Kolesnikov-Tsibin KC-20
Encyclopedia
The Kolesnikov-Tsibin KC-20 or KTs-20 (Russian: КЦ-20) was a Soviet light troop military glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Development
Shortly after the German attackOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in 1941, Soviet headquarters realized a need for transport gliders and ordered the development of several designs. The biggest was a design of Dmitry Kolesnikov and Pavel Tsibin, although it was still a light glider.
Two prototypes were built in October 1941. It was ordered for production, under the designation KC-20 (or KTs-20) for designers' initials and the number of troopes carried. 68 were built in 1942-1943. They were produced in a wood industry works in Lopatino village near Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
.
The KC-20 was the biggest, but least numerous of Soviet transport gliders. It could transport 20 troops or up to 2200 kg of cargo. It was quite successful, its major drawback was a lack of a big cargo hatch, therefore guns could by only carried in parts. It was initially planned to fit the glider with a back machine gun turret, hence double tailfin, but the plan was abandoned.
Operational history
Like Antonov A-7Antonov A-7
|-See also:-External links:* at *...
and Gribovski G-11
Gribovski G-11
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, they were mainly used for supplying Soviet partisans
Soviet partisans
The Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II....
with provisions, weapons, equipment and trained men, in night flights. The most intensive use was from April to November 1943 in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, in the Polotsk-Begoml-Lepel area. After landing, gliders were destroyed and pilots were sometimes taken back by aircraft. They were also used to transport sabotage groups behind enemy lines. KC-20s were towed mainly by DB-3
Ilyushin Il-4
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gordon, Yefim and Khazanov, Dmitri. Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume 2: Twin-Engined Fighters, Attack Aircraft and Bombers. Earl Shilton, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2006. ISBN 1-85780-084-2...
bombers.
A less typical action was an air bridge from Moscow to the Stalingrad area in November 1942, in order to quickly deliver antifreeze cooling liquid for tanks, during the battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
.
Description
High-wing, wooden construction glider, with a double tailfin. Slim fuselage, semi-monocoqueMonocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
, rectangular in cross-section. Pilot's cab in front, behind it, a transport compartment. There were double doors on both sides, and several small rectangular windows. Landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
was manually retractable, in order to shorten landing, the glider could seat on a skid under a fuselage.