History of Science and Engineering Annotation << Back From the Legendary SKEM-3 to the Paradoxical KUP-12 Eremeeva A.I. The history of the creation of the world's fi rst three-row beet harvester SKEM-3 and the fundamentally new complex KUP-12. (Research purpose) To restore the true diffi cult history of dedicated and productive creative work, as well as the fate of Soviet engineers and inventors in the prewar years, the war years (1941–1945) and the fi nal postwar period. (Materials and methods) Presentation of history in personal memories of the coauthor of the fi rst and the author of the second project, State Prize Laureate, b. senior researcher VIM [1], Ph.D. I.D. Eremeeva (1907–1992). (Results and discussion) The awarding of the Stalin (State) Prize, 2nd degree (1952) to the coauthors of SKEM-3 (V.A. Korenkov, I.D. Eremeev, G.A. Melnikov), and the combine received prizes and honorary diplomas at international industrial exhibitions in France (1954), Belgium (1956)[2], and the USSR (Gold Medal at VDNKh – Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy). Prospective work on the complex KUP-12 (started by I.D. Eremeev in 1973) was artifi cially interrupted by administrative authorities (1977) as unprofi table for manufacturing plants due to ... the simplicity of KUP-12 and its expected low market price upon sale. The project is awaiting its revival by new enthusiasts in the new living conditions of Russia. The story is accompanied by notes and additions by the editorcompiler of the article, A.I. Eremeeva [3]. (Conclusions) The presented story can attract the attention of new generations of engineers and inventors and inspire them to continue the work of creating domestic technology in this important area. Keywords: Multirow sugar beet harvesters; SKEM-3; KUP-12; sugar beet; agricultural machinery in Russia and the USSR; institutes of agricultural machinery in the USSR; the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, agricultural engineers – inventors at the front and in the rear; aircraft plant in Kirov; Odessa Agricultural Machinery Plant named after the October Revolution. DOI: 10.25791/intstg.1.2025.1522 Pp. 11-31.