and A. Baskin.

It is curious that the principle of operation of this underground boat was largely copied from the actions of a mole digging a hole. Before proceeding with the design of the subterrine, the designers carefully studied the biomechanics of the movements of the animal placed in a box of earth using X-rays. Particular attention was paid to the work of the head and paws of the mole. And already on the basis of the results obtained, its mechanical "double" was designed.

Trebelev's capsule-shaped subterrine was propelled underground by a drill, an auger, and four stern jacks that pushed it like a mole's hind legs. The machine could be controlled both from the inside and outside - from the surface of the earth, using a cable. The underground boat also received power through the same cable. The average speed of the subterrane was 10 meters per hour. But due to a number of shortcomings and frequent failures of the apparatus, the project was closed.

According to one of the versions, the unreliability of the subterrine was already revealed during the first tests. According to another, just before the war, they still tried to finalize it on the initiative of the future People's Commissar of Arms of the USSR D. Ustinov. According to the second version, at the beginning of 1940, the designer P. Strakhov, on the personal assignment of Ustinov, improved the Trebelev subterrine. Moreover, this project was originally created exclusively for military purposes, and the new underground boat was supposed to operate without communication with the surface. A prototype was created in a year and a half. It was assumed that he would be able to work autonomously underground for several days. For this period, the subterrine was supplied with fuel, and the crew, consisting of one person, with oxygen, water and food. However, the war prevented the completion of the project. The fate of the prototype of Strakhov's underground boat is unknown.

Subterrines of the Reich

Interest in underground boats was shown not only by the Soviet Union. Before the war, German designers also developed subterrins. In the 1930s, engineer von Wern (according to other sources - von Werner) filed a patent for an underwater-underground "amphibian" which was called Subterrine. The device had the ability to move both in the water element and under the surface of the earth, and, according to von Vern's calculations, in the latter case, the subterrine could reach speeds of up to 7 km / h. At the same time, the Subterrine was designed to transport a crew and troops of five people and 300 kilograms of explosives.

In 1940, Germany seriously considered the von Wern project for use in military operations against Great Britain. In the plans of Operation Sea Lion, developed by Hitler, which provided for the landing of German troops on the British Isles, there was a place for von Wern's submarines. His amphibians were supposed to swim unnoticed to the British shores and continue moving through English territory underground, in order to then deliver a surprise blow to the British defenses in the most unexpected area for the enemy.

According to some reports, by the way, a certain R. Trebeletsky had a hand in the work on the von Wern project. Moreover, there is an unconfirmed version that in fact it was the same Trebelev who developed the first underground boat in the USSR and either visited Germany and met with von Wern, or escaped from the Soviet Union with the help of the Abwehr.

The Subterrine project was destroyed by the arrogance of G. Goering, who led the Luftwaffe and expected to defeat the British in an air war without help from underground. As a result, von Vern's underground boat remained an unrealized idea, as did the fantasies of his famous namesake Jules Verne, who wrote the science fiction novel Journey to the Center of the Earth long before the appearance of underground boats.

Another even more grandiose project of a German designer named Ritter was named with a fair amount of pathos Midgard Schlange ("Midgard Serpent") - in honor of the mythical reptile - the world serpent encircling the entire inhabited earth. This machine was supposed to move above and below ground, as well as on water and under water at a depth of up to one hundred meters. At the same time, it was assumed that the "Snake" would move underground at a speed of 2 km / h (in hard ground) to 10 km / h (in soft ground), 3 km / h - under water and 30 km / h - on the surface earth.

But most of all, the colossal dimensions of this gigantic machine are striking. Midgard Schlange was conceived as an underground train consisting of many caterpillar compartment cars. Each one is six meters long. The total length of the "serpentine" phalanx wagons connected together was from 400 meters. In the longest configuration - more than 500 meters. The path of the "Snake" in the ground was punched by four one and a half meter drills. In addition, the car had three additional drilling kits, and its weight was 60,000 tons. To manage such a colossus, 12 pairs of rudders and 30 crew members were required. The armament of the giant subterrin was also impressive: two thousand 250-kilogram and 10-kilogram mines, 12 coaxial machine guns and six-meter underground torpedoes.

It was originally planned to use the Midgard Serpent to destroy fortifications and strategic facilities in France and Belgium, as well as to undermine British ports. But in the end, the underground colossus of the Reich did not take part in any of the military operations. There is no exact data on whether at least a prototype of the "Snake" was made or whether this idea, like the Subterrine, remained only in paper incarnation. But it is known that the advancing Soviet troops discovered mysterious adits near Koenigsberg, and nearby - a destroyed machine of unknown purpose. In addition, technical documentation describing German underground boats fell into the hands of scouts.

"War Mole"

After the war, the subterrina project was attempted to be implemented by the head of SMERSH, V. Abakumov, who involved professors G. Babat and G. Pokrovsky to work with captured drawings and materials. But it was only in the 1960s, when N. Khrushchev came to power, that real progress was made in this area. The new leader of the USSR liked the idea of ​​"getting the imperialists out of the ground." Moreover, he even announced these plans publicly. And, apparently, for such statements by that time there were already good reasons.

In particular, it is known that a secret plant for the production of underground boats was built in Ukraine. And in 1964, the first Soviet subterrin with a nuclear reactor, called the "Battle Mole", was released. Little is known about this development, however. The underground boat had an elongated titanium cylindrical hull with a pointed end and a powerful drill. According to various sources, the size of the atomic subterrine ranged from 3 to almost 4 meters in diameter and from 25 to 35 meters in length. Underground speed - from 7 km/h to 15 km/h.

The crew of the "Battle Mole" consisted of five people. In addition, the car could carry up to 15 paratroopers and about a ton of cargo - explosives or weapons. Such combat vehicles were supposed to destroy fortifications, underground bunkers, command posts and rocket launchers in mines. In addition, the "Battle Moles" were preparing for a special mission.

According to the plan of the military command of the USSR, in the event of an aggravation of relations with the United States, the subterrins could be used for an underground strike against America. With the help of submarines, it was planned to deliver the Battle Moles to the coastal waters of seismically unstable California, then drill into the United States and install underground nuclear charges in areas where American strategic facilities were located. In the case of bringing atomic mines into action, powerful earthquakes and tsunamis would arise in the region, which could be attributed to an ordinary natural disaster.

According to some reports, the tests of the Soviet atomic subterrane were carried out in different soils - in the Moscow region, the Rostov region and in the Urals. And most of all, the witnesses were struck by the capabilities of the underground boat, which she demonstrated in the Ural mountains. The "War Mole" easily bit into the hard rock and destroyed the underground target. However, a tragedy occurred during the repeated tests: the car exploded in the Urals for some unknown reason. The crew died. Shortly thereafter, the project was closed.

All this, of course, is fiction. However, in the 20th century, several countries at once, including the USSR and Germany, developed underground boats. The prototype for them was the so-called tunneling shield. For the first time, a tunneling shield was used in Great Britain during the construction of a tunnel under the Thames back in 1825. With his help, most of the metro tunnels in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities were built.

In Russia, they thought about creating an underground boat at the beginning of the 20th century. So, in 1904, engineer Peter Rasskazov sent an article to a British technical journal in which he spoke about the possibility of creating a special capsule capable of overcoming long distances underground. But in the same year, during unrest in Moscow, the scientist was killed by a stray bullet. The creation of an underground boat is also attributed to another Russian scientist, Evgeny Tolkalinsky. As an engineer-colonel Imperial army, he was able to escape from the country through the Gulf of Finland in the winter of 1918. He made a career in one of the Swedish firms, improving the tunneling shield familiar to us.

Alexander Trebelevsky

But this project was taken seriously only in the 1930s. Engineer Alexander Trebelevsky (in some sources, Trebelev, - ed. 24smi.org) literally lived with the idea of ​​​​creating an "underground vehicle", to which he gave the name "subterrine". The inventor was so obsessed with this idea that he even named his only daughter Subterrina. At the same time, Trebelevsky did not even think about using the underground boat for military purposes. He believed that his "subterrine" would be used for exploration, digging tunnels for utilities and for mining. For example, an underground boat could make its way to underground oil reserves by extending a pipeline to them, which could pump "black gold" to the surface. At the same time, Trebelevsky wanted his device to be able to move freely both underground and under water. Even today, such an invention seems fantastic.

Underground boat Trebelevsky
Photo: zhurnalko.net
Initially, Trebelevsky intended to create a so-called thermal supercircuit - a device that, if necessary, could heat the outer shell of an underground boat and burn through solid ground. That is, the "subterrine" could enter the ground like a knife through butter.

Later, he drew attention to the fact that with an increase in the speed of cutting the soil, the cutting pressure decreases, which made it possible to significantly reduce the power required to operate an underground boat. In collaboration with designers A. Baskin and A. Kirillov, Trebelevsky invented a design, the principle of operation of which was borrowed from an ordinary underground mole. Scientists have long studied the work of moles in a special box, illuminated by an X-ray machine. Research by Kirillov, Baskin, and Trebelevsky showed that animals dig the ground by rotating their paws and head, and then push their body through with their hind legs. At the same time, all the earth drilled in this way was pushed by them into the walls of the resulting hole.

It was on this principle that the underground boat was designed. In front of it was a powerful drill, in the middle were installed special augers that pressed the rock into the walls of the wells, and behind were four powerful jacks pushing the device forward. When the drill rotated at a speed of 300 rpm, the underground boat covered a distance of 10 meters in an hour.

Horner von Wern

But let's leave Trebelevsky for a while and move on to Germany. Here in 1933, shortly before the Nazis came to power, Horner von Wern filed an application with the Patent Committee, in which he described a device capable of moving underground and carrying a crew of several people. But at that time, the new regime, already preoccupied with the pressing problems of the country, did not bother with the engineer, but von Wern nevertheless received a patent for his invention, which, however, was safely forgotten for the time being.

Von Wern underground boat
Photo: film "Underground Cruiser"
The German engineer and his invention were remembered only during the Second World War. Germany was in full swing preparing for Operation Sea Lion, the purpose of which was to invade Great Britain. It was then that von Wern's underground boat project caught the eye of Claus von Staufenberg. The Germans planned to use massive bombardments against Great Britain and wear down the enemy with constant sorties to the rear. It was for the latter that underground boats were the best suited, capable of quietly penetrating the rear of the British with a supply of explosives.

Von Wern was given the task of inventing a ready-made device capable of moving underground at a speed of 7 km / h and carrying a crew of 5 people on board, as well as 300 kilograms of explosives. However, the project was curtailed at the experimental stage. Hitler was convinced that the creation of an underground boat was a hopeless business, so the Fuhrer decided to rely on air strikes. This decision of Hitler offended Klaus von Staufenberg, who, we recall, in 1944 organized an unsuccessful attempt on the Fuhrer, for which he was shot.

Again Trebelevsky

Underground boat illustration
Photo: 4bb.ru
This is where the German story of the underground boat ends. Autumn 1944 Soviet intelligence officers were able to capture the blueprints for the underground boat, and in 1945 they decided to systematize all the information about this project. It was then that the name of Alexander Trebelevsky surfaced, who in 1933 was arrested by the NKVD for having visited Germany two years before his arrest, where he met with a certain engineer and brought drawings from there. As it turned out, Trebelevsky borrowed the idea of ​​an underground boat from Horner von Wern and tried to bring it to mind, which, as it was written above, he succeeded brilliantly. But this became clear only in 1945 in Moscow, when, as a result of an examination, it was determined that Trebelevsky's drawings almost completely coincided with von Vern's drawings.

In the USSR, work began on the creation of an underground boat. On May 18, 1949, the Minister of State Security of the USSR Viktor Abakumov demanded that the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Sergei Vavilov, put at his disposal a group of scientists who would develop an underground boat. It was a matter of time to create an experimental model according to the drawings found in the archives. However, as ten years ago in Germany, this project was curtailed, but now in favor of the development of nuclear weapons.

"War Mole"

Underground boat "Battle mole"
Photo: topwar.ru
The engineer Trebelevsky and his drawings will be remembered only in the 1960s. Nikita Khrushchev, who headed the country after Stalin's death, quickly became interested in the possibility of creating an underground boat. In 1962, residents of the town of Gromovka, on the western coast of Crimea, were evicted from their homes in 24 hours, providing good compensation and apartments in neighboring Chernomorsk. A plant for the production of underground boats was to be built on the site of the Crimean village. During the period " cold war"The creation of such a weapon seemed more than promising, and Nikita Sergeevich's promise to" get the imperialists out of the ground "looked in this light much more realistic.

The plant in the Crimea was built in a record two years. The first experimental sample of the underground boat was assembled by the spring of 1964, which was a titanium cylinder with a diameter of 3 meters and a length of 25 meters, with a pointed bow and stern. "Subterrina" was controlled by a crew of five and could carry a ton of weapons and 15 fighters. The speed of its movement underground was 15 km / h. Not as much as we would like, but nuclear submarines could well deliver underground boats to the shores of the United States.

Underground boat testing and project closure

The first tests of the "subterrine" took place in the fall of 1964 in the Ural Mountains. The underground boat was named "Battle Mole". During the exercises, the device, powered by a nuclear engine, penetrated the ground at a walking pace, traveled about 15 kilometers and destroyed the enemy’s conditional underground bunker. Even experienced military and scientists were amazed by the results of the test. They decided to repeat the experiment, but the battle mole unexpectedly exploded underground, killing all the people on board. What caused the explosion is not known for certain, because all the materials on this incident are still classified as "Top Secret". Most likely, the atomic engine of the installation exploded.

Shortly after the emergency in the Ural Mountains, the decision to continue using the underground boat was postponed. At the helm of the USSR stood Leonid Brezhnev, who appointed Dmitry Ustinov as the curator of this project, who decided to put an end to the "subterrin" in favor of developing a space nuclear shield and building a command post for the Strategic Missile Forces on the Moon. The project of the underground boat was finally classified, and the explosion in the Ural Mountains was explained by mining operations.

Illustration of "Battle Mole"
Photo: topwar.ru
Thus, the underground boat became another unsuccessful scientific experiment lasting several decades. However, such weapons with the condition of achievements modern science has great prospects. And who knows, perhaps the creation of an underground boat will be resumed again.

Alexey Kovalsky

Photos from open sources

No need to tell anyone about submarines. But few people know that along with underwater projects, underground combat vehicles were developed. As conceived by the inventors, the underground tank burrowed into the ground, like a mole dug an underground tunnel and came to the surface behind enemy lines in the most unexpected place. (website)

Underground warfare in ancient times

Even in ancient times, tunnels were used during the siege of fortresses. Tunnels were dug under the city walls in order to collapse them, and sometimes underground passages were dug up to the very center of the city. Reception effective, albeit long. But in those days, the siege lasted for 7-10 years, so the ancient heroes had plenty of time. Alexander the Great thus in 322 B.C. took Gaza, Sulla in 86 BC Athens, Pompey in 72 BC Palencia.

With the invention of gunpowder, tactics have changed slightly. An unmeasurable charge of gunpowder was laid into the gallery dug under the fortress wall, blown up and soldiers rushed into the gap, destroying everyone who was still alive after the terrible explosion. This is how Kazan was taken by Ivan the Terrible after a long siege.

First underground world

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

Photos from open sources

The return to the traditions of underground warfare in such a situation was quite natural. In 1916, the British organized 33 tunnel companies with 25,000 men. Digging tunnels as a way to break into the enemy's defense line was used both in the Russian army and in the German one.

The troops now have wiretapping services, staffed by specialists-hearers to detect underground attacks of the enemy. In the event that the enemy was found to be conducting underground work, they dug a counter-gallery in order to capture and blow up the enemy tunnel. Serious battles were played out underground: tons of dynamite were torn, soldiers converged in hand-to-hand combat.

The appearance of the tank gave the idea of ​​​​creating the same underground machine.

Von Verna Underground

In 1933, an underground vehicle was patented in Germany by engineer von Wern. The car was supposed to be used for mining, geological exploration, digging tunnels for city communications, etc. But the military was the first to pay attention to it, of course. 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 Klaus von Stauffenberg (thus, in 1944 he would plant a bomb under the already unadored Fuhrer), showed him his project, and he acquainted the Wehrmacht leadership with it. The German generals, who were planning a landing in Britain in the near future (Operation Sea Lion), liked the idea of ​​​​attacking England from under the ground, 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 for his beloved Luftwaffe, managed to convince Hitler that instead of dozens of underground tanks it would be better to build the same number of bombers, and the von Wern project was closed without even going beyond laboratory experiments.

Nazi Midgard Serpent

More successful was the fate of the project engineer Ritten. Independently of Verne, in 1934 he developed his own version of the subway, calling it the "Midgard Serpent", planning the car primarily for the assault on the French Maginot Line. Ritten's project was striking in its scale. The Serpent was a 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 access to the surface.

Photos from open sources

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

The Germans planned to build 20 of these underground cruisers, but everything came down to money. The manufacture of one "Snake" required 30 million Reichsmarks. It is believed that the project remained on paper. However, the former SS Hauptsturmführer Walter Schulke claimed that the traction unit was built and tested in 1944 near Koenigsberg. The tests ended unsuccessfully, the Serpent 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 a personal instruction to start developing 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, moving at a speed of 8 km / h; total length 23.5m, width 2m, height 2.5m. By 1943, 5 cars were built, the last survived until the early 50s.

Made in USSR

There were plenty of enthusiasts developing their projects of underground vehicles in Russia. Engineer Peter Rasskazov created his project back in 1904. In the 1930s, engineer Treblev worked in this direction.

In 1945, they returned to the idea. It is alleged that the remnants of the Midgard Serpent, found near Koenigsberg, became the impetus. Raised the drawings of Treblev from the archive. In 1946, the built single-seat machine was tested in the Urals. At a speed of 10m/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 "Kuzkin's mother", the underground rovers were supposed to crawl to the United States, lay and detonate nuclear charges under strategic objects, causing large earthquakes.

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

Does the underground have a future?

Photos from open sources

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