Soviet guns and howitzers of the Second World War. Artillery weapons of victory. German rocket launchers

Soviet anti-tank artillery played a crucial role in the Great Patriotic War; it accounted for about 70% of all destroyed German artillery. Anti-tank warriors, fighting "to the last", often at the cost of their own lives repulsed the attacks of the Panzerwaffe.

The structure and materiel of anti-tank subunits were continuously improved in the course of hostilities. Until the fall of 1940, anti-tank guns were part of rifle, mountain rifle, motorized rifle, motorized and cavalry battalions, regiments and divisions. Anti-tank batteries, platoons and divisions were thus interspersed in organizational structure connections, being their integral part. The rifle battalion of the rifle regiment of the pre-war state had a platoon of 45-mm guns (two guns). The rifle regiment and motorized rifle regiment had a battery of 45-mm cannons (six guns). In the first case, horses were the means of traction, in the second case, Komsomolets specialized caterpillar armored tractors. The rifle division and the motorized division included a separate anti-tank division of eighteen 45-mm guns. For the first time, an anti-tank division was introduced into the state of a Soviet rifle division in 1938.
However, maneuvering with anti-tank guns was possible at that time only within a division, and not on a corps or army scale. The command had very limited opportunities to strengthen anti-tank defense in tank-prone areas.

Shortly before the war, the formation of anti-tank artillery brigades of the RGK began. According to the state, each brigade was supposed to have forty-eight 76-mm guns, forty-eight 85-mm anti-aircraft guns, twenty-four 107-mm guns, sixteen 37-mm anti-aircraft guns. The staff strength of the brigade was 5322 people. By the beginning of the war, the formation of brigades had not been completed. Organizational difficulties and the general unfavorable course of hostilities did not allow the first anti-tank brigades to fully realize their potential. However, already in the first battles, the brigades demonstrated the broad capabilities of an independent anti-tank formation.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War anti-tank capabilities Soviet troops subjected to severe tests. Firstly, most often rifle divisions had to fight, occupying a front of defense that exceeded the statutory standards. Secondly, the Soviet troops had to face the German "tank wedge" tactics. It consisted in the fact that the tank regiment of the Wehrmacht tank division struck at a very narrow defense sector. At the same time, the density of attacking tanks was 50–60 vehicles per kilometer of front. Such a number of tanks on a narrow sector of the front inevitably saturated the anti-tank defense.

The heavy loss of anti-tank guns at the beginning of the war led to a decrease in the number of anti-tank guns in a rifle division. The July 1941 state rifle division had only eighteen 45 mm anti-tank guns instead of fifty-four in the pre-war state. In July, a platoon of 45-mm guns from a rifle battalion and a separate anti-tank battalion were completely excluded. The latter was restored to the state of the rifle division in December 1941. The shortage of anti-tank guns was to some extent made up for by the recently adopted anti-tank guns. In December 1941, an anti-tank rifle platoon was introduced at the regimental level in a rifle division. In total, the state division had 89 anti-tank rifles.

In the field of organizing artillery, the general trend at the end of 1941 was to increase the number of independent anti-tank units. On January 1, 1942, the active army and the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters had: one artillery brigade (on the Leningrad front), 57 anti-tank artillery regiments and two separate anti-tank artillery battalions. Following the results of the autumn battles, five artillery regiments of the PTO received the title of guards. Two of them received a guard for the battles near Volokolamsk - they supported the 316th Infantry Division of I.V. Panfilov.
1942 was a period of increasing the number and consolidation of independent anti-tank units. April 3, 1942 was followed by a decision of the State Defense Committee on the formation of a fighter brigade. According to the state, the brigade had 1795 people, twelve 45-mm guns, sixteen 76-mm guns, four 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, 144 anti-tank guns. By the next decree of June 8, 1942, the twelve formed fighter brigades were merged into fighter divisions, each with three brigades.

A milestone for the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army was the order of the NPO of the USSR No. 0528 signed by I. V. Stalin, according to which: the status of anti-tank units was raised, a double salary was set for personnel, a cash bonus was established for each tank that was destroyed, all command and personnel destroyer-anti-tank artillery units were placed on a special account and were to be used only in these units.

The distinctive sign of the anti-tankers was a sleeve insignia in the form of a black rhombus with a red border with crossed gun barrels. The rise in the status of anti-tankers was accompanied by the formation in the summer of 1942 of new anti-tank regiments. Thirty light (twenty 76-mm guns each) and twenty anti-tank artillery regiments (twenty 45-mm guns each) were formed.
The regiments were formed in a short time and immediately thrown into battle on the threatened sectors of the front.

In September 1942, ten more anti-tank regiments with twenty 45-mm guns were formed. Also in September 1942, an additional battery of four 76-mm guns was introduced to the most distinguished regiments. In November 1942, part of the anti-tank regiments was merged into fighter divisions. By January 1, 1943, the Red Army anti-tank artillery included 2 fighter divisions, 15 fighter brigades, 2 heavy anti-tank regiments, 168 anti-tank regiments, 1 anti-tank battalion.

The improved anti-tank defense system of the Red Army received the name Pakfront from the Germans. RAK is the German abbreviation for anti-tank gun - Panzerabwehrkannone. Instead of a linear arrangement of guns along the defended front, at the beginning of the war they were united in groups under a single command. This made it possible to concentrate the fire of several guns on one target. Anti-tank areas were the basis of anti-tank defense. Each anti-tank area consisted of separate anti-tank strongholds (PTOPs) in fire communication with each other. "To be in fire communication with each other" - means the possibility of firing by neighboring anti-tank guns on the same target. The PTOP was saturated with all types of fire weapons. The basis of the anti-tank fire system was 45-mm guns, 76-mm regimental guns, partially cannon batteries of divisional artillery and anti-tank artillery units.

The finest hour of anti-tank artillery was the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943. At that time, 76-mm divisional guns were the main means of anti-tank units and formations. "Forty-five" accounted for about a third of the total number of anti-tank guns on the Kursk Bulge. A long pause in the fighting at the front made it possible to improve the condition of units and formations due to the receipt of equipment from industry and the resupplying of anti-tank regiments with personnel.

The last stage in the evolution of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army was the enlargement of its units and the appearance of self-propelled guns in the anti-tank artillery. By the beginning of 1944, all fighter divisions and individual fighter brigades of the combined arms type were reorganized into anti-tank brigades. On January 1, 1944, the anti-tank artillery included 50 anti-tank brigades and 141 anti-tank regiments. By order of the NPO No. 0032 of August 2, 1944, one SU-85 regiment (21 self-propelled guns) was introduced into the fifteen anti-tank brigades. In reality, only eight brigades received self-propelled guns.

Particular attention was paid to the training of personnel of anti-tank brigades, purposeful combat training of artillerymen was organized to fight new German tanks and assault guns. Special instructions appeared in the anti-tank units: "Memo to the gunner - destroyer of enemy tanks" or "Memo on the fight against Tiger tanks." And in the armies, special rear ranges were equipped, where artillerymen trained in firing at mock-up tanks, including moving ones.

Simultaneously with the increase in the skill of artillerymen, tactics were improved. With the quantitative saturation of the troops with anti-tank weapons, the "fire bag" method began to be used more and more often. The guns were placed in "anti-tank nests" of 6-8 guns within a radius of 50-60 meters and were well camouflaged. The nests were located on the ground to achieve long-range flanking with the possibility of concentrating fire. Passing the tanks moving in the first echelon, the fire opened suddenly, to the flank, at medium and short distances.

In the offensive, anti-tank guns were quickly pulled up after the advancing units in order to support them with fire if necessary.

Anti-tank artillery in our country began in August 1930, when, within the framework of military-technical cooperation with Germany, a secret agreement was signed, according to which the Germans pledged to help the USSR organize the gross production of 6 artillery systems. To implement the agreement in Germany, a front company "BYuTAST" was created (limited liability company "Bureau for technical work and studies").

Among other weapons proposed by the USSR was a 37 mm anti-tank gun. The development of this weapon, bypassing the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, was completed at Rheinmetall Borsig in 1928. The first samples of the gun, which received the name Tak 28 (Tankabwehrkanone, i.e., anti-tank gun - the word Panzer came into use later) were tested in 1930, and from 1932 deliveries to the troops began. The Tak 28 gun had a 45-caliber barrel with a horizontal wedge breech, which provided a fairly high rate of fire - up to 20 rounds per minute. The carriage with sliding tubular beds provided a large horizontal pickup angle - 60 °, but at the same time the undercarriage with wooden wheels was designed only for horse traction.

In the early 1930s, this gun pierced the armor of any tank, and was perhaps the best in its class, far ahead of developments in other countries.

After modernization, having received wheels with pneumatic tires that can be towed by a car, an improved carriage and an improved sight, it was put into service under the designation 3.7 cm Pak 35/36 (Panzerabwehrkanone 35/36).
Remaining until 1942 the main anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht.

The German gun was put into production at the plant near Moscow. Kalinin (No. 8), where she received the factory index 1-K. The enterprise mastered the production of a new weapon with great difficulty, the guns were made semi-handicraft, with manual fitting of parts. In 1931, the plant presented 255 guns to the customer, but did not hand over any due to poor build quality. In 1932, 404 guns were delivered, and in 1933, another 105.

Despite the problems with the quality of the guns produced, the 1-K was a fairly perfect anti-tank gun for the 1930s. Its ballistics made it possible to hit all the tanks of that time, at a distance of 300 m, an armor-piercing projectile normally pierced 30-mm armor. The gun was very compact, its light weight allowed the calculation to easily move it around the battlefield. The disadvantages of the gun, which led to its rapid removal from production, were the weak fragmentation effect of the 37-mm projectile and the lack of suspension. In addition, the guns produced were notable for their low build quality. The adoption of this gun was considered as a temporary measure, since the leadership of the Red Army wanted to have a more versatile gun that combined the functions of an anti-tank and battalion gun, and 1-K was poorly suited for this role due to its small caliber and weak fragmentation projectile.

1-K was the first specialized anti-tank gun of the Red Army and played a big role in the development of this type. Very soon, it began to be replaced by a 45-mm anti-tank gun, becoming almost invisible against its background. In the late 30s, 1-K began to be withdrawn from the troops and transferred to storage, remaining in operation only as training ones.

At the beginning of the war, all the guns available in the warehouses were thrown into battle, since in 1941 there was a shortage of artillery to equip a large number of newly formed formations and make up for huge losses.

Of course, by 1941, the armor penetration characteristics of the 37-mm 1-K anti-tank gun could no longer be considered satisfactory, it could only confidently hit light tanks and armored personnel carriers. Against medium tanks, this gun could only be effective when firing into the side from close (less than 300 m) distances. Moreover, Soviet armor-piercing shells were significantly inferior in armor penetration to German ones of a similar caliber. On the other hand, this gun could use captured 37 mm ammunition, in which case its armor penetration increased significantly, exceeding even the similar characteristics of a 45 mm gun.

Any details combat use these guns could not be identified, probably almost all of them were lost in 1941.

The very great historical significance of the 1-K is that it became the ancestor of a series of the most numerous Soviet 45-mm anti-tank guns and Soviet anti-tank artillery in general.

During the "liberation campaign" in western Ukraine, several hundred Polish 37-mm anti-tank guns and a significant amount of ammunition were captured.

Initially, they were sent to warehouses, and at the end of 1941 they were transferred to the troops, because due to the heavy losses of the first months of the war, there was a large shortage of artillery, especially anti-tank artillery. In 1941, for this gun, the GAU issued " Short description, user manual".

The 37 mm anti-tank gun developed by Bofors was a very successful weapon capable of successfully fighting armored vehicles protected by bulletproof armor.

The gun had a fairly high muzzle velocity and rate of fire, small dimensions and weight (which made it easier to disguise the gun on the ground and roll it on the battlefield with crew forces), and was also adapted for rapid transportation by mechanical traction. Compared to the German 37 mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank gun, the Polish gun had better armor penetration, which is explained by the higher muzzle velocity of the projectile.

In the second half of the 1930s, there was a tendency to increase the thickness of tank armor, in addition, the Soviet military wanted to get an anti-tank gun capable of providing fire support to infantry. This required an increase in caliber.
A new 45 mm anti-tank gun was created by imposing a 45 mm barrel on the carriage of a 37 mm anti-tank gun mod. 1931. The carriage was also improved - wheel suspension was introduced. The semi-automatic shutter basically repeated the 1-K scheme and allowed 15-20 rds / min.

The 45-mm projectile had a mass of 1.43 kg and was more than 2 times heavier than the 37-mm one. At a distance of 500 m, an armor-piercing projectile pierced 43-mm armor normally. At the time of adoption, the 45-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1937 pierced the armor of any tank that existed then.
A fragmentation 45-mm grenade, when burst, gave about 100 fragments, retaining lethal force when scattered along the front by 15 m and to a depth of 5-7 m. When fired, grapeshot bullets form a striking sector along the front for up to 60 m and in depth up to 400 m .
Thus, the 45 mm anti-tank gun had good anti-personnel capabilities.

From 1937 to 1943, 37354 guns were produced. Shortly before the start of the war, the 45-mm gun was discontinued, as our military leadership believed that the new German tanks would have a frontal armor thickness impenetrable for these guns. Shortly after the start of the war, the gun was put back into production.

The 45-mm guns of the 1937 model of the year relied on the state of the anti-tank platoons of the rifle battalions of the Red Army (2 guns) and the anti-tank divisions of the rifle divisions (12 guns). They were also in service with separate anti-tank regiments, which included 4-5 four-gun batteries.

For its time, in terms of armor penetration, the "forty-five" was quite adequate. Nevertheless, the insufficient penetration of the 50-mm frontal armor of the Pz Kpfw III Ausf H and Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F1 tanks is beyond doubt. Often this was due to the low quality of armor-piercing shells. Many batches of shells had a technological marriage. If the heat treatment regime was violated in production, the shells turned out to be excessively hard and as a result split against the tank's armor, but in August 1941 the problem was solved - technical changes were made to the production process (localizers were introduced).

To improve armor penetration, a 45-mm sub-caliber projectile with a tungsten core was adopted for armament, which pierced 66-mm armor at a distance of 500 m along the normal, and 88 mm armor when fired at a distance of 100 m dagger fire.

With the advent of sub-caliber shells, the later modifications of the Pz Kpfw IV tanks became "too tough" for the "forty-five". The thickness of the frontal armor, which did not exceed 80 mm.

At first, new shells were on special account and were issued individually. For the unjustified consumption of sub-caliber shells, the gun commander and gunner could be court martialed.

In the hands of experienced and tactically skilled commanders and trained crews, a 45-mm anti-tank gun posed a serious threat to enemy armored vehicles. Its positive qualities were high mobility and ease of disguise. However, for a better defeat of armored targets, more powerful weapon, which was the 45-mm gun mod. 1942 M-42, developed and put into service in 1942.

The 45 mm M-42 anti-tank gun was obtained by upgrading the 45 mm gun of the 1937 model at factory No. 172 in Motovilikha. The modernization consisted in lengthening the barrel (from 46 to 68 calibers), strengthening the propellant charge (the mass of gunpowder in the sleeve increased from 360 to 390 grams) and a number of technological measures to simplify serial production. Shield cover armor thickness has been increased from 4.5 mm to 7 mm for better protection calculation from rifle armor-piercing bullets.

As a result of the modernization, the muzzle velocity of the projectile increased by almost 15% - from 760 to 870 m/s. At a distance of 500 meters along the normal, an armor-piercing projectile pierced -61mm, and a sub-caliber projectile pierced -81mm armor. According to the memoirs of anti-tank veterans, the M-42 had very high firing accuracy and relatively low recoil when fired. This made it possible to fire at a high rate of fire without correcting the pickup.

Serial production of 45-mm guns mod. 1942 was launched in January 1943 and was carried out only at plant number 172. In the most stressful periods, the plant produced 700 of these guns monthly. In total, in 1943-1945, 10,843 mod. 1942. Their production continued after the war. New guns, as they were produced, were used to re-equip anti-tank artillery regiments and brigades, which had 45-mm anti-tank guns mod. 1937.

As it soon became clear, the armor penetration of the M-42 to fight German heavy tanks with powerful anti-shell armor Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" and Pz. Kpfw. VI "Tiger" was not enough. More successful was the firing of sub-caliber shells on the sides, stern and undercarriage. Nevertheless, thanks to well-established mass production, mobility, ease of camouflage and low cost, the gun remained in service until the very end of the war.

In the late 30s, the issue of creating anti-tank guns capable of hitting tanks with anti-shell armor became acute. Calculations showed the futility of the 45-mm caliber in terms of a sharp increase in armor penetration. Various research organizations considered calibers 55 and 60 mm, but in the end it was decided to stop at 57 mm. Guns of this caliber were used in the tsarist army and (guns of Nordenfeld and Hotchkiss). A new projectile was developed for this caliber - a standard cartridge case from a 76-mm divisional cannon was adopted as its cartridge case with a re-compression of the cartridge case mouth to a 57 mm caliber.

In 1940, a design team led by Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin began to design a new anti-tank gun that meets the tactical and technical requirements of the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU). Main Feature new gun was the use of a long barrel length of 73 caliber. The gun at a distance of 1000 m pierced armor 90 mm thick with an armor-piercing projectile

A prototype gun was made in October 1940 and passed factory tests. And in March 1941, the gun was put into service under the official name "57-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1941" In total, from June to December 1941, about 250 guns were handed over.

57-mm guns from experimental batches took part in the fighting. Some of them were mounted on the Komsomolets light tracked tractor - this was the first Soviet anti-tank self-propelled gun, which, due to the imperfection of the chassis, was not very successful.

The new anti-tank gun easily pierced the armor of all German tanks that existed at that time. However, due to the position of the GAU, the release of the gun was stopped, and the entire production reserve and equipment were mothballed.

In 1943, with the advent of the Germans heavy tanks, the production of guns was restored. The gun of the 1943 model had a number of differences from the guns of the 1941 issue, aimed primarily at improving the manufacturability of the gun. However, the restoration of mass production was difficult - there were technological problems with the manufacture of barrels. Mass production of guns under the name "57-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1943" ZIS-2 was organized by October - November 1943, after the commissioning of new production facilities, provided with equipment supplied under Lend-Lease.

Since the resumption of production, until the end of the war, more than 9,000 guns entered the troops.

With the restoration of production of the ZIS-2 in 1943, the guns entered the anti-tank artillery regiments (iptap), 20 guns per regiment.

From December 1944, the ZIS-2 was introduced into the staff of the guards rifle divisions - into the regimental anti-tank batteries and into the anti-tank battalion (12 guns). In June 1945, ordinary rifle divisions were transferred to a similar state.

The capabilities of the ZIS-2 made it possible at typical combat distances to confidently hit the 80-mm frontal armor of the most common German medium tanks Pz.IV and StuG III assault self-propelled guns, as well as the side armor of the Pz.VI Tiger tank; at distances of less than 500 m, the Tiger's frontal armor was also hit.
In terms of the cost and manufacturability of production, combat and service performance, the ZIS-2 became the best Soviet anti-tank gun of the war.

According to materials:
http://knowledgegrid.ru/2e9354f401817ff6.html
Shirokorad A. B. Genii Soviet artillery: The triumph and tragedy of V. Grabin.
A. Ivanov. Artillery of the USSR in the Second World War.

Soviet artillerymen made a great contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. No wonder they say that artillery is the "God of War". For many people, the symbols of the Great Patriotic War remain the legendary guns - the "forty-five", a 45-mm gun of the 1937 model, with which the Red Army entered the war, and the most massive Soviet gun during the war - the 76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model ZIS-3 . During the war years, this weapon was produced in a huge series - more than 100 thousand units.

The legendary "forty-five"

The battlefield is shrouded in clouds of smoke, flashes of fire and the noise of explosions all around. An armada of German tanks is slowly moving towards our positions. They are opposed by only one surviving artilleryman, who personally charges and aims his forty-five at the tanks.

A similar plot can often be found in Soviet films and books, it was supposed to show the superiority of the spirit of simple Soviet soldier, who, with the help of practically "scrap metal", managed to stop the high-tech German horde. In fact, the 45 mm anti-tank gun was far from a useless weapon, especially on initial stage war. With reasonable use, this tool has repeatedly demonstrated all its best qualities.

The history of the creation of this legendary gun dates back to the 30s of the last century, when the first anti-tank gun, the 37-mm gun of the 1930 model, was adopted by the Red Army. This gun was a licensed version of the German 37-mm gun 3.7-cm PaK 35/36, created by Rheinmetall engineers. In the Soviet Union, this gun was produced at plant No. 8 in Podlipki, the gun received the designation 1-K.

At the same time, almost immediately in the USSR, they thought about improving the gun. Two ways were considered: either to increase the power of the 37-mm gun by introducing new ammunition, or to switch to a new caliber - 45 mm. The second way was recognized as promising. Already at the end of 1931, the designers of plant No. 8 installed a new 45-mm barrel in the casing of the 37-mm anti-tank gun of the 1930 model, while slightly strengthening the gun carriage. So the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model was born, its factory index was 19K.

As the main ammunition for the new gun, it was decided to use a unitary shot from a 47-mm French cannon, the projectile of which, more precisely, not even the projectile itself, but its obturating belt, was simply turned from 47 mm to 46 mm in diameter. At the time of its creation, this anti-tank gun was the most powerful in the world. But even despite this, the GAU demanded a modernization - in order to reduce the weight of the gun and bring armor penetration to 45-55 mm at ranges of 1000-1300 meters. On November 7, 1936, it was also decided to transfer 45-mm anti-tank guns from wooden wheels to metal wheels filled with sponge rubber from the GAZ-A car.

By the beginning of 1937, the 45-mm cannon of the 1932 model was fitted with new wheels and the gun went into production. In addition, an improved sight, new semi-automatic, push-button trigger, more reliable shield attachment, suspension, better balancing of the oscillating part appeared on the gun - all these innovations made the 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model of the year (53K) meet all the requirements of the time.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was this gun that formed the basis of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army. As of June 22, 1941, 16,621 such guns were in service. In total, during the war years, 37,354 pieces of 45-mm anti-tank guns were produced in the USSR.

The gun was intended to fight enemy armored vehicles (tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers). For its time and at the beginning of the war, its armor penetration was quite adequate. At a distance of 500 meters, an armor-piercing projectile pierced 43-mm armor. This was enough to deal with the German tanks of those years, the armor of most of which was more bulletproof.

At the same time, already during the war in 1942, the gun was modernized and its anti-tank capabilities increased. The 45 mm anti-tank gun of the 1942 model, designated M-42, was created by upgrading its 1937 predecessor. The work was carried out at the plant number 172 in Motovilikha (Perm).

Basically, the modernization consisted in lengthening the gun barrel, as well as strengthening the propellant charge and a number of technical measures that were aimed at simplifying the serial production of the gun. At the same time, the thickness of the gun shield armor increased from 4.5 mm to 7 mm for better protection of the crew from armor-piercing bullets. As a result of modernization, the muzzle velocity of the projectile was raised from 760 m/s to 870 m/s. When using caliber armor-piercing shells, the armor penetration of the new gun at a distance of 500 meters increased to 61 mm.

The M-42 anti-tank gun was able to fight all medium German tanks of 1942. At the same time, during the entire first period of the Great Patriotic War, it was forty-fives that remained the basis of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army. During the Battle of Stalingrad, these guns accounted for 43% of all guns that were in service with anti-tank regiments.

But the appearance in 1943 of new German tanks, primarily the "Tiger" and "Panther", as well as the modernized version of the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H, which had a frontal armor thickness of 80 mm, Soviet anti-tank artillery was again faced with the need to build up firepower.

The problem was partially solved by re-starting production of the 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun. But despite this, and thanks to well-established production, the production of the M-42 continued. With tanks Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H and Panther, this gun could fight by firing on their side, and such fire could be counted on due to the high mobility of the gun. As a result, he was left in production and in service. A total of 10,843 such guns were manufactured from 1942 to 1945.

Divisional gun model 1942 ZIS-3

The second Soviet weapon, no less legendary than the forty-five, was the ZIS-3 divisional cannon of the 1942 model, which today can be found on many pedestals. It is worth noting that by the time the Great Patriotic War began, the Red Army was armed with both rather outdated field guns of the 1900/02, 1902/26 and 1902/30 models, as well as fairly modern guns: 76.2-mm divisional guns of the 1936 model ( F-22) and 76.2-mm divisional gun model 1939 (USV).

At the same time, work on the ZIS-3 was started even before the war. The well-known designer Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin was engaged in the design of the new gun. He began work on the gun at the end of 1940 after his 57 mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun had successfully passed the tests. Like most anti-tank guns, it was quite compact, had a light and durable carriage, which was quite suitable for the development of a divisional gun.

At the same time, a high-tech barrel with good ballistic characteristics has already been created for the 76.2-mm F-22 and USV divisional guns. So the designers practically had only to put the existing barrel on the carriage of the ZIS-2 gun, equipping the barrel with a muzzle brake to reduce the load on the gun carriage. In parallel with the process of designing a divisional gun, issues related to the technology of its production were resolved, and the production of many parts was carried out by stamping, casting, and welding. Compared to the USV gun, labor costs were reduced by 3 times, and the cost of one gun fell by more than a third.

The ZIS-3 was a weapon of a modern design at that time. The barrel of the gun is a monoblock with a breech and a muzzle brake (they absorbed about 30% of the recoil energy). A semi-automatic wedge gate was used. The descent was lever or push-button (on guns of different production series). The barrel resource for the guns of the first series reached 5000 rounds, but for most guns it did not exceed 2000 rounds.

Already in the battles of 1941, the ZIS-3 gun showed all its advantages over the F-22 and USV guns, which were heavy and inconvenient for gunners. This allowed Grabin to personally present his gun to Stalin and obtain official permission from him to launch the gun into mass production, moreover, the gun was already being produced and actively used in the army.

At the beginning of February 1942, formal tests of the gun took place, which lasted only 5 days. According to the test results, the ZIS-3 gun was put into service on February 12, 1942 with official name"76-mm divisional gun model 1942". For the first time in the world, the production of the ZIS-3 gun was carried out in-line with a sharp increase in productivity. On May 9, 1945, the Volga Plant reported to the party and the government about the production of the 100,000th 76-mm ZIS-3 gun, increasing their production during the war years by almost 20 times. A in total, more than 103 thousand of these guns were manufactured during the war years.

The ZIS-3 gun could use the entire range of 76-mm cannon shells available, including a variety of old Russian and imported grenades. So the steel high-explosive fragmentation grenade 53-OF-350, when the fuse was set to fragmentation action, created approximately 870 lethal fragments, the effective radius of which was 15 meters. When the fuse was set to high-explosive action at a distance of 7.5 km, a grenade could penetrate a brick wall 75 cm thick or an earth embankment 2 m thick.

The use of the 53-BR-354P sub-caliber projectile ensured penetration of 105 mm of armor at a distance of 300 meters, and at a distance of 500 meters - 90 mm. First of all, sub-caliber shells were sent to provide anti-tank units. Since the end of 1944, the cumulative projectile 53-BP-350A also appeared in the troops, which could penetrate armor up to 75-90 mm thick at an encounter angle of 45 degrees.

At the time of adoption, the 76-mm divisional gun of the 1942 model fully met all the requirements facing it: in terms of firepower, mobility, unpretentiousness in everyday operation and manufacturability. The ZIS-3 gun was a typical weapon of the Russian school of design: technologically simple, cheap, powerful, reliable, absolutely unpretentious and easy to operate.

During the war years, these guns were produced in-line using any more or less trained workforce without losing the quality of the finished samples. The guns were easily mastered and could be kept in order by the personnel of the units. For the conditions in which the Soviet Union found itself in 1941-1942, the ZIS-3 gun was almost an ideal solution, not only from the point of view of combat use, but also from the point of view of industrial production. All the years of the war, the ZIS-3 was successfully used both against tanks and against enemy infantry and fortifications, which made it so versatile and massive.

122-mm howitzer model 1938 M-30

The M-30 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model became the most massive Soviet howitzer of the Great Patriotic War period. This gun was mass-produced from 1939 to 1955 and was, and still is, in service with some countries. This howitzer took part in almost all significant wars and local conflicts of the 20th century.

According to a number of artillery successes, the M-30 can be safely attributed to one of the best examples of the Soviet cannon artillery middle of the last century. The presence of such a howitzer in the composition of the artillery units of the Red Army made an invaluable contribution to the victory in the war. In total, during the release of the M-30, 19,266 howitzers of this type were assembled..

The howitzer was developed in 1938 by the Motovilikha Plants Design Bureau (Perm), the project was led by Fedor Fedorovich Petrov. Serial production of howitzers began in 1939 at three plants at once, including Motovilikhinskiye Zavody (Perm) and at the Uralmash artillery plant (Sverdlovsk, since 1942, artillery plant No. 9 with OKB-9). The howitzer was in mass production until 1955, which most clearly characterizes the success of the project.

In general, the M-30 howitzer had a classic design: a reliable, durable two-bed carriage, a rigidly fixed shield with a raised central sheet, and a 23-caliber barrel that did not have a muzzle brake. The M-30 howitzer was equipped with the same carriage as the 152 mm D-1 howitzer. Large-diameter wheels received solid slopes, they were filled with sponge rubber. At the same time, the M-30 modification, which was produced in Bulgaria after the war, had wheels of a different design. Each 122nd howitzer had openers of two different types- for firm and soft soil.

The 122 mm M-30 howitzer was, of course, a very successful weapon. A group of its creators, led by F.F. Petrov, managed to very harmoniously combine simplicity and reliability in one model of artillery weapons. The howitzer was very easily mastered by personnel, which was largely characteristic of the howitzers of the First World War era, but at the same time it had a large number of new design solutions that made it possible to increase the firepower and mobility of the howitzer. As a result, the Soviet divisional artillery received a powerful and modern howitzer, which was able to operate as part of the highly mobile tank and mechanized units of the Red Army. The wide distribution of this 122 mm howitzer in various armies of the world and excellent reviews of gunners only confirm this.

The gun was appreciated even by the Germans, who at the initial stage of the war managed to capture several hundred M-30 howitzers. They adopted the gun under the index heavy howitzer 12.2 cm s.F.H.396 (r), actively using them on the Eastern and Western fronts. Starting from 1943, for this howitzer, as well as some other samples of Soviet cannon artillery of the same caliber, the Germans even launched a full-fledged mass production of shells. So in 1943 they fired 424 thousand shots, in 1944 and 1945 - 696.7 thousand and 133 thousand shots, respectively.

The main type of ammunition for the 122-mm howitzer M-30 in the Red Army was a fairly effective fragmentation projectile, which weighed 21.76 kg. The howitzer could fire these projectiles at a range of up to 11,800 meters. Theoretically, an armor-piercing cumulative projectile 53-BP-460A could be used to combat armored targets, which, at an angle of impact with armor of 90 °, pierced armor up to 160 mm thick. Sighting range firing at a moving tank was up to 400 meters. But of course that would be an extreme case.

The M-30 was intended primarily for firing from closed positions against openly located and dug-in enemy manpower and equipment. The howitzer was also successfully used to destroy enemy field fortifications (dugouts, bunkers, trenches) and to make passages in barbed wire when it was impossible to use mortars for these purposes.

Moreover, the barrage of the M-30 howitzer battery high-explosive fragmentation projectiles posed some threat to German armored vehicles. The fragments formed during the rupture of 122-mm shells were able to penetrate armor up to 20 mm thick, this was quite enough to destroy the sides of enemy light tanks and armored personnel carriers. For vehicles with thicker armor, fragments of howitzer shells could disable the gun, sights, and chassis elements.

HEAT shells for this howitzer appeared only in 1943. But in their absence, the gunners were instructed to fire at tanks and high-explosive fragmentation shells, having previously set the fuse to high-explosive action. Very often, with a direct hit on a tank (especially for light and medium tanks), it became fatal for an armored vehicle and its crew, up to the failure of the turret from the shoulder strap, which automatically made the tank incapacitated.

“Artillery is the god of war,” I.V. Stalin once said, speaking of one of the most significant branches of the military. With these words, he tried to emphasize the great importance that this weapon had during the Second World War. And this expression is true, since the merits of artillery can hardly be overestimated. Its power allowed the Soviet troops to mercilessly smash enemies and bring the much-desired Great Victory closer.

Further in this article, the artillery of the Second World War, which was then in service with Nazi Germany and the USSR, will be considered, starting with light anti-tank guns and ending with super-heavy monster guns.

Anti-tank guns

As the history of the Second World War has shown, light guns by and large turned out to be practically useless against armored vehicles. The fact is that they were usually developed in the interwar years and could only withstand weak defense the first armored vehicles. But before World War II, technology began to rapidly modernize. The armor of the tanks became much thicker, so many types of guns turned out to be hopelessly outdated.

mortars

Perhaps the most accessible and effective infantry support weapon was mortars. They perfectly combined such properties as range and firepower, so their use was able to turn the tide of the entire enemy offensive.

German troops most often used the 80mm Granatwerfer-34. This weapon earned a grim reputation among the allied forces for its high speed and the utmost accuracy of firing. In addition, its firing range was 2400 m.

The Red Army used the 120 mm M1938, which entered service in 1939, to provide fire support to its infantrymen. He was the very first mortar with such a caliber that was ever produced and used in world practice. When the German troops encountered this weapon on the battlefield, they appreciated its power, after which they put a copy into production and designated it as the Granatwerfer-42. M1932 weighed 285 kg and was the heaviest type of mortar that the infantrymen had to carry with them. To do this, it was either disassembled into several parts, or pulled on a special cart. Its firing range was 400 m less than that of the German Granatwerfer-34.

Self-propelled installations

In the very first weeks of the war, it became clear that the infantry was in dire need of reliable fire support. The German armed forces ran into an obstacle in the form of well-fortified positions and a large concentration of enemy troops. Then they decided to strengthen their mobile fire support with the Vespe self-propelled 105-mm artillery mount mounted on the PzKpfw II tank chassis. Another similar weapon - "Hummel" - was part of the motorized and tank divisions since 1942.

In the same period, the Red Army was armed with self-propelled unit SU-76 with a 76.2 mm cannon. It was installed on a modified chassis light tank T-70. Initially, the SU-76 was supposed to be used as a tank destroyer, but during its use it was realized that it had too little firepower for this.

In the spring of 1943, Soviet troops received new car- ISU-152. It was equipped with a 152.4 mm howitzer and was intended both to destroy tanks and mobile artillery, and to support infantry with fire. First, the gun was mounted on the KV-1 tank chassis, and then on the IS. In combat, this weapon proved to be so effective that it remained in service with the Warsaw Pact countries until the 70s of the last century.

This type of gun was of great importance during the conduct of hostilities throughout the Second World War. The heaviest of the then available artillery, which was in service with the Red Army, was the M1931 B-4 howitzer with a caliber of 203 mm. When the Soviet troops began to slow down the rapid advance of the German invaders on their territory and the war on the Eastern Front became more static, heavy artillery was, as they say, in its place.

But the developers were always looking for the best option. Their task was to create a weapon in which, as far as possible, such characteristics as a small mass, a good firing range and the heaviest projectiles would harmoniously merge. And such a weapon was created. They became the 152-millimeter howitzer ML-20. A little later, a more modernized M1943 gun with the same caliber, but with a weighted barrel and a large muzzle brake, entered service with the Soviet troops.

Defense enterprises Soviet Union then they released huge batches of such howitzers that fired massively at the enemy. Artillery literally devastated German positions and thereby thwarted enemy offensive plans. An example of this is Operation Hurricane, which was successfully carried out in 1942. Its result was the encirclement of the 6th German army near Stalingrad. For its implementation, more than 13 thousand guns of various types were used. Artillery preparations of unprecedented power preceded this offensive. It was she who largely contributed to the rapid advance of the Soviet tank troops and infantry.

German heavy weapons

According to after the First World War, Germany was forbidden to have guns having a caliber of 150 mm or more. Therefore, the specialists of the Krupp company, who were developing the new gun, had to create a heavy field howitzer sFH 18 with a 149.1-mm barrel, consisting of a pipe, a breech and a casing.

At the beginning of the war, the German heavy howitzer moved with the help of horse traction. But later, its modernized version was already dragging a half-track tractor, which made it much more mobile. The German army successfully used it on the Eastern Front. By the end of the war, sFH 18 howitzers were mounted on tank chassis. Thus, it turned out self-propelled artillery mount"Hummel".

Rocket troops and artillery is one of the divisions of the ground armed forces. The use of missiles during the Second World War was mainly associated with large-scale hostilities on the Eastern Front. Powerful rockets covered large areas with their fire, which compensated for some of the inaccuracy of these unguided guns. Compared to conventional shells, the cost of rockets was much less, and besides, they were produced very quickly. Another advantage was their relative ease of use.

Soviet rocket artillery used 132 mm M-13 rounds during the war. They were created in the 1930s and by the time Nazi Germany attacked the USSR, they were in very small quantities. These rockets are perhaps the most famous of all such shells used during the Second World War. Gradually, their production was established, and by the end of 1941, the M-13 was used in battles against the Nazis.

It must be said that the rocket troops and artillery of the Red Army plunged the Germans into a real shock, which was caused by the unprecedented power and deadly effect of the new weapon. BM-13-16 launchers were placed on trucks and had rails for 16 rounds. Later, these missile systems would be known as "Katyusha". Over time, they were modernized several times and were in service with the Soviet army until the 80s of the last century. With the advent of the expression "Artillery is the god of war" began to be perceived as true.

German rocket launchers

A new type of weapon made it possible to deliver explosive explosive parts both over long and short distances. Thus, short-range projectiles concentrated their firepower on targets located on the front line, while long-range missiles attacked objects located behind enemy lines.

The Germans also had their own rocket artillery. "Wurframen-40" - a German rocket launcher, which was located on the Sd.Kfz.251 half-tracked vehicle. The missile was aimed at the target by turning the machine itself. Sometimes these systems were introduced into battle as towed artillery.

Most often, the Germans used the Nebelwerfer-41 rocket launcher, which had a honeycomb structure. It consisted of six tubular guides and was mounted on a two-wheeled carriage. But during the battle, this weapon was extremely dangerous not only for the enemy, but also for their own calculation because of the nozzle flame escaping from the pipes.

The weight of projectiles with had a huge impact on their range. Therefore, the army whose artillery could hit targets located far behind the enemy line had a significant military advantage. Heavy German rockets were useful only for indirect fire when it was necessary to destroy well-fortified objects, such as bunkers, armored vehicles or various defensive structures.

It is worth noting that the firing of German artillery was much inferior in range to the Katyusha rocket launcher due to the excessive heaviness of the shells.

Super heavy guns

Artillery played a very important role in the Nazi armed forces. This is all the more surprising since it was almost the most important element of the fascist military machine, and for some reason modern researchers prefer to focus their attention on studying the history of the Luftwaffe (air force).

Even at the end of the war, German engineers continued to work on a new grandiose armored vehicle - a prototype of a huge tank, in comparison with which all other military equipment would seem dwarfed. Project P1500 "Monster" did not have time to implement. It is only known that the tank was supposed to weigh 1.5 tons. It was planned that he would be armed with an 80-cm Gustav gun from the Krupp company. It is worth noting that its developers have always thought big, and artillery was no exception. This weapon entered service with the Nazi army during the siege of the city of Sevastopol. The gun fired only 48 shots, after which its barrel wore out.

Railway guns K-12 were in service with the 701st artillery battery, stationed on the coast of the English Channel. According to some reports, their shells, and they weighed 107.5 kg, hit several targets in southern England. These artillery monsters had their own T-shaped track sections, necessary for installation and targeting.

Statistics

As noted earlier, the armies of the countries that participated in the hostilities of 1939-1945 came to grips with obsolete or partially modernized guns. All their inefficiency was fully revealed by World War II. Artillery urgently needed not only to be updated, but also to increase its number.

From 1941 to 1944, Germany produced more than 102,000 guns of various calibers and up to 70,000 mortars. By the time of the attack on the USSR, the Germans already had about 47 thousand artillery pieces, and this is without taking into account assault guns. If we take the United States as an example, then over the same period they produced about 150 thousand guns. Great Britain managed to produce only 70 thousand weapons of this class. But the record holder in this race was the Soviet Union: during the war years, more than 480 thousand guns and about 350 thousand mortars were fired here. Prior to this, the USSR already had 67 thousand barrels in service. This figure does not include 50mm mortars, naval artillery and anti-aircraft guns.

During the years of World War II, the artillery of the warring countries has undergone great changes. Constantly, either modernized or completely new guns came into service with the armies. Anti-tank and self-propelled artillery developed especially rapidly (photographs of that time demonstrate its power). According to experts from different countries, about half of all losses of the ground forces are accounted for by the use of mortars during the battle.

Artillery during WWII Part I

M. Zenkevich

Soviet artillery was created during the years of the civil war and went through two stages in its pre-war development. Between 1927 and 1930 the modernization of the artillery weapons inherited from the tsarist army was carried out, as a result of which the main performance characteristics guns in accordance with the new requirements, and this was done without great expense on the basis of existing weapons. Thanks to the modernization of artillery weapons, the firing range of artillery has increased by an average of one and a half times. The increase in firing range was achieved by lengthening the barrels, increasing the charges, increasing the elevation angle and improving the shape of the projectiles.

The increase in the power of the shot also required some alteration of the gun carriages. In the carriage of a 76-mm gun mod. In 1902, a balancing mechanism was introduced, muzzle brakes were installed on the 107 mm and 152 mm guns. For all the guns, a single sight of the 1930 model was adopted. After the modernization, the guns received new names: 76-mm gun of the 1902/30 model, 122-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 etc. Of the new types of artillery developed during this period, the 76-mm regimental gun mod. 1927 The beginning of the second stage in the development of Soviet artillery dates back to the early 1930s, when, as a result of the accelerated development of heavy industry, it became possible to begin a complete re-equipment of artillery with new models.

On May 22, 1929, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR adopted the system of artillery weapons developed by the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) for 1929-32. It was an important policy document for the development of Soviet artillery. It provided for the creation of anti-tank, battalion, regimental, divisional, corps and anti-aircraft artillery, as well as artillery of the High Command Reserve (RGK). The system was adjusted for each five-year plan and was the basis for the development of new tools. In accordance with it, in 1930, a 37-mm anti-tank gun was adopted. The carriage of this gun had sliding beds, which provided a horizontal firing angle of up to 60 ° without moving the bed. In 1932, a 45-mm anti-tank gun, also on a carriage with sliding beds, was put into service. In 1937, the 45-mm gun was improved: semi-automatic was introduced into the wedge gate, suspension was used, ballistic qualities were improved. Great work was carried out to re-equip divisional, corps and army artillery, as well as artillery of high power.

As a divisional gun, a 76-mm gun mod. 1939 with a semi-automatic wedge breech. The carriage of this gun had a rotating upper machine, high-speed lifting and turning mechanisms, sliding beds. The undercarriage with suspension and rubber weights on wheels allowed transportation speeds of up to 35-40 km / h. In 1938, the 122-mm howitzer mod. 1938. According to its tactical and technical data, this gun far surpassed all foreign models of this type. The 107-mm cannon mod. 1940 and 152 mm howitzer mod. 1938

The composition of the army artillery included: 122-mm gun mod. 1931/37 and 152 mm howitzer mod. 1937 The first sample of the 122 mm gun was developed in 1931. The 122 mm gun mod. 1931/37 was obtained by imposing the barrel of a 122-mm gun mod. 1931 on a new carriage arr. 1937, adopted as a single carriage for a 122 mm gun and a 152 mm howitzer. For all guns of divisional and corps artillery, a sight was adopted, independent of the gun, which made it possible to simultaneously load and aim the gun at the target. The problem of creating high-capacity Soviet artillery was also successfully resolved.

In the period from 1931 to 1939. accepted for service: 203-mm howitzer mod. 1931, 152 mm gun mod. 1935, 280 mm mortar mod. 1939, 210 mm gun mod. 1939 and 305 mm howitzer mod. 1939 Carriages for 152 mm guns, 203 mm howitzers and 280 mm mortars are of the same type, on caterpillar tracks. In the stowed position, the guns consisted of two wagons - a barrel and a gun carriage. In parallel with the development of the materiel of artillery, important measures were also taken to improve ammunition.

Soviet designers developed the most advanced long-range projectiles in form, as well as new types of armor-piercing projectiles. All shells were equipped with fuses and tubes of domestic production. It should be noted that the development of Soviet artillery was affected by such a widespread idea abroad at that time as universalism. It was about creating the so-called universal or semi-universal guns, which could be both field and anti-aircraft. For all the attractiveness of this idea, its implementation led to the creation of overly complex, heavy and expensive guns with low combat qualities. Therefore, after the creation and testing of a number of samples of such guns in the summer of 1935, a meeting of artillery designers was held with the participation of members of the government, at which the inconsistency and harmfulness of universalism were revealed and the need for specialization of artillery according to its combat purpose and types was pointed out. The idea of ​​replacing artillery with aircraft and tanks did not find support in the USSR either.

This path, for example, went german army, which made the main emphasis on aviation, tanks and mortars. Speaking in 1937 in the Kremlin, I.V. Stalin said: “The success of the war is decided not only by aviation. For the success of the war, an exceptionally valuable branch of the army is artillery. I would like our artillery to show that it is first class.”

This line on the creation of powerful artillery was strictly implemented, which was reflected, for example, in a sharp increase in the number of guns for all purposes. If on January 1, 1934 there were 17,000 guns in the Red Army, then on January 1, 1939 their number was 55,790, and on June 22, 1941, 67355 (without 50-mm mortars, of which there were 24158). In the prewar years, along with the rearmament of rifled artillery, extensive work was carried out to create mortars.

The first Soviet mortars were created in the early 30s, but some leaders of the Red Army considered them as a kind of "surrogate" for artillery, of interest only to the armies of underdeveloped states. However, after the mortars proved their high efficiency during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-40, their mass introduction into the troops began. The Red Army received 50-mm company and 82-mm battalion mortars, 107-mm mining and 120-mm regimental mortars. In total, from January 1, 1939 to June 22, 1941, over 40 thousand mortars were delivered to the Red Army. After the start of the war, along with the solution of tasks to increase the supply of artillery and mortar weapons to the front, design bureaus and industrial enterprises developed and introduced into production new artillery systems. In 1942, the 76.2-mm divisional gun mod. 1941 (ZIS-3), the design of which, with high combat performance, fully met the requirements of mass production. To combat enemy tanks in 1943, a 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun was developed on the carriage of a 76.2-mm gun mod. 1942

A little later, an even more powerful 100-mm cannon mod. 1944. Since 1943, 152-mm corps howitzers and 160-mm mortars began to enter the troops, which became an indispensable means of breaking through enemy defenses. In total, during the war years, the industry produced 482.2 thousand guns.

351.8 thousand mortars were manufactured (4.5 times more than in Germany, and 1.7 times more than in the USA and the countries of the British Empire). In the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army also widely used rocket artillery. The beginning of its use can be considered the formation in June 1941 of the First Separate Battery, which had seven BM-13 installations. By December 1, 1941 in the field rocket artillery there were already 7 regiments and 52 separate divisions, and at the end of the war the Red Army had 7 divisions, 11 brigades, 114 regiments and 38 separate rocket artillery battalions, for the armament of which more than 10 thousand multiply charged self-propelled launchers and more than 12 million rocket launchers were manufactured shells.

volley "Katyusha"

ZIS-3 76-MM GUN 1942 SAMPLE

A few weeks after the defeat of the Nazis near Moscow on January 5, 1942, the ZIS-3, the famous 76-mm divisional gun, received the go-ahead.

“As a rule, we received tactical and technical requirements for the development of new guns from the Main Artillery Directorate,” says the well-known designer of artillery systems V. Grabin. .

Caliber 76 mm - 3 inches - from the beginning of our century was considered the classic caliber of a divisional gun. Cannon powerful enough to engage enemy manpower from closed positions, suppress mortar and artillery batteries and other fire weapons. A cannon that is mobile enough to move across the battlefield by the combat crew and accompany the advancing units not only with fire, but also with wheels, crushing bunkers and bunkers with direct fire. Experience of the First World War. showed that when the trench defense is saturated with fire weapons, the advancing units need battalion and regimental close combat artillery. And the appearance of tanks required the creation of special anti-tank artillery.

Equipping the Red Army with military equipment has always been at the center of attention of the Communist Party and the Soviet government. On July 15, 1929, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks made a historic decision to create new military equipment, including artillery. fulfilling the program outlined by the party, Soviet designers were working on the creation of both close combat artillery and anti-tank artillery (37 and 45-mm guns). But when by the end of the 30s there was a gap between the capabilities of these anti-tank guns and the armor of tanks, the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) developed a tactical and technical task for a 76-mm divisional gun capable of fighting against tanks.

Solving this problem, a team of designers, headed by V. Grabin, in 1936 created a 76-mm F-22 divisional gun. Three years later, the F-22 USV was adopted. In 1940, the same team developed a 57 mm anti-tank gun. And finally, in 1941, having placed a 76-mm barrel on the improved carriage of this gun, the designers (A. Khvorostin, V. Norkin, K. Renne, V. Meshchaninov, P. Ivanov, V. Zemtsov, etc.) created the famous ZIS -3, - which was highly appreciated not only by our allies, but also by opponents.

... "The opinion that the ZIS-3 is the best 76-mm gun of the Second World War is absolutely justified," said the German professor Wolf, the former head of the artillery structures department at Krupp. "It can be said without any exaggeration that this is one of the most brilliant structures in the history of cannon artillery.

ZIS-3 was the last and most advanced 76-mm divisional gun. Further development of this class of guns required a transition to a larger caliber. What is the secret of the success of the ZIS-3? What, so to speak, is the "highlight" of its design?

V. Grabin answers these questions: "In lightness, reliability, convenience of combat work of the calculation, manufacturability and cheapness." Indeed, not containing any fundamentally new units and solutions that would not be known in world practice, the ZIS-3 is an example of a successful design and technical formation, an optimal combination of qualities. In ZIS-3, all non-working metal has been removed; for the first time in domestic serial 76-mm divisional guns, a muzzle brake was used, which reduced the length of the recoil, reduced the weight of the recoil parts and lightened the gun carriage; riveted beds were replaced by lighter tubular ones. The leaf springs in the suspension device were replaced by lighter and more reliable spring ones: A carriage with sliding beds was used, which sharply increases the angle of horizontal fire. For the first time, a monoblock barrel was used for such a caliber. But the main advantage of the ZIS-3 is its high manufacturability.

The design team headed by V. Grabin paid special attention to this quality of guns. Working on the method of accelerated design of artillery pieces, in which design and technological issues are solved in parallel, engineers systematically reduced the number of required parts from sample to sample. So, the F-22 had 2080 parts, the F-22 USV - 1057, and the ZIS-3 - only 719. Accordingly, the number of machine hours required to manufacture one gun also decreased. In 1936 this value was 2034 hours, in 1939 - 1300, in 1942 - 1029 and in 1944 - 475! It is thanks to the high manufacturability of the ZIS-3 that it went down in history as the world's first gun put into mass production and conveyor assembly. By the end of 1942, only one plant was producing up to 120 guns per day - before the war, this was its monthly program.

ZIS-3 in tow T-70M

Another important result achieved when working according to the accelerated design method is wide unification - the use of the same parts, assemblies, mechanisms and assemblies in different samples. It was the unification that made it possible for one plant to produce tens of thousands of guns for various purposes - tank, anti-tank and divisional. But it is symbolic that the 100,000th gun of the 92nd plant was precisely the ZIS-3 - the most massive gun of the Great Patriotic War.

A-19 122-MM GUN 1931/1937 MODEL

“In January 1943, our troops had already broken through the blockade and fought stubborn battles to expand the breakthrough at the famous Sinyavino Heights,” recalls Marshal of Artillery G. Odintsov, former commander of the artillery of the Leningrad Front: “ firing positions one of the batteries of the 267th Corps Artillery Regiment were in a swampy area, disguised by dense thickets of bushes. Hearing the roar of a tank engine ahead, the senior on the battery, having no doubt that the tank was ours, and fearing that he would crush the cannon, decided to warn the driver. But, standing on the carriage, he saw that a huge, unfamiliar tank with a cross on the turret was moving right at the gun ... The shot was fired from some 50 m. The shell literally demolished the split turret, and its pieces hit the the armor of the second tank following behind, that its crew fled without even having time to turn off the engine. Then our tankers pulled out enemy vehicles.

A serviceable "tiger" passed through the streets of besieged Leningrad, and then both tanks became exhibits of a "trophy exhibition" in the Moscow Gorky Park of Culture and Leisure. So the 122-mm corps gun helped to capture intact one of the first "tigers" that appeared at the front, and helped the personnel of the Soviet Army to find out the vulnerabilities of the "tigers".

First World War showed what a high price France, England and Russia had to pay for the neglect of heavy artillery. Counting on mobile warfare, these countries relied on light, highly mobile artillery, believing that heavy guns were unsuitable for swift marches. And already during the war, they were forced to catch up with Germany and, making up for lost time, urgently create heavy guns. Nevertheless, at the end of the war, the United States and England considered corps artillery to be completely unnecessary, while France and Germany were satisfied with the modernized corps guns of the end of the First World War.

The situation was quite different in our country. In May 1929, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic approved the system of artillery weapons for 1929-1932, and in June 1930, the 16th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks decided to accelerate the development of industry in every possible way, and primarily defense industry. The industrialization of the country has become a solid basis for the production of modern military equipment. In 1931, in pursuance of the approved weapons system, a 122-mm A-19 gun was manufactured at the artillery plant No. 172. This gun was intended for counter-battery combat, for disrupting the control of enemy troops, suppressing his rear, preventing the approach of reserves, the supply of ammunition, food, etc.

"The design of this gun, says Major General of the Engineering and Technical Service N. Komarov, was entrusted to the design bureau of the All-Union Weapons and Arsenal Association. The working group headed by S. Shukalov included S. Ananiev, V. Drozdov, G. Vodohlebov, B Markov, S. Rykovskov, N. Torbin and I. The project was done quickly and the drawings were immediately sent to the 172nd plant for the manufacture of a prototype. plant capabilities.

In terms of projectile power and firing range, the gun surpassed all foreign guns of this class. True, she came out somewhat heavier than them, but the large weight did not affect her fighting qualities, since she was designed for mechanical traction.

The A-19 differed from the old artillery systems in several innovations. The high initial velocity of the projectile increased the length of the barrel, and this, in turn, gave rise to difficulties in vertical aiming and in transporting the gun. To unload the lifting mechanism and facilitate the work of the gunner, we used a balancing mechanism; and in order to protect the critical components and mechanisms of the gun from shock loads during transportation, the fastening mechanism in the stowed way: before the march, the barrel was separated from the recoil devices, pulled back along the cradle and fastened with stoppers to the carriage. recoil devices allowed the mechanism of mutual closure.For the first time on guns of such a large caliber, sliding beds and a rotating upper machine were used, which ensured an increase in the angle of horizontal fire; suspension and metal wheels with a rubber tire rim, which made it possible to transport the gun along the highway at speeds up to 20 km / h " .

After extensive testing of the prototype, the A-19 was adopted by the Red Army. In 1933, the barrel of a 152-mm gun of the 1910/1930 model was placed on the carriage of this gun, and the 152-mm gun of the 1910/1934 model was put into service, but work on improving the single carriage continued. And in 1937, two corps guns on a unified carriage were adopted by the Red Army - a 122-mm cannon of the 1931/1937 model and a 152-mm howitzer - a cannon of the 1937 model. In this carriage, the lifting and balancing mechanisms are divided into two independent units, the elevation angle is increased to 65 °, a normalized sight with an independent aiming line is installed.

The 122-mm gun gave the Germans a lot of bitter minutes. There was not a single artillery preparation in which these wonderful guns would not take part. With their fire, they crushed the armor of the Nazi "Ferdinands" and "Panthers". It is no coincidence that this gun was used to create the famous ISU-122 self-propelled gun. And it is no coincidence that this gun on April 20, 1945 was one of the first to open fire on fascist Berlin.

122 mm gun model 1931/1937

B-4 203-MM HOWitz 1931 MODEL

Shooting direct fire from high-powered howitzers of the artillery of the reserve of the main command (ARGC) is not provided for by any shooting rules. But it was precisely for such shooting that the commander of the battery of 203-mm howitzers of the guard, Captain I. Vedmedenko, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

On the night of June 9, 1944, on one of the sectors of the Leningrad Front, to the sound of a firefight that drowned out the roar of engines, tractors dragged two huge massive tracked guns to the front line. When everything calmed down, only 1200 m separated the camouflaged guns from the target - a giant pillbox. Reinforced concrete walls two meters thick; three floors going underground; armored dome; approaches covered by the fire of flank bunkers - this structure was not without reason considered the main node of enemy resistance. And as soon as dawn broke, Vedmedenko's howitzers opened fire. For two hours, 100-kilogram concrete-piercing shells destroyed two-meter walls, until finally the enemy fortress ceased to exist ...

“For the first time, our gunners began to shoot direct fire at concrete fortifications from high-powered ARGC howitzers in battles with the White Finns in the winter of 1939/1940,” says Marshal of Artillery N. Yakovlev. “And this method of suppressing pillboxes was born not within the walls of headquarters, not in academies, but on the front line among the soldiers and officers who directly serve these wonderful weapons."

In 1914, the mobile war, which the generals counted on, lasted only a few months, after which it took on a positional character. It was then that the field artillery of the warring powers began to rapidly increase the number of howitzers - guns that, unlike cannons, were capable of hitting horizontal targets: destroying field fortifications and firing at troops hiding behind terrain folds.

Howitzer; as a rule, conducts mounted fire. The damaging effect of a projectile is determined not so much by its kinetic energy at the target, but by the amount of explosive contained in it. The muzzle velocity of the projectile, which is lower than that of a cannon, makes it possible to reduce the pressure of powder gases and shorten the barrel. As a result, the wall thickness decreases, the recoil force decreases and the gun carriage becomes lighter. As a result, the howitzer turns out to be two to three times lighter than a cannon of the same caliber. Another important advantage of the howitzer is that, by changing the amount of charge, it is possible to obtain a beam of trajectories at a constant elevation angle. True, the variable charge requires separate charging, which reduces the rate of fire, but this disadvantage is more than offset by the advantages. In the armies of the leading powers, by the end of the war, howitzers accounted for 40-50% of the entire artillery park.

But the trend towards the construction of powerful field-type defensive structures and a dense network of long-term firing points urgently required heavy guns with increased range, high projectile power and fire weight. In 1931, following the decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Soviet designers created a domestic high-powered B-4 howitzer. It began to be designed at the Artkom Design Bureau in 1927, where the work was headed by F. Lender. After his death, the project was transferred to the Bolshevik plant, where Magdesiev was the chief designer, and Gavrilov, Torbin and others were among the designers.

B-4 - 203-mm howitzer of the 1931 model - was intended for the destruction of especially strong concrete, reinforced concrete and armored structures, for combating large-caliber or enemy artillery sheltered by strong structures and for suppressing distant targets.

In order to speed up the equipping of the Red Army with a new weapon, production was organized simultaneously at two factories. Working drawings in the process of development were changed at each plant, adapting to technological capabilities. As a result, almost two different howitzers began to enter service. In 1937, unified drawings were worked out not by changing the design, but by arranging individual parts and assemblies that had already been tested in production and operation. The only innovation was the installation on a caterpillar track. allowing shooting directly from the ground Without special platforms.

The B-4 carriage became the basis for a whole family of high-power guns. In 1939, the 152 mm Br-19 gun and the 280 mm Br-5 mortar completed a number of intermediate designs. These works were carried out by a team of designers. plant "Barricade" under the leadership of the Hero of Socialist Labor I. Ivanov.

Thus, the creation of a complex of high-powered ground guns on a single carriage was completed: guns, howitzers, and mortars. The tools were transported by tractors. To do this, the guns were disassembled into two parts: the barrel was removed from the gun carriage and placed on a special gun cart, and the gun carriage, connected to the limber, made up the gun carriage.

Of all this complex, the B-4 howitzer was most widely used. The combination of a powerful projectile with a high elevation angle and a variable charge, giving 10 initial speeds, determined her brilliant fighting qualities. At any horizontal targets at a distance of 5 to 18 km, the howitzer could fire along the trajectory of the most advantageous steepness.

B-4 justified the hopes placed on it. Having started her combat path on the Karelian Isthmus in 1939, she passed through the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, participated in all major artillery preparations, storming fortresses and large cities.

203 mm howitzer model 1931

ML-20 152-MM HOWitzer-Gun Model 1937

“When they ask me what type of artillery firing makes the highest demands on the art of personnel,” says Marshal of Artillery G. Odintsov, “I answer: counter-battery combat. It, as a rule, is conducted at long ranges and usually results in a duel with the enemy, who fires back, threatening the shooter.The greatest chance to win a duel is with someone who has higher skill, more precisely a weapon, a more powerful projectile.

The experience of the fronts showed that the 152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model ML-20 turned out to be the best Soviet weapon for counter-battery combat.

The history of the creation of the ML-20 dates back to 1932, when a group of designers of the All-Union Gun and Arsenal Association - V. Grabin, N. Komarov and V. Drozdov - proposed to create a powerful 152-mm corps gun by imposing the barrel of a 152-mm Schneider siege gun on a gun carriage 122 mm A-19 guns. Calculations have shown that such an idea when installing a muzzle brake that takes away part of the recoil energy is real. Tests of a prototype confirmed the validity of the admitted technical risk, and the hull 152-mm gun of the 1910/34 model was put into service. In the mid-30s, it was decided to modernize this gun. The modernization work was headed by a young designer F. Petrov. Having studied the features of the gun carriage of the A-19 gun, he identified the main drawbacks of this gun: the lack of suspension at the front end limited the speed of movement; the lifting and balancing mechanism was difficult to fine-tune and provided an insufficiently high vertical pickup speed; it took a lot of energy and time to transfer the barrel from traveling to combat position and back; a cradle with recoil devices was difficult to manufacture.

Having re-developed a cast upper machine, dividing the combined lifting and balancing mechanism into two independent ones - a sector lifting and balancing mechanism, designing a front end with suspension, a sight with an independent aiming line and a cradle with a cast trunnion clip instead of a forged one, the designers created, for the first time in world practice, an intermediate type tool with properties and guns and howitzers. The elevation angle, increased to 65 °, and 13 variable charges made it possible to obtain a gun that, like a howitzer, has hinged trajectories and, like a cannon, high initial projectile velocities.

A. Bulashev, S. Gurenko, M. Burnyshev, A. Ilyin and many others took an active part in the development and creation of the howitzer-gun.

"The ML-20, developed by us in 1.5 months, was presented for state tests after the very first 10 shots fired at the factory firing range," recalls the winner of the Lenin and State Prizes, Hero of Socialist Labor, lieutenant general of the engineering service, doctor Technical Sciences F. Petrov. These tests were completed at the beginning of 1937, the gun was put into service and put into mass production in the same year. At first everything went well, but suddenly the barrel of one, then another, then the third howitzer guns small angles of elevation began to "give a candle" - spontaneously lift up to the maximum angle. It turned out that for a number of reasons the worm gear turned out to be insufficiently self-braking. For us, and especially for me, this phenomenon caused a lot of trouble, until after weary days and sleepless nights, quite enough was found simple solution We proposed to put a spring-loaded steel disk with a small adjustable gap in the threaded cover that secures the worm in the crankcase. At the moment of the shot, the end part of the worm comes into contact with the disk, which, creating a lot of additional friction, prevents the worm from turning.

What a relief I felt when, having found such a solution and quickly sketching out sketches, I introduced him to the director and chief engineer of the plant, as well as the head of the military acceptance. All of them ended up in the assembly shop that night, which, however, happened quite often, especially when it came to fulfilling defense orders in a short time. Immediately, the order was given to prepare the details of the device by morning.

When developing this tool, we paid special attention to improving manufacturability and reducing costs. It was with the production of howitzer-guns in artillery technology that steel shaped castings began to be widely used. Many components - upper and lower machines, hinged and trunk parts of the beds, wheel hubs - were made of cheap carbon steels.

Originally intended for "reliable action against artillery, headquarters, institutions and field-type installations", the 152-mm howitzer-cannon turned out to be a much more flexible, powerful and effective weapon than previously thought. The combat experience of the battles of the Great Patriotic War continuously expanded the range of tasks assigned to this wonderful weapon. And in the "Service Manual", published at the end of the war, the ML-20 was prescribed to fight enemy artillery, suppress long-range targets, destroy pillboxes and powerful bunkers, fight tanks and armored trains, and even destroy balloons.

During the Great Patriotic War, the 152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model invariably participated in all major artillery preparations, in counter-battery combat, and in the assault on fortified areas. But a particularly honorable role fell to this gun in the destruction of heavy fascist tanks. A heavy projectile, fired at a high initial velocity, easily ripped off the "tiger" turret from the shoulder strap. There were battles when these towers literally flew in the air with gun barrels dangling limply. And it is no coincidence that the ML-20 became the basis of the famous ISU-152.

But, perhaps, the most significant recognition of the excellent qualities of this weapon should be considered that the ML-20 was in service with Soviet artillery not only during the Great Patriotic War, but also in the post-war years.

BS-3 100-MM FIELD GUN SAMPLE 1944

“In the spring of 1943, when Hitler’s “tigers”, “panthers”, and “Ferdinands” began to appear on the battlefields in large numbers,” recalls the famous artillery designer V. Grabin, “in a note addressed to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I proposed, along with the resumption of production 57 mm anti-tank gun ZIS-2, create a new weapon - a 100 mm anti-tank gun with a powerful projectile.

Why did we settle for a new ground artillery caliber 100 mm, and not on the already existing 85- and 107-mm guns? The choice was not accidental. We believed that a gun was needed, the muzzle energy of which would be one and a half times greater than that of the 107-mm gun of the 1940 model. And 100-mm guns have long been successfully used in the navy, for them it was developed unitary cartridge.. while the 107 mm gun had separate loading. The presence of a shot mastered in production played a decisive role, since it takes a very long time to work it out. We didn't have much time...

We could not borrow the design of the naval gun: it is too bulky and heavy. Requirements for high power, mobility, lightness, compactness, high rate of fire led to a number of innovations. First of all, a high-performance muzzle brake was needed. The previously used slotted brake had an efficiency of 25-30%. For the 100-mm gun, it was necessary to develop a design for a two-chamber brake with an efficiency of 60%. To increase the rate of fire, a wedge semi-automatic shutter was used. The layout of the gun was entrusted to the lead designer A. Khvorostin."

The contours of the gun began to take shape on whatman paper during the May holidays of 1943. In a few days, the creative groundwork was realized, which was formed on the basis of long reflections, painful searches, studying combat experience and analyzing the best artillery designs in the world. The barrel and the semi-automatic shutter were designed by I. Griban, the recoil devices and the hydropneumatic balancing mechanism - by F. Kaleganov, the cradle of the cast structure - by B. Lasman, the equal-strength upper machine V. Shishkin. It was hard to decide the issue with the choice of wheels. The design bureau usually used the automobile wheels of GAZ-AA and ZIS-5 trucks for guns, but they were not suitable for the new gun. The next car was a five-ton YaAZ, however, its wheel turned out to be too heavy and large. Then the idea was born to put twin wheels from GAZ-AA, which made it possible to fit into the given weight and dimensions.

A month later, the working drawings were sent to production, and another five months later, the first prototype of the famous BS-3 came out of the gates of the plant - a gun designed to fight tanks and other mechanized means, to fight artillery, to suppress distant targets, to destroy infantry and manpower, enemy forces.

"Three design features distinguish the BS-3 from previously developed domestic systems," says State Prize winner A. Khvorostin. the requirements of lightness and compactness of the units, and changing the layout of the gun carriage significantly reduced the load on the frame when firing at the maximum angles of rotation of the upper machine.If in the usual schemes of the gun carriage, each frame was calculated for 2/3 of the recoil force of the gun, then in the new scheme, the force acting on the frame at any angle of horizontal guidance, did not exceed 1/2 of the recoil force.In addition, the new scheme simplified the equipment of a combat position.

Thanks to all these innovations, the BS-3 stood out for its extremely high metal utilization rate. This means that in its design it was possible to achieve the most perfect combination of power and mobility."

The BS-3 was tested by a commission chaired by General Panikhin - representative: commander of artillery of the Soviet Army. According to V. Grabin, one of the most interesting moments was the shooting at the Tiger tank. A cross was drawn on the turret of the tank with chalk. The gunner received the initial data and fired a shot from 1500 m. Approaching the tank, everyone was convinced that the shell almost hit the cross and pierced the armor. After that, the tests continued according to a given program, and the commission recommended the gun for service.

BS-Z tests prompted new method fighting heavy tanks. Somehow, at the training ground, a shot was fired at a captured "Ferdinand" from a distance of 1500 m. And although, as expected, the projectile did not penetrate the 200-mm frontal armor of the self-propelled gun, its gun and control system failed. The BS-Z was able to effectively deal with enemy tanks and self-propelled guns at distances exceeding the range of a direct shot. In this case, as experience has shown, the crew of enemy vehicles was struck by fragments of armor that broke off from the hull due to the enormous overvoltages that occur in the metal at the moment the projectile hits the armor. The manpower that the projectile retained at these ranges was sufficient to bend, mangle the armor.

In August 1944, when the BS-Z began to arrive at the front, the war was already nearing its end, so the experience of combat use of this weapon is limited. Nevertheless, the BS-3 rightfully occupies an honorable place among the guns of the Great Patriotic War, because it contained ideas that were widely used in artillery designs of the post-war period.

M-30 122-MM HOWitzER MODEL 1938

“W-wah! A gray cloud shot up on the side of the enemy. The fifth shell hit the dugout where the ammunition was stored. smoke, and a huge explosion shook the surroundings" - this is how P. Kudinov, a former artilleryman and participant in the war, describes the everyday combat work of the M-30 of the famous 122-mm divisional howitzer of the 1938 model in the book "Howitzers Fire".

Before the First World War in the artillery of the Western powers for divisional howitzers, a caliber of 105 mm was adopted. Russian artillery thought went its own way: the army was armed with 122-mm divisional howitzers of the 1910 model. The experience of military operations has shown that a projectile of this caliber, having the most advantageous fragmentation action, at the same time gives a minimally satisfactory high-explosive action. However, at the end of the 1920s, the 122-mm howitzer of the 1910 model did not meet the views of experts on the nature of the future war: it had insufficient range, rate of fire and mobility.

According to the new "Artillery Armament System for 1929-1932", approved by the Revolutionary Military Council in May 1929, it was planned to create a 122-mm howitzer with a weight in the stowed position of 2200 kg, a firing range of 11-12 km and a combat rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute. Since the model developed according to these requirements turned out to be too heavy, the upgraded 122-mm howitzer of the 1910/30 model of the year was retained in service. And some experts began to lean towards the idea of ​​abandoning the 122-mm caliber and adopting 105-mm howitzers.

“In March 1937, at a meeting in the Kremlin,” recalls the Hero of Socialist Labor, Lieutenant General of the Engineering and Technical Service F. Petrov, “I spoke about the reality of creating precisely the 122-mm howitzer and, answering numerous questions, gave out what is being said, bills of exchange. My optimism was fueled by what I thought was then a great success of our team in creating the 152-mm howitzer - the ML-20 cannon. The meeting outlined a plant (unfortunately, not the one where I worked), which was to develop a prototype. Feeling great responsibility for everything I said at a meeting in the Kremlin, I invited the management of my factory to take the initiative in developing a 122-mm howitzer.For this purpose, a small group of designers was organized.The first estimates, which used the schemes of existing guns, showed that the task was really difficult But the perseverance and enthusiasm of the designers - S. Dernov, A. Ilyin, N. Dobrovolsky, A. Chernykh, V. Burylov, A. Drozdov and N. Kostrulin - took their toll: in the fall of 1937, two projects were defended: developed by the team of V. Sidorenko and ours. Our project has been approved.

According to tactical and technical data, primarily in terms of maneuverability and flexibility of fire - the ability to quickly transfer fire from one target to another - our howitzer fully met the requirements of the GAU. By the most important characteristic- muzzle energy - exceeded the howitzer of the 1910/30 model more than twice. Advantageously, our gun also differed from the 105-mm divisional howitzers of the armies of the capitalist countries.

The estimated weight of the gun is about 2200 kg: 450 kg less than the howitzer developed by the team of V. Sidorenko. By the end of 1938, all tests were completed and the gun was put into service under the name 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model.

The combat wheels were for the first time equipped with an automobile-type marching brake. The transition from traveling to combat took no more than 1-1.5 minutes. When the beds were extended, the springs were automatically turned off, and the beds themselves were automatically fixed in the extended position. In the stowed position, the barrel was fixed without disconnecting from the rods of the recoil devices and without pulling. To simplify and reduce the cost of production in a howitzer, parts and assemblies of existing artillery systems were widely used. So, for example, the shutter was taken from a regular howitzer of the 1910/30 model, the sight from a 152-mm howitzer - a cannon of the 1937 model, the wheels - from a divisional 76-mm cannon of the 1936 model, etc. Many parts were made by casting and stamping. That is why the M-30 was one of the most simple and inexpensive domestic artillery systems.

A curious fact testifies to the great survivability of this howitzer. Once, during the war, it became known at the plant that the troops had a gun that had fired 18,000 rounds. The factory offered to exchange this copy for a new one. And after a thorough factory inspection, it turned out that the howitzer had not lost its qualities and was suitable for further combat use. This conclusion was unexpectedly confirmed: during the formation of the next echelon, as a sin, a shortage of one gun was discovered. And with the consent of the military acceptance, the unique howitzer again went to the front as a newly made gun.

M-30 on direct fire

The experience of the war showed that the M-30 brilliantly performed all the tasks that were assigned to it. She destroyed and suppressed the manpower of the enemy as in open areas. and located in field-type shelters, destroyed and suppressed infantry firepower, destroyed field-type structures and fought artillery and. enemy mortars.

But most clearly, the advantages of the 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model were manifested in the fact that its capabilities turned out to be wider than prescribed by the leadership of the service. -In the days of the heroic defense of Moscow, howitzers fired directly at Nazi tanks. Later, the experience was consolidated by the creation of a cumulative projectile for the M-30 and an additional item in the service manual: "The howitzer can be used to fight tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts and other enemy armored vehicles."

See the continuation on the website: WWII - Weapons of Victory - WWII Artillery Part II

The fighters of these units were envied and - at the same time - sympathized with. “The trunk is long, life is short”, “Double salary - triple death!”, “Farewell, Motherland!” - all these nicknames, hinting at high mortality, went to the soldiers and officers who fought in the anti-tank artillery (IPTA) of the Red Army.

The calculation of the anti-tank guns of senior sergeant A. Golovalov is firing at German tanks. In recent battles, the calculation destroyed 2 enemy tanks and 6 firing points (the battery of Senior Lieutenant A. Medvedev). The explosion on the right is the return shot of a German tank.

All this is true: both the salaries increased by one and a half to two times for the IPTA units on the staff, and the length of the barrels of many anti-tank guns, and the unusually high mortality among the artillerymen of these units, whose positions were often located near, or even in front of the infantry front ... But the truth and the fact that anti-tank artillery accounted for 70% of the destroyed German tanks; and the fact that among the artillerymen awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, every fourth is a soldier or officer of anti-tank units. In absolute terms, it looks like this: out of 1744 gunners - Heroes of the Soviet Union, whose biographies are presented in the lists of the Heroes of the Country project, 453 people fought in anti-tank fighter units, the main and only task of which was direct fire at German tanks ...
Keep up with the tanks

In itself, the concept of anti-tank artillery as a separate type of this kind of troops appeared shortly before the Second World War. During the First World War, conventional field guns were quite successful in fighting slow-moving tanks, for which armor-piercing shells were quickly developed. In addition, until the beginning of the 1930s, tank reservations remained mainly bulletproof, and only with the approach of a new world war began to intensify. Accordingly, specific means of combating this type of weapon were also required, which became anti-tank artillery.

In the USSR, the first experience of creating special anti-tank guns came at the very beginning of the 1930s. In 1931, a 37 mm anti-tank gun appeared, which was a licensed copy of a German gun designed for the same purpose. A year later, a Soviet semi-automatic 45 mm cannon was installed on the carriage of this gun, and thus a 45 mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model - 19-K appeared. Five years later, it was modernized, resulting in a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model of the year - 53-K. It was she who became the most massive domestic anti-tank gun - the famous "forty-five".

Calculation of the M-42 anti-tank gun in battle. Photo: warphoto.ru

Soviet gunners are preparing to open fire with a 45-mm anti-tank gun. Karelian front.

Alas, by the beginning of World War II, the country did not have time to complete the formation of anti-tank brigades of the RGC. But even unformed, these units, which came at the disposal of the army and front commands, made it possible to maneuver them much more efficiently than anti-tank units in the state of rifle divisions. And although the beginning of the war led to catastrophic losses throughout the Red Army, including in artillery units, due to this, the necessary experience was accumulated, which rather soon led to the emergence of specialized anti-tank units.

Birth of artillery special forces

It quickly became clear that regular divisional anti-tank weapons were not capable of seriously resisting the Wehrmacht’s tank spearheads, and the lack of anti-tank guns of the required caliber forced light field guns to be rolled out for direct fire. At the same time, their calculations, as a rule, did not have the necessary training, which means that they sometimes acted insufficiently efficiently even in favorable conditions for them. In addition, due to the evacuation of artillery factories and the massive losses of the first months of the war, the shortage of main guns in the Red Army became catastrophic, so they had to be disposed of much more carefully.

Soviet artillerymen roll 45-mm M-42 anti-tank guns, following in the ranks of the advancing infantry on the Central Front.

Soviet gunners with a 45 mm anti-tank gun in December 1941. Photo: Museum of Engineering Troops and Artillery, St. Petersburg

The crossing of the artillery crew and the 45-mm anti-tank gun 53-K across the river. The crossing is carried out on a pontoon of landing boats A-3

Pushkar elite

The appearance of the order was preceded by a great deal of preparatory work, concerning not only calculations, but also how many guns and what caliber the new units should have and what advantages their composition would enjoy. It was quite clear that the fighters and commanders of such units, who would have to risk their lives daily in the most dangerous areas of defense, needed a powerful not only material, but also a moral incentive. They did not assign the title of guards to the new units during the formation, as was done with the units of the Katyusha rocket launchers, but decided to leave the well-established word “fighter” and add “anti-tank” to it, emphasizing the special significance and purpose of the new units. For the same effect, as far as we can judge now, the introduction of a special sleeve insignia for all soldiers and officers of anti-tank artillery was calculated - a black rhombus with crossed golden trunks of stylized Shuvalov "unicorns".

All this was spelled out in the order in separate paragraphs. The same separate clauses prescribed special financial conditions for new units, as well as norms for the return of wounded soldiers and commanders to duty. So, the commanding staff of these units and subunits was set one and a half, and the junior and private - a double salary. For each downed tank, the crew of the gun was also entitled to a cash bonus: the commander and gunner - 500 rubles each, the rest of the calculation numbers - 200 rubles each. It is noteworthy that initially other amounts appeared in the text of the document: 1000 and 300 rubles, respectively, but the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, who signed the order, personally reduced the prices. As for the norms for returning to service, the entire commanding staff of the anti-tank destroyer units, up to the division commander, had to be kept on special account, and at the same time, the entire staff after treatment in hospitals had to be returned only to the indicated units. This did not guarantee that the soldier or officer would return to the very battalion or division in which he fought before being wounded, but he could not end up in any other units other than anti-tank destroyers.

The new order instantly turned the anti-tankers into the elite artillery of the Red Army. But this elitism was confirmed by a high price. The level of losses in anti-tank fighter units was noticeably higher than in other artillery units. It is no coincidence that anti-tank units became the only subtype of artillery, where the same order No. 0528 introduced the position of deputy gunner: in battle, crews that rolled out their guns to unequipped positions in front of the defending infantry and fired at direct fire often died earlier than their equipment.

From battalions to divisions

The new artillery units quickly gained combat experience, which spread just as quickly: the number of anti-tank fighter units grew. On January 1, 1943, the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army consisted of two fighter divisions, 15 fighter brigades, two heavy anti-tank regiments, 168 anti-tank regiments and one anti-tank battalion.

Anti-tank artillery unit on the march.

Guards artillerymen rolling a 45-mm anti-tank gun 53-K (model 1937) into a prepared trench. Kursk direction.

Soviet gunners at the 45 mm M-42 anti-tank gun. In the background is the T-34-85 tank.

Masters of "firebags"

In ambush "forty-five", 45-mm anti-tank gun model 1937 (53-K).

Soviet artillerymen from the units of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps fire at the enemy from a camouflaged position. In the foreground: 45-mm anti-tank gun 53-K (model 1937), in the background: 76-mm regimental gun (model 1927). Bryansk front.

Unknown Soviet female soldiers from the anti-tank artillery unit (IPTA).

The crew of Soviet artillerymen fires from a 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model (53-K) at a German tank on a village street. The number of the calculation gives the loader a 45-mm sub-caliber projectile.

Knowing all this, one is no longer surprised at the number of heroes among the fighters and commanders of anti-tank fighter units. Among them were real gunners-snipers. Such as, for example, the gun commander of the 322nd Guards Anti-Tank Regiment of the Guard, Senior Sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov, who accounted for almost three dozen fascist tanks, and ten of them (including six "Tigers"!) He knocked out in one battle. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Or, say, the gunner of the 493rd anti-tank artillery regiment, Sergeant Stepan Khoptyar. He fought from the very first days of the war, went with battles to the Volga, and then to the Oder, where in one battle he destroyed four German tanks, and in just a few January days of 1945 - nine tanks and several armored personnel carriers. The country appreciated this feat: in April, the victorious forty-fifth, Khoptyar was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Hero of the Soviet Union gunner of the 322nd Guards Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the Guard Senior Sergeant Zakir Lutfurakhmanovich Asfandiyarov (1918-1977) and Hero of the Soviet Union gunner of the 322nd Guards Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment of the Guard Sergeant Veniamin Mikhailovich Permyakov (1924- 1990) are reading the letter. In the background, Soviet gunners at the 76-mm ZiS-3 divisional gun.

Z.L. Asfandiyarov on the front of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. Particularly distinguished himself during the liberation of Ukraine.
On January 25, 1944, in the battles for the village of Tsibulev (now the village of Monastyrishchensky district of the Cherkasy region), a gun under the command of the guards senior sergeant Zakir Asfandiyarov was attacked by eight tanks and twelve armored personnel carriers with enemy infantry. Having let the enemy attacking column into direct range, the gun crew opened aimed sniper fire and burned all eight enemy tanks, of which four were Tiger-type tanks. The senior sergeant of the guard Asfandiyarov himself destroyed one officer and ten soldiers with fire from personal weapons. When the gun went out of action, the brave guardsman switched to the gun of the neighboring unit, the calculation of which failed and, having repelled a new massive enemy attack, destroyed two tanks of the Tiger type and up to sixty Nazi soldiers and officers. In just one battle, the calculation of the guards of senior sergeant Asfandiyarov destroyed ten enemy tanks, of which six were of the Tiger type and over one hundred and fifty enemy soldiers and officers.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2386) was awarded to Asfandiyarov Zakir Lutfurakhmanovich by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 1, 1944.

V.M. Permyakov was drafted into the Red Army in August 1942. At the artillery school he received the specialty of a gunner. From July 1943 at the front, he fought in the 322nd Guards Anti-Tank Regiment as a gunner. He received his baptism of fire on the Kursk salient. In the first battle, he burned three German tanks, was wounded, but did not leave his combat post. For courage and steadfastness in battle, accuracy in defeating tanks, Sergeant Permyakov was awarded the Order of Lenin. He especially distinguished himself in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine in January 1944.
On January 25, 1944, in the area at the fork in the road near the villages of Ivakhny and Tsibulev, now the Monastyrishchensky district of the Cherkasy region, the calculation of the guards of senior sergeant Asfandiyarov, in which sergeant Permyakov was the gunner, was among the first to meet the attack of enemy tanks and armored personnel carriers by infantry. Reflecting the first onslaught, Permyakov destroyed 8 tanks with accurate fire, of which four were tanks of the Tiger type. When the positions of the artillerymen approached the enemy landing, he entered into hand-to-hand combat. He was wounded, but did not leave the battlefield. Having beaten off the attack of machine gunners, he returned to the gun. When the gun failed, the guards switched to the gun of a neighboring unit, the calculation of which failed and, repelling a new massive enemy attack, destroyed two more Tiger-type tanks and up to sixty Nazi soldiers and officers. During a raid by enemy bombers, the gun was broken. Permyakov, wounded and shell-shocked, was sent to the rear unconscious. On July 1, 1944, Sergeant Veniamin Mikhailovich Permyakov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2385).

Lieutenant General Pavel Ivanovich Batov presents the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal to the commander of an anti-tank gun, Sergeant Ivan Spitsyn. Mozyr direction.

Ivan Yakovlevich Spitsin has been at the front since August 1942. He distinguished himself on October 15, 1943 when crossing the Dnieper. Direct fire, the calculation of Sergeant Spitsin destroyed three enemy machine guns. Having crossed to the bridgehead, the artillerymen fired at the enemy until a direct hit broke the gun. Artillerymen joined the infantry, during the battle they captured enemy positions along with cannons and began to destroy the enemy from his own guns.

On October 30, 1943, for the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, Sergeant Spitsin Ivan Yakovlevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 1641).

But even against the background of these and hundreds of other heroes from among the soldiers and officers of anti-tank artillery, the feat of Vasily Petrov, the only one among them twice Hero of the Soviet Union, stands out. Drafted into the army in 1939, right on the eve of the war he graduated from the Sumy Artillery School, and met the Great Patriotic War as a lieutenant, platoon commander of the 92nd separate artillery battalion in Novograd-Volynsky in Ukraine.

Captain Vasily Petrov earned his first "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union after crossing the Dnieper in September 1943. By that time, he was already deputy commander of the 1850th anti-tank artillery regiment, and on his chest he wore two orders of the Red Star and a medal "For Courage" - and three stripes for wounds. Decree on assignment to Petrov the highest degree distinction was signed on the 24th and published on December 29, 1943. By that time, the thirty-year-old captain was already in the hospital, having lost both hands in one of the last battles. And if not for the legendary Order No. 0528, which ordered the return of the wounded to anti-tank units, the freshly baked Hero would hardly have got a chance to continue fighting. But Petrov, who was always distinguished by firmness and perseverance (sometimes dissatisfied subordinates and superiors said that he was stubborn), achieved his goal. And at the very end of 1944 he returned to his regiment, which by that time had already become known as the 248th Guards Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment.

With this regiment of the guard, Major Vasily Petrov reached the Oder, crossed it and distinguished himself by holding a bridgehead on the western bank, and then participating in the development of the offensive on Dresden. And this did not go unnoticed: by decree of June 27, 1945, for the spring exploits on the Oder, artillery major Vasily Petrov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. By this time, the regiment of the legendary major had already been disbanded, but Vasily Petrov himself remained in the ranks. And he remained in it until his death - and he died in 2003!

After the war, Vasily Petrov managed to graduate from Lviv State University and military academy, received the degree of candidate of military sciences, rose to the rank of lieutenant general of artillery, which he received in 1977, and served as deputy chief missile troops and artillery of the Carpathian military district. As the grandson of one of General Petrov's colleagues recalls, from time to time, going for a walk in the Carpathians, the middle-aged commander managed to literally drive his adjutants who could not keep up with him on the way up ...

Memory is stronger than time

The post-war fate of anti-tank artillery completely repeated the fate of all the Armed Forces of the USSR, which changed in accordance with the changing challenges of the time. Since September 1946, the personnel of anti-tank artillery units and subunits, as well as anti-tank rifle subunits, ceased to receive increased salaries. The right to a special sleeve insignia, which the anti-tankers were so proud of, remained ten years longer. But it also disappeared over time: another order to introduce new form for the Soviet army canceled this patch.

Gradually, the need for specialized anti-tank artillery units also disappeared. Cannons were replaced by anti-tank guided missiles, and units armed with these weapons appeared on the staff of motorized rifle units. In the mid-1970s, the word “fighter” disappeared from the name of the anti-tank units, and twenty years later, along with Soviet army the last two dozen anti-tank artillery regiments and brigades also disappeared. But whatever the post-war history of Soviet anti-tank artillery, it will never cancel the courage and feats with which the fighters and commanders of the anti-tank artillery of the Red Army glorified their kind of troops during the Great Patriotic War.