Ledin, Evgeny Grigorievich

He was born on April 9, 1914 in Sukhum in the family of a zemstvo paramedic. Brother - Ledin, Leonid Grigoryevich . He graduated from the Sukhumi Industrial College (1930, where he studied with Georgy Gulia ^[1] ) and the Leningrad Institute of Chemical Technology (1938, specialty - chemical engineer).

He worked as a senior engineer in the IX department of the Scientific and Technical Laboratory of the Artillery Research Marine Institute on the creation of new explosives.

Together with V.P. Bogdanov in 1939-1940 he developed a new explosive composition, characterized by high power.

After the outbreak of war, he was called up for service in the Navy . In November 1941, he wrote a report to the Chief of the Political Department of the Central Departments and the Main Naval Headquarters, Lieutenant General N. D. Zvyagin, and then with his support, a memorandum to the GKO of the USSR , in which he spoke about the possibility of industrial production of ultra-efficient explosives. December 7 was adopted by JV Stalin and received the "go-ahead". On the same day he was awarded the rank of military engineer of the third rank, he was appointed head of the Special Experimental Production Bureau of the People’s Commissariat of Ammunition.

As noted by V. N. Novikov,

Comprehensive laboratory research and shooting tests showed that RDX is more than twice as powerful as TNT in terms of power and, moreover, has a high incendiary capacity.

On the days of the battle for Moscow, December 7, 1941, a meeting was held at the chairman of the State Defense Committee, I.V. Stalin, at which E.G. Ledin reported on the powerful hexogen explosive formulations developed by him. The meeting recognized the urgent need to use a new “hexogen” explosive in armor-piercing incendiary shells, in shells for aircraft guns, as well as in high-explosive bombs. GKO adopted several decisions providing for the creation of production of RDX and explosive compounds based on it. The construction and equipment of equipment workshops began. State tests of ammunition equipped with powerful new explosives were conducted. EG Ledin headed the created Special Experimental Production Bureau, which developed the technology for the manufacture of new explosives received by him.

The State Commission, chaired by the artillery commander of the Red Army, Colonel-General of the Artillery N. N. Voronov, recognized the high efficiency and reliable incendiary effect of armor-piercing shells with a composition based on hexogen. In February 1942, a special GKO decision was issued on the adoption of new trains for service and on a plan for the supply of ammunition equipped with these trains.

In 1942, the production of RDX increased tenfold compared with 1941, and the next one - almost one and a half times against this release and remained at that level in 1944.

In the second half of 1942, the shells of anti-tank, aviation and sea guns, equipped with powerful new hexogen-containing explosives, began to enter the army in all increasing numbers. From December 1941 to August 1943, the factories mastered the production of more than 12 types of artillery ammunition with powerful new explosives. By the end of 1942, all shells of tank, anti-tank artillery and aircraft guns were supplied only in equipment with powerful hexogen-containing compounds.

The success of this business during the difficult war years was ensured by the heroic efforts of the staff of the Special Experimental Production Bureau, led by engineer-captain EG Ledin, many workers at factories, research institutes and design bureaus, and military representatives. For the development of a new type of explosive, E. G. Ledin and his closest assistants were awarded the State Prize.

- ^[2]

Ledin called his explosives (a mixture of TNT, RDX and aluminum powder) A-IX-2 (Artillery Marine Research Institute, IX Division of the Scientific and Technical Laboratory, “2” - number of invention). By the beginning of 1943, all anti-tank and aircraft shells manufactured by the military industry and part of the naval and anti-aircraft artillery shells were equipped with A-IX-2.

In 1943-1945, head of the Marine Technological Laboratory (MTL) of the Navy (Leningrad). Since 1945 he worked at the Research Institute of the People's Commissariat of Agricultural Engineering.

Since 1970, retired. He died on November 7, 2008 .

• Stalin Prize of the Third Degree (1943) - for the development and development of the technology for manufacturing a special charge from explosives
• Order of the Patriotic War II degree (6.11.1985)
• two orders of the Red Star
• medals.

• “ Military Historical Archive ” 1999, No. 7, p. 132-179.
• Novikov V.N. On the eve and in the days of testing. / Literary record of J. V. Taratuta .. - M .: Politizdat, 1988. - 398 p. - ISBN 5-250-00232-3.

• http://open-eot.su/wiki/Evgeny_Ledin
• http://g-gumbert.livejournal.com/135218.html?page=1
• photo http://www.great-country.ru/content/lib/muhin/muhin_st_04.php
• photo https://vk.com/wall-6773188_13887