Grabin Vasiliy Gavrilovich

Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin — Soviet designer and organizer of the production of artillery weapons, Hero of Socialist Labor (1940), Colonel‑General of the technical troops (1945), winner of four Stalin Prizes (1941, 1943, 1946, 1950).

The main stages of the biography

Early years and education:

Born on December 28, 1899 / January 9, 1900 in the village of Staronizhestebliyevskaya, now Krasnodar Territory. In 1923 he graduated from the artillery College in Petrograd.
He served as a combat commander.
In 1930, he graduated from the Artillery Faculty of the F. E. Dzerzhinsky Military Technical Academy.

The beginning of design activity:

He worked as a design engineer at the Design Bureau of the Krasny Putilovets plant.
He was seconded to the Design Bureau No. 2 of the All‑Union Artillery and Arsenal Association (Moscow).
In 1932, he was appointed First Deputy head of GKB‑38.

Work at plant No. 92 (Gorky):

Since the end of 1933, he has been the chief designer of the plant.
He created the artillery Design Bureau (January 1934).
He developed a high-speed design method: new guns were created in months and even weeks, and their launch into mass production was carried out with savings in metal, energy and labor costs.

The Great Patriotic War:

Since August 1942, he organized and headed the Central Artillery Design Bureau (CAKB) in Kaliningrad near Moscow.

The post-war period:

Since 1946, he has been the head and chief designer of the Scientific Research Institute of Artillery Armament (NII AV).
In 1957-1959— he was the chief designer and director of the Central Research Institute‑58.
Since 1960, he taught at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

Key developments

Created under the leadership of Grabin:

Infantry guns:

76 mm cannon of the 1936 model (F‑22);
76‑mm cannon of the 1939 model (USV);
57 mm 1941 cannon (ZIS‑2);
The 76 mm divisional cannon of the 1942 model (ZIS‑3) is the most massive cannon in the history of world artillery (over 48 thousand units were produced);
100‑mm field gun model 1944 (BS‑3).

Tank guns:

76.2mm guns F‑32, F‑34, ZIS‑5 (for T‑34‑76 and KV‑1 tanks).

Self-propelled installations:

ZIS‑30 with 57 mm ZIS‑2 cannon;
SU‑76 and SU‑76M light self‑propelled guns with 76.2mm ZIS‑3 cannon.

Other systems:

S‑60 anti-aircraft gun;
Triplex (C‑23, C‑33, C‑43) is a complex of 180‑mm cannon, 210‑mm howitzer and 280‑mm mortars.

Contribution and innovation

The high-speed design method has dramatically reduced the time needed to develop and implement new artillery systems.
The integration of design and technological solutions ensured a rapid transition from prototypes to mass production.
Ergonomic solutions: Back in the 1930s, Grabin involved a physiologist in the design of tools — long before the term "ergonomics" appeared.
Cost-effective: his designs were highly efficient with minimal resource expenditure.

Awards and titles

Hero of Socialist Labor (1940);
Colonel‑General of the Technical Troops (1945);
four Stalin Prizes (1941, 1943, 1946, 1950);
Full member of the Academy of Artillery Sciences;
Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 2-3 convocations (1946-1954);
Orders of Lenin, the October Revolution, the Red Banner, Suvorov I degree, the Red Banner of Labor, the Red Star, etc.

Recent years

In the 1950s, interest in artillery declined in favor of rocket science, which complicated Grabin's work. Despite the difficulties, he continued to develop new systems. Since the 1960s‑ he has focused on teaching. He died on April 18, 1980 in Kaliningrad (now Korolev), and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.