152 mm gun howitzer on a naval pedestal
The artillery of Russia and the world, along with other states, has introduced the most significant innovations - the transformation of a smooth-bore gun loaded from the muzzle into a rifled one loaded from the breech (lock). The use of streamlined projectiles and various types of fuses with an adjustable setting for the response time; more powerful gunpowders, such as cordite, which appeared in Britain before the First World War; the development of rolling systems, which made it possible to increase the rate of fire and relieved the gun crew from the hard work of rolling into the firing position after each shot; connection in one assembly of the projectile, propellant charge and fuse; the use of shrapnel shells, after the explosion, scattering small steel particles in all directions.
Russian artillery, capable of firing large projectiles, sharply highlighted the problem of weapon durability. In 1854, during the Crimean War, Sir William Armstrong, a British hydraulic engineer, proposed the wrought iron gun barrel method of first twisting iron bars and then welding them together by forging. The gun barrel was additionally strengthened with wrought iron rings. Armstrong set up a business that made guns of several sizes. One of the most famous was his 12-pounder rifled gun with a 7.6 cm (3 in) bore and a screw lock mechanism.
The artillery of the Second World War (WWII), in particular the Soviet Union, probably had the largest potential among the European armies. At the same time, the Red Army experienced the purges of Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin and endured the difficult Winter War with Finland at the end of the decade. During this period, Soviet design bureaus took a conservative approach to technology.
The first modernization effort was to improve the 76.2 mm M00/02 field gun in 1930, which included improved ammunition and the replacement of barrels for part of the gun fleet, the new version of the gun was called the M02/30. Six years later, the 76.2 mm M1936 field gun appeared, with a carriage from the 107 mm.
Heavy artilleryof all armies, and rather rare materials from the time of Hitler's blitzkrieg, whose army smoothly and without delay crossed the Polish border. The German army was the most modern and best equipped army in the world. Wehrmacht artillery acted in close cooperation with infantry and aviation, trying to quickly occupy the territory and deprive the Polish army of communication lines. The world shuddered upon learning of a new armed conflict in Europe.
Artillery of the USSR in the positional conduct of hostilities on the Western Front in the last war and the horror in the trenches of the military leaders of some countries created new priorities in the tactics of using artillery. They believed that in the second global conflict of the 20th century, mobile firepower and accuracy of fire would be decisive factors.
The 152-mm D-20 howitzer cannon is an artillery gun that combines the properties of a cannon and a howitzer, with the former predominating. The D-20 howitzer gun was developed immediately after the end of the Second World War in OKB-9 by F. F. Petrov; it was supposed to replace the pre-war 152-mm ML-20 howitzer gun of the 1937 model.
The 152-mm D-20 howitzer gun and the 122-mm D-74 gun were created as the so-called "hull duplex". It was believed that it was precisely such artillery systems that would make it possible to most fully solve the tasks facing corps artillery, and at the same time reduce costs and make it possible to significantly simplify their repair and operation, improve the supply of spare parts and the preparation of artillery crews.
The D-20 became the first 152 mm gun system with a semi-automatic wedge breech with vertical wedge movement. The barrel of the D-20 howitzer gun consisted of a pipe, a breech, a clip and a muzzle brake. The shutter is vertical wedge, with semi-automatic mechanical (copy) type. The barrel length was 25 calibers.
The lifting mechanism has one sector, provides a vertical firing angle from -5 to +63 degrees.
The rotary mechanism of the screw type is located on the left side of the gun, the angle of horizontal fire is 58 degrees.
Basically, the D-20 is in many ways similar to the earlier model of the 152-mm D-1 howitzer, but the main difference between the D-20 and the D-1 is the choice of ammunition. From the D-20, it was still possible to fire most types of D-1 ammunition, the ammunition load of which includes separate loading shots with fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation and concrete-piercing projectiles. But she also had her own family of ammunition. The D-20 was one of the first Soviet artillery systems capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons.
There was also a large selection of chemical munitions, but at the present time all of them have been withdrawn from service. An improved system of variable power propellant charges made it possible to increase the maximum range of the D-20 shot to 17410 meters, (VOF-32 shot with the OF25 high-explosive fragmentation projectile. The weight of the projectile is 43.56 kg, its bursting charge is 6.88 kg of powerful explosive A-IX -2. Mechanical fuses RGM-2, V-90 and radio fuse AR-5. When fully charged, the initial speed is 655 m / s, and the maximum range is 17410 m. The minimum firing range on charge No. 6 is 4600 m.) The projectile made it possible to bring the firing range up to 24,000 meters.
One of the latest innovations is the use of a laser-guided guided anti-tank projectile Krasnopol as part of the 3VOF64 shot. Targets are illuminated by advanced artillery observers using 1D15 (PP-3), 1D20, 1D22 or 1D26 devices. When firing Krasnopol, a crew of three illuminates the target using a laser designator-rangefinder, which is part of the Malachite portable automated fire control system. Small targets like a tank can be illuminated at a distance of up to 5-7 kilometers during the day and 4 km at night, larger targets - up to 15 km. After that, a guided artillery shell is fired from a remote position.
The D-20 was one of the first Soviet artillery systems capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. There was also a large selection of chemical munitions (currently retired). An improved system of variable power propellant charges made it possible to increase the maximum range of the D-20 shot to 17410 meters, (VOF-32 shot with the OF25 high-explosive fragmentation projectile. The weight of the projectile is 43.56 kg, its bursting charge is 6.88 kg of powerful explosive A-IX -2 Mechanical fuses RGM-2, V-90 and radio fuse AR-5.
When fully charged, the initial speed is 655 m/s, and the maximum range is 17410 m. In addition, the ammunition load of the D-20, as well as a number of other 152-mm artillery systems, includes an adjustable (guided) Centimeter projectile. The index of the complex is Centimeter 2K24, and the projectile itself is ZOF38. Projectile weight 49.5 kg, explosive TNT equivalent - 8.5 kg. Firing range from 2 to 12 km. The complex includes a laser designator rangefinder (LCD), which is located at a distance of 0.2 to 5 km from the target. Before firing, the LCD is aimed at the target. Synchronously with the shot, an alert signal is sent to the LCD. When the projectile enters the final section of the ballistic trajectory, the laser illumination of the target is turned on. Moreover, when fired by direct fire, the backlight time is limited to one second, and when firing from mounted fire - to three seconds. This is done so that the enemy is not able to interfere and detect the source of radiation.
1956 It was part of a hull duplex consisting of a 122 mm D 74 gun and a 152 mm D 20 howitzer gun, which was designed at OKB 9 under the direction of F. F. Petrov. In December 1949, plant No. 9 manufactured a 122 mm D 74B ballistic mount on ... ... Military Encyclopedia
This term has other meanings, see Hyacinth. 2A36 "Hyacinth B" 152 mm gun 2A36 in the Artillery Museum of St. Petersburg ... Wikipedia
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Caliber, mm 152.4 Copies not less than 37 Calculation, pers. 15 Rate of fire, rds / min 0.5 Highway transportation speed, km / h up to 15 (separately) Height of the line of fire, mm 1920 ... Wikipedia
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152 mm gun mod. 1910/34- 152 mm gun mod. 1910/34 1934 In 1932, a project was developed to overlay the barrel of a 152 mm gun mod. 1910/30 on a gun carriage 122 mm mod. 1931 (A 19). The system thus obtained was originally called the 152 mm howitzer mod. 1932, ... ... Military Encyclopedia
Books
- Composite model. ISU-152. Soviet tank destroyer "St. John's wort" (5026), . ISU-152 earned the nickname "St. John's wort" from the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Her 152-mm gun-howitzer ML-20 S mod. 1937/43 sent 44 kilogram shells at the target with 6 kg of TNT in each. ...
The 152-mm D-20 howitzer gun was designed in Yekaterinburg OKB-9 under the leadership of Petrov. Serial production began in the 55th at the plant number 221 in Volgograd (now the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Barricades").
The D-20 howitzer has a barrel, the length of which is about 26 calibers, consisting of a monoblock pipe, a breech, a clutch and a two-chamber muzzle brake. Wedge gate, vertical with mechanical semi-automatic. The swivel and lifting mechanism provides vertical firing angles of -5; +45 degrees, and a horizontal firing angle of 58 degrees.
For firing from the D-20, the same shots are used as for the 152 mm D-1 howitzer. It is possible to fire tactical nuclear munitions and guided missiles "Krasnopol".
In 2003 JSC "Motovilikhinskiye Zavody" mastered and is still carrying out major repairs of the D-20 howitzer, as well as the production of its parts and command units. In the process of overhaul, the designers of JSC "Motovilikhinskiye zavody" produced and defended with fire tests the modernization of the D-20, which improves the operational characteristics of the jacks and the reliability of the mechanisms of the bolt group systems.
The 152mm D-20 howitzer cannon is another example of the old Soviet tradition of combining components from existing artillery pieces. systems, getting new ones. In this case, a new 152 mm barrel was mounted on the carriage of a 122 mm D-74 field gun. This 152 mm howitzer was developed after the end of the Second World War (1941–1945), but the industrial production of the howitzer gun began only in the early 1950s, and the gun was first shown in 1955.
The base of the D-20 is similar to the early model of the 152 mm D-1 howitzer, however, it has a different arrangement of recoil absorbers, and the weight of the D-74 carriage is such that additional wheels are required to move the howitzer gun on the front of the beds. The shape of the shield is also different.
However, the main difference between the D-20 and the D-1 is the choice of ammunition. When firing from the D-20, most types of D-1 howitzer ammunition can be used, but it has its own family of ammunition. The D-20 gun became the first Soviet artillery system capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons. In addition, there was a large selection of chemical munitions, which are now out of service. An improved system of propellant charges with variable power made it possible to increase the maximum range to 17410 meters, and the use of an active-rocket projectile allows you to destroy targets at a distance of up to 24 thousand meters. The latest innovations include the use of an anti-tank projectile weighing 50 kilograms with laser beam guidance "Krasnopol".
Armor penetration of the armor-piercing tracer blunt-headed projectile BR-540B (special charge, initial speed of 600 meters per second, DBR fuse, direct shot range at a target height of 2.7 meters - 860 meters).
The thickness of the pierced armor at a meeting angle of 90 degrees at a distance of 500 meters - 130 mm, 1000 m - 120 mm, 1500 m - 115 mm, 2000 m - 105 mm.
The thickness of the pierced armor at a meeting angle of 30 degrees at a distance of 500 meters - 105 mm, 1000 m - 100 mm, 1500 m - 95 mm, 2000 m - 85 mm.
The 155 mm barrel mounted on the 2S5 self-propelled howitzer is a modified D-20 barrel. The former Yugoslavia exported a modification of the D-20 with a barrel length of 39 calibers, which was adopted by the army of Yugoslavia - the state of affairs is unknown today. The Romanian army is armed with a towed howitzer developed in Romania and known as the Model M1985. Some features of the D-20 gun-howitzer are visible in its design. The Chinese modification was produced under the designation 152 mm Type 66.
Tactical and technical data of the 152-millimeter gun-howitzer D-20:
First prototype - late 1940s;
Serial production started in the 54th or 55th year;
In service with: Algeria, Afghanistan, Hungary, Egypt, India, China, Nicaragua, CIS countries, Ethiopia, etc.;
Combat crew - 10 people;
Full combat weight - 5650 kg;
Barrel length - 8690 mm;
The total length in the stowed position is 75580 mm;
Width in the stowed position - 2320 mm;
Maximum range of fire 17410 m;
The maximum range of ARS fire is 24 thousand m;
The initial speed of the projectile - 655 m / s;
OFS projectile weight - 43.51 kg;
Maximum elevation/declination +63/-5 degrees;
The horizontal guidance angle is 58 degrees.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the 152 mm D-20 gun-howitzer:
Ballistic data:
The initial speed of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile:
- full charge - 655 m / s;
- reduced charge - 511 m / s;
The initial speed of the armor-piercing tracer projectile is 600 m / s;
The initial speed of the cumulative projectile - 680 m / s;
The greatest range of fire - 17410 m;
Maximum pressure of powder gases - 2350 kgf / cm3;
The mass of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 43.56 kg;
The mass of the armor-piercing tracer projectile is 48.96 kg;
The mass of an armor-piercing tracer with a sharp-headed projectile is 48.78 kg;
The mass of the cumulative projectile is 27.439 kg.
Structural data of the 152 mm D-20 gun-howitzer:
Caliber - 152 mm;
Barrel length including muzzle brake - 5195 millimeters;
The length of the threaded part - 3467 millimeters;
The number of grooves - 48;
The width of the rifling - 6.97 millimeters;
The steepness of the rifling - 25 klb .;
The depth of the grooves is 3 mm;
Field width - 3 mm;
The length of the charging chamber from the beginning of the rifling to the breech of the pipe is 772.9 mm;
The largest angle of declination - -5 °;
The greatest elevation angle - 45 °;
Horizontal shelling - 58 °;
The amount of steol in the knurler is 13.4 liters;
The amount of steol in the rollback brake is 14.7 liters;
Initial pressure in the knurler - 63 kgf / cm2;
The maximum rollback length is 950 millimeters;
Normal rollback length - 910 +20/-120 millimeters;
Pressure in the balancing mechanism (elevation angle 45°) – 62 kgf/cm2;
The pressure in the pneumatic tires is 5.6 kgf/cm2.
Overall data of the 152 mm D-20 gun-howitzer:
Parameters of the gun in the stowed position:
Length - 8690 millimeters;
Width - 2317 millimeters;
Height - 2520 millimeters;
Parameters of the gun in combat position at a barrel elevation angle of 0°:
Height - 1925 millimeters;
Length - 8100 millimeters;
The height of the line of fire - 1220 millimeters;
Ground clearance - 380 millimeters;
Track width - 2000 millimeters;
Wheel diameter - 1167 millimeters;
Wheel tire width - 337 millimeters;
The distance from the center of gravity of the gun to the axis of the wheels when fastened in a stowed position is 182 mm;
Weight:
- guns in the stowed position - 5700 kg;
- guns in combat position - 5650 kg;
- shutter - 96 kg;
- barrel with bolt - 2556 kg;
- sliding parts - 2720 kg;
- swinging part - 3086 kg;
- cradles - 280 kg;
- recoil brakes without a barrel - 85.4 kg;
- recoil brakes with a barrel - 101.6 kg;
- knurler without a barrel - 88.6 kg;
- knurler with a barrel - 103.3 kg;
- upper machine - 208 kg;
- balancing mechanism - 58 kg.
Operational data of the 152 mm gun-howitzer D-20:
Transfer time between marching and combat positions and back - from 2 to 2.5 minutes;
Aiming rate of fire - about 6 rounds per minute;
Transportation speed:
- off-road - 15 km / h;
- on a cobblestone road - 30 km / h;
- on good roads - 60 km / h.
152-mm howitzers M-10 and D-1. Part 2
Anatoly Sorokin
Combat vehicles armed with a 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938
During the Soviet-Finnish (Winter) War of 1939-1940. the Red Army needed a combat vehicle with powerful weapons and armor to destroy enemy reinforced concrete long-term fortifications with direct fire. The design teams of the Leningrad Kirov Plant and Plant No. 185 to solve this problem in late 1939 - early 1940. created special modifications of heavy tanks previously developed at their enterprises.
Special Design Bureau SKB-2 LKZ under the leadership of Zh.Ya. Kotin, in collaboration with the AOKO (artillery special design department) of the Motovilikhinsk plant, designed the MT-1 turret of the M-10 howitzer for the single-turret KV tank. The team of its developers at LKZ was headed by N.V. Kurin. The implementation of the project in metal immediately followed, and in February 1940, two prototypes of the KV with a large turret managed to take a limited part in the hostilities. Subsequently, this machine was put into mass production and continued to improve: a “reduced” turret of less mass was created for it compared to the previous version. The installation of guns for the new turret design received the MT-2 index. In 1941, the name of the tank with a 152-mm howitzer was changed to the more familiar for today - KV-2.
At the Leningrad plant number 185 under the leadership of L.S. Troyanov, a project was developed for the T-100Z double-turreted breakthrough tank, which also had the M-10 howitzer as its main armament. The turret with weapons was made by April 1940, when the Soviet-Finnish war had already ended, but it was not installed on the base T-100 chassis. But there is evidence of the use of this tower as a pillbox on the outskirts of Leningrad.
The history of the development of these combat vehicles, which were then called "artillery tanks", and are now classified as assault, is described in the literature quite fully. But, despite this, uniform confusion reigns in the descriptions of the KV-2 weapons. The authors agree on only two things. The first of these is the fact that the KV-2 was equipped with a 152-mm tank howitzer mod. 1938/40, also referred to as M-10, M10-T or M-10T. The second common point is the statement of the need to fire only from a place due to fears of damage to the engine-transmission group of the tank due to shock loads when fired. As for the ballistic properties of the ammunition used, the differences with the towed version are either silence or data of a dubious nature, even in serious historical studies. The problem is that there is practically no technical literature of that period that describes in detail both the KV-2 and the 152-mm M-10 howitzer. Suffice it to say that even in the capital work of A.B. Shirokorad has no information either on the initial speed or on the firing range in relation to 152-mm howitzers mod. 1938 and arr. 1943
Tank KV-2 mod. 1940 with a large turret (MT-1), armed with a 152 mm tank howitzer mod. 1938/40
You should start by quoting the first volume of the authoritative publication “Domestic armored vehicles. XX century. The section on the KV-2 says: “The main weapon of the tank, which was intended to break through heavily fortified defensive lines, was the 152.4-mm howitzer M-Yu mod. 1938/40, which had an initial projectile speed of 530 m / s. (...) For firing, an armor-piercing projectile was used with an initial speed of 436 m / s and a concrete-piercing (sea grenade) (for a tank with an MT-1 installation. - Approx. Aut.) - with an initial speed of 530 m / s. (...) When firing, high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing shells were used with an initial speed of 525 m / s and 432 m / s, respectively (for a tank with an MT-2 installation. - Approx. Aut.) ".
Monographs M.N. Svirin and M.V. Kolomiytsy bypass this aspect of the history of the KV-2 in silence.
The initial speed of 530 m / s could be obtained due to the rounding of the standard value of 525 m / s on a full charge, which was often used in documents of that time. The second possible reason for the discrepancy between the values \u200b\u200bindicated in the quote could be the already taken into account any of the corrections for the initial speed, for example, for the mass of the projectile or the temperature of the propellant charge during fire tests of the M-10T for their specific conditions. The mistake of identifying a concrete-piercing projectile with a sea grenade is obvious, the clarification in parentheses refers to "armor-piercing projectile". Here, under it, it is precisely the 152-mm naval semi-armor-piercing projectile discussed above, mod. 1915/28
The result is a rather interesting picture. The M-10T howitzer could use shots with regular 00-530 high-explosive fragmentation grenades (or G-530 concrete-piercing projectiles) and a full charge. The ammunition also allowed the presence of shots with naval semi-armor-piercing shells, the initial speed of which was about 435 m / s. There is no such value in the M-10 howitzer muzzle velocity scale. However, it is in the range between the muzzle velocity of about 460 m / s for a standard projectile weighing 40 kg with charge No. 1 and 410 m / s for the same ammunition with charge No. 2. Naturally, a heavier naval semi-armor-piercing projectile fired on the first charge , will receive an initial speed intermediate between these values.
Shooting at full charge at the nominal muzzle velocity in itself excludes the shortening of the gun barrel mentioned in some sources. The prototype M-10 with a barrel length of 20 calibers did not completely burn out the charge in field tests, and the initial speed was lower compared to its elongated version. Thus, with a reduced barrel length, the value of 525 m / s indicated in the book will simply be impossible to obtain on a standard full charge.
All other differences between the oscillating parts of the tank and towed versions are explained in a natural way: the transfer of the axle of the trunnions on the cradle for self-balancing the gun, the modification of the cradle, the sectoral lifting mechanism and recoil devices for working conditions in the tank, the exclusion of the variable recoil mechanism, the installation of a telescopic sight instead of a standard panoramic one. In general, all the same work that N.V. Kurin did it later, adapting the M-30 122-mm howitzer for installation in the KV-9 assault tank - the alleged "heir" of the KV-2 in the army.
However, in publications about the combat use of the KV-2, stories about the lack of standard ammunition, replacing them with concrete-piercing shells and firing them, despite possible damage to the weapons and the tank as a whole, are popular. Artillerymen before the start of the war were properly provided with 152-mm howitzer grenades OF-530; in addition, there were stocks of old high-explosive grenades of the 533rd family. The problems of the tankers in this regard could only be caused by an inadequate supply of ammunition, which passed through someone else's department. Prior to the arrival of the KV-2 in the Red Army, 152-mm howitzer grenades were needed only by artillerymen, and in the chaos of the beginning of the war, it was not possible to establish cooperation with their supply services. In warehouses, such ammunition was available, despite combat consumption and losses.
The project of the twin-turret tank T-100Z (M. Pavlov's scheme).
The only currently known photo of the T-100Z tank turret used as a pillbox on the outskirts of Leningrad. The picture was taken by A. Kapustyansky, correspondent of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.
Tank KV-2 with lowered turret.
As for the concrete-piercing howitzer projectile, it was almost identical in mass and ballistic properties to a howitzer high-explosive fragmentation grenade. In the shooting tables, the data for them is given in a single block. A small range correction for a concrete-piercing projectile when firing direct fire is absolutely not needed, so there is another myth. However, the basis for it could just be attempts to fire a sea semi-armor-piercing projectile at full charge. In the context of insufficient training of personnel, poor or completely absent knowledge of the specifics of charges and projectiles for separately loaded field guns, such a situation does not at all look impossible. As a result - broken recoil devices, a jammed tower and the ability to fight the enemy only by tank ramming. Provided that the engine and transmission of the KV-2 did not fail from concussion during such a shot.
The basis for the frequent mention of concrete-piercing shells for the KV-2 is, apparently, set forth in the memoirs of G.K. Zhukov and his conversation (in the position of Chief of the General Staff) with the commander of the 5th Army M.I. Potapov on June 24, 1941:
Zhukov: How do our KV and others work? Do they penetrate the armor of German tanks and approximately how many tanks did the enemy lose on your front? ...
Potapov: There are 30 KV "large" tanks. All of them without shells for 152-mm guns ....
Zhukov: 152-mm KV guns fire shells from 09-30, so order concrete-piercing shells from 09-30 to be issued immediately. and put them into action. You will beat enemy tanks with might and main.
However, there is no mention of the destructive effect of this type of ammunition on their own vehicles, nor any hint of the use of naval semi-armor-piercing shells.
The origin of another common myth about the shorter barrel of the M-10T compared to the towed version of the M-10, the author has not yet been able to figure out exactly. It can be hypothesized that in a number of wartime photographs of the KV-2, its gun is strongly retracted into the turret and the barrel looks short from the outside, which may have become the basis for the corresponding statement in some publications. This could well be the consequences of firing a semi-armor-piercing naval projectile at full charge - a break in the recoil brake and knurler rods, a “rolling” of the barrel deep into the turret with its further disruption from the cradle. If there is at least some grain of truth in this assumption, then both myths are also connected with each other.
In general, military technical specialists and commanders of the highest rank, for example, D.G. Pavlov, assessed the armament of a heavy KV tank with a 152-mm M-10 howitzer as redundant.
The very heavy "big towers" caused a significant overload of the undercarriage and the engine-transmission group of the vehicle. Even the prototypes of the KV-2 in the Soviet-Finnish war in deep snow simply got stuck. The turret traverse mechanism, borrowed from the T-28 medium tank, did a poor job even on the KV-1. On the KV-2, the situation was, of course, even worse. The low-power electric motor of this mechanism very often failed, and a lot of effort was required on the manual drive. When the tank rolled, turning the turret became impossible at all.
As a result, the opinion prevailed that either a long-barreled 107-mm gun or a 122-mm howitzer was desirable for a vehicle of this class. This should have been enough to deal with field-type fortifications and enemy armored vehicles. For the destruction of long-term reinforced concrete fortifications, self-propelled guns with a six-inch gun were named preferable. Even before the start of World War II, the KV-2 was tested with a 107-mm ZIS-6 gun, and N.V. Kurin, together with the artillery designers of Uralmash, began to develop the KV-9. This subsequently had a significant impact on the history of the development of both assault tanks and medium self-propelled guns based on the T-34.
However, none of the projects and prototypes have reached the stage of mass production. Therefore, the release of the KV-2 was maintained, despite all the shortcomings of the machine. It was completed on July 1, 1941, and since its process is inertial, the tanks started earlier than this date were handed over for acceptance some time later, which explains the discrepancies in publications regarding the completion of the KV-2 production.
At the Chelyabinsk plant (ChKZ), they did not even begin to organize the manufacture of the KV-2, and in the catastrophic situation of 1941 it was decided that this was not at all necessary. When, with the conduct of the first large-scale offensive operations, the need arose again for a powerful mobile fire support vehicle, all further work was focused on the creation of heavy assault self-propelled guns. However, for a short time, on the personal instructions of I.V. Stalin's idea of an assault tank with a six-inch howitzer was again reanimated in the spring of 1943. But the M-10 had long been discontinued by that time, and the launch of the SU-152 (and then the ISU-152), armed with a more powerful 152-mm howitzer-gun ML-20, made the reincarnation of the KV-2 unnecessary.
As a summary of this story, it can be noted that the choice of the M-10 for the main armament of an assault tank, made during the urgent task of the army during the Soviet-Finnish war, determined to a certain extent the shortcomings of the KV-2, even if we ignore the numerous troubles with the engine and the transmission of the entire family of the early Klimov Voroshilovs.
The first sample of the KV-2 tank with a lowered turret during testing in 1940
Installation of a 152-mm tank howitzer mod. 1938/40 in the lowered turret of the KV-2 tank. 1940
Production
The 152-mm howitzer was mass-produced by two factories - No. 172 in Motovilikha near Perm and No. 235 in Votkinsk from December 1939 to September 1941. A total of 1522 guns were manufactured, not counting prototypes. In addition to the towed version, from January 1940 to June 1941, at least 213 tank howitzers mod. 1938/40 (M-10T). There were two main reasons for the completion of production shortly after the start of World War II.
The first of these is the “loss of purpose”: six-inch howitzers were removed from divisional artillery due to completely objective factors, and corps artillery simply ceased to exist as such. The rifle and tank corps were disbanded in August-September 1941 due to great difficulties in managing and manning the materiel. The army artillery and artillery of the RVGK already had a 152-mm howitzer-gun ML-20, with which the M-10 could not compete in terms of its firing qualities, and due to its lower mass, its higher mobility was not in demand there.
The second reason was the need to restore the production of 45 mm anti-tank and 76 mm divisional guns, as well as increase the production of 122 mm A-19 guns and 152 mm ML-20 howitzer guns. After the catastrophic losses of the summer of 1941, the Red Army was in dire need of all these artillery systems. Plant No. 235 in Votkinsk received an order to start manufacturing "forty-five", and plant No. 172 in Motovilikha - a significantly increased plan for the number of A-19s and ML-20s to be handed over to the army. To do this, it was necessary to use all reserves, including those released due to the removal of 152-mm howitzers from production.
With regard to the “lack of need” of the M-10 in defensive operations of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, often mentioned in a number of publications, which allegedly caused the suspension of its production, we can only say that this thesis is wrong in principle (this will be discussed below).
In other countries, licenses for the production of 152-mm M-10 howitzers were not sold, and nowhere was their “pirated” release.
152 mm M-10 howitzer in firing position. Trunk at maximum elevation.
Production volumes of 152-mm howitzers mod. 1939 (M-10), pcs.
Organizational structure
In 1940, the new 152-mm howitzer began to enter the troops. The rifle division at that time had two artillery regiments - light and howitzer. The latter had a division of 152-mm howitzers. Thus, the Red Army rifle division, fully equipped according to the pre-war state, consisted of 12 152-mm howitzers. In July 1941, the howitzer regiment was expelled from the staff of the rifle division. That is, almost all the rifle divisions went through almost the entire war without six-inch howitzers in their artillery regiments. The word "almost" is required in the light of the few cases of "illegal" presence in rifle divisions of 152-mm howitzers mod. 1909/30, comparable in weight in the stowed position with a regular 122-mm M-30 howitzer. Until the summer of 1941, a division with 12 152-mm howitzers was also in the motorized and tank divisions of the Red Army. In the organizational structure of other divisions (cavalry, mountain rifle, etc.) there were no 152-mm howitzers.
As of June 1941, there were no 152-mm howitzers in the corps artillery; systems of this caliber were represented by 152-mm ML-20 howitzer guns. After the reorganization of the rifle and tank corps, the six-inch howitzers were returned to their organizational structure. For these formations, an artillery regiment was provided, which included 16–20 guns. Usually it was equipped with 107 mm or 122 mm guns. Six-inch systems (sample 1909/30, M-10, ML-20, and later D-1) went to them in addition, to the batteries or division armed with them as part of the regiment. There were not rare cases when they were not there at all.
In the artillery of the RVGK, 152-mm howitzers were originally part of a number of artillery regiments (48 guns). Due to the loss of material and difficulties with traction and control in 1942, the number of guns in the heavy howitzer regiments of the RVGK was reduced by exactly half. There was also a variant of the organizational structure of such a regiment with 20 152-mm howitzers. Later, as the noted problems were overcome, heavy howitzer brigades (32 guns) began to form. These formations could be either separate or reduced to larger artillery corps and breakthrough divisions. The M-10s that survived the initial period of the war continued to serve in these units and formations until the Victory.
Service and combat use
The main tasks facing the 152-mm howitzers were:
Destruction of both openly located and sheltered enemy manpower;
Suppression and destruction of infantry fire weapons;
Destruction of field and long-term defensive structures;
Fighting artillery and mechanized means of the enemy.
If necessary, 152-mm howitzers could be used to fight tanks (both from closed positions and direct fire), as well as to make passages in minefields and barbed wire in the absence of suitable means (for example, mortars).
This practically corresponded to the tasks facing the 122-mm howitzers. But the most important difference was the possibility of destroying long-term reinforced concrete or powerful wood-and-earth fortifications, solid buildings of capital construction and similar purposes. This explains the desire of the leadership of the AU RKKA to introduce six-inch howitzers into the organizational structure of rifle divisions, since this significantly increased their combat capabilities when overcoming fortified areas, as well as in urban battles.
152-mm long-range howitzer ammunition has been produced by the industry in large quantities since the modernization of howitzers of this caliber of the old design. They could also be used by the 152 mm ML-20 howitzer gun. Naturally, with the adoption of the M-10, another reason appeared for continuing to manufacture and improve them. In addition, there were significant stocks of old high-explosive grenades and shrapnel. Although the latter has lost its significance in many respects, in a number of cases it could still be effective when acting on openly located enemy manpower, and also used when installing a tube “on buckshot” in self-defense of guns from massive attacks by infantry and cavalry.
As of June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 2,642,000 howitzer rounds of all types of 152 mm caliber, of which 611,000 were lost after the start of the war until January 1, 1942. and spent in battles 578 thousand pieces. As a result, the number of 152-mm howitzer rounds of all types decreased to 1166 thousand pieces. as of January 1, 1942. During 1942, consumption increased significantly (706.3 thousand units), but losses decreased by an order of magnitude (48 thousand units) and the industry managed to provide 152-mm howitzers in the army with the necessary amount of ammunition . By January 1, 1943, despite the lack of production of guns of this class, the number of shots for them increased to 1534 thousand pieces. In the future, the release of the latter only increased and, unlike a number of other artillery systems, six-inch howitzers did not know "ammunition hunger." However, according to A.V. Isaev, the consumption of 150-mm howitzer shells by the enemy turned out to be more than twice as much as the total shot of domestic 152-mm howitzers and 152-mm howitzer guns.
With regard to specialized means of traction, then again we have to say about their shortage for artillery of all levels. However, artillery units of the RVGK and rifle divisions can hardly be called highly mobile formations: the use of widespread national economic tractors (or their transport modifications) completely solved the problems with mechanical traction for the rather heavy M-10. For rifle divisions, the use of horse traction was also not ruled out. The need for a fast and powerful tractor was important for the more mobile armored and motorized divisions. But even there, in most cases, tractor traction was enough, especially since individual tractors and tractors could well tow the M-10 howitzer along a highway or a dry dirt road at speeds up to 30 km / h. On the highway, five-ton trucks could also handle this task.
However, with the outbreak of war, a large mass of 152-mm howitzers mod. 1938 turned into a significant drawback, as the production of national economic tractors and five-ton trucks was discontinued. Moreover, in connection with the exit of the Wehrmacht to the Volga in 1942, the Stalingrad Tractor Plant stopped working. He was a manufacturer, in addition to the T-34 medium tanks, of the STZ-5-NATI transport tractors, which were extremely important for the Red Army.
To meet the needs of the army in tractors and horses, they had to make up for their losses by mobilization from the national economy, with all the negative consequences. The GAZ-MM and ZIS-5 trucks could not tow the M-10, and for the Lend-Lease General Motors CCKW-353 and Studebaker US6, this was almost at the limit. As in the case of the M-30, the Yaroslavl Ya-12 tractor could have been a good solution, but it went into production only from August 1943 and its production volumes were small.
But it is worth repeating that, in general, the situation with traction, even in 1941, was not tragic, taking into account the above-mentioned mobilization potential of trucks, tractors and horse stock from the national economy. This is exactly what the top army leadership was counting on. However, holding such an event in the chaos of the beginning of the war required competent management decisions on the part of all involved individuals and organizations. This did not happen, as a result, the lack of the expected means of traction became one of the reasons for the catastrophic losses of the gun fleet, including the M-10 howitzers. But subsequently, right up to the mass deliveries of trucks from the USA, it was precisely this way that the reorganized and newly organized artillery units and formations of the Red Army were equipped with traction means (2) .
The M-10 howitzer, broken on the march, and its tractor, the S-65 tractor. Summer 1941
M-10 howitzer abandoned on the march. Tractor - tractor STZ-Z.
It is also difficult to characterize as a bad situation with the means of observation, technical reconnaissance, other accessories and the necessary literature for the correct use of six-inch howitzers. There were problems: in particular, domestic portable radio stations were criticized by the Red Army for a decent mass and inconvenience in operation. Their number in parts did not correspond to the desired, so field telephones were widely used in artillery. As a prototype of later mechanical fire control devices in the Red Army, there were so-called "artillery circles" made of celluloid, with the help of which tasks were solved to determine coordinates, angles and ranges on a topographic map.
On the other hand, the state of affairs with the personnel in the divisional artillery of the Red Army in 1941 can be called truly tragic. Again, one has to refer to the article “M-30 in historical retrospect” in order to avoid repeating how low the literacy level was then for both privates, and sergeants, and officer staff. In artillery, this was truly intolerable, since there was a lot to know and be able to do. It was also necessary to organize well-coordinated joint work of artillery reconnaissance, command and computing center and fire weapons in order to respond as flexibly as possible to changing battle conditions. Moreover, artillery is not a self-sufficient branch of the armed forces, its task is to assist rifle and tank units both in defense and on the offensive, and therefore close and skillful interaction with them is another important moment in the training of artillery commanders. Unfortunately, at the divisional level in 1941, nothing of the kind was observed in the general mass, and exceptions were of a single nature.
When fired from close positions, 152mm howitzers are deadly and effective weapons against even modern armored vehicles, including main battle tanks. Large high-speed fragments of six-inch shells are capable of penetrating up to 30-40 mm of armor, and when they come under fire with these ammunition, enemy troops in combat and marching formations very quickly lose their combat capability: manpower and light armored vehicles are forever, and well-protected vehicles lose coordination and mobility and the ability to fire, since the elements of the undercarriage, antennas, viewing devices, gun barrels are vulnerable to massive and high-speed fragments.
One can only guess what columns of tanks with thin side and horizontal armor and other Wehrmacht vehicles could turn into if they came under well-organized fire from the M-10 division. So there can be no talk of any "lack of need" in the defensive phase of the battles. The enemy actively used their artillery in the offensive, and 152-mm howitzers were a very suitable means to neutralize it. In a pinch, the M-10s could be used as powerful anti-tank guns at direct fire. In addition, the Red Army often tried to counterattack the enemy in 1941, and here the 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 had every chance to show itself. Only in those conditions it was a pipe dream precisely because of the low level of training of personnel. It took a long time for this dream to come true.
Summing up, we can conclude that in 1941 the great potential inherent in the design of the M-10 was not able to be revealed in the Red Army. The main reason was the insufficient level of training of personnel of both artillery and all the Armed Forces of the USSR in general. The untimely optimism of placing the M-10 in divisional artillery (approximately equally associated with a reassessment of the capabilities of personnel and problems in the field of traction), the abolition of corps artillery (a sad statement of the general state of affairs) and the presence at the army level, as well as in the artillery of the RVGK ML-20 howitzer guns deprived the structurally perfect howitzer of its purpose. And the huge losses of guns of caliber from 45 to 152 mm were the last and one of the most significant objective reasons for the removal of the M-10 from production.
Against this background, the fate of captured M-10s in the Finnish army looks in contrast. The Finns captured 45 howitzers in 1941 and bought another 57 from the Germans, who used these guns under the designation 15.2 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 443(g). In Finnish service, the M-10 received the designation 152 H / 38 and was actively used in the battles of 1944; seven howitzers were lost.
Artillerymen of the Suomi country highly appreciated the combat and operational qualities of the 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938, noting, however, its large mass, which made it difficult to tow due to the small number of powerful tractors available. In the post-war period, this problem was solved, and until 2000, 152 H / 38 were in service with the Finnish army. Even the possibility of their modernization was considered, but the military made a choice in favor of buying D-20 guns in Germany, which had previously served in the National People's Army of the GDR.
A certain number of 152-mm howitzers mod. 1938 was in service with the Soviet Army until the early 1960s. Due to the lack of accurate information, the author estimates this number of M-10s from 250 to 400 guns. Some of them could well "return from German captivity" in May 1945, when the entire material part of the Wehrmacht was lost and became trophies of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. In any case, for the sake of a dozen or two of the remaining units, it was clearly not worth giving in the reprints of the shooting tables for the D-1 howitzer (up to and including 1957) information about the features of the six-inch "big sister". But in 1968 the corresponding tab was withdrawn from them. It is worth noting that the presence of such a tab indicates a slightly different ballistics of these guns. If it is identical, the firing tables directly indicate this in one brief sentence, as, for example, in the general firing tables for the 152-mm gun mod. 1910/34 and 152-mm ML-20 howitzer guns. But due to the proximity of ballistic properties, the first firing tables for the D-1 were combined with a similar edition for the M-10.
A pair of M-10 howitzers served in the Peter and Paul Fortress as guns for a midday shot and, after being replaced in 1992 by ML-20, was handed over for metal. As a result, at the time of this writing, three surviving 152-mm howitzers mod. 1938 in Russia (two - in the exposition of the St. Petersburg Military History Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps, a memorial weapon - in the city of Lokot, Bryansk Region), one each in Belarus (Brest) and in the USA (museum Aberdeen Proving Ground), as well as at least two in Finland (the military museum in Helsinki and the artillery museum in Hämeen-
linna). In connection with the sale of decommissioned army property practiced in Western Europe to non-military organizations and individuals in the country of Suomi, other copies of the M-10 may exist. In particular, there is unverified information about the presence of this artillery system in the collection of guns at one of the hotels.
German 150 mm howitzer 15 cm s.FH.18.
Foreign analogues
Heavy howitzers of caliber 149-155 mm were in the past and are now very widespread in many armies of the world. However, despite the obvious convergence of technical thought, there are also enough nuances in their design and application. The reason is that this range of calibers was used not only by howitzers, but also by long-range cannons, and also in the armed forces of some countries by short-barreled infantry guns or mortars. Depending on the positioning of these three categories of artillery systems, the performance characteristics of their representatives can vary greatly.
When comparing the 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-10) with its direct counterparts - the German 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18, the Italian Obice da 149/19 Modello 37, the American 155 mm Howitzer M1 - it is clearly seen that the Soviet gun, with a slightly shorter maximum range of fire, is much lighter. The main emphasis of the M-10 is on a small mass and better mobility, while the s.FH.18 does not have wheel travel suspension, da 149/19 and M1, with a close power of a high-explosive fragmentation grenade, are distinguished by better range with a greater (about 1 , 3 times) mass. Such a rather significant discrepancy was rooted in the specifics of Soviet artillery, namely, in the presence of numerous 152-mm ML-20 howitzer-guns, intermediate in mass and range of fire between howitzers and heavy guns of 149-155 mm calibers. Representatives of the latter are, for example, the Soviet 152-mm gun mod. 1935 (Br-2), German 15 cm schwere Kanone 18, Italian Cannone da 149/40 Modello 35 or American 155mm Long Tom (155mm Gun M1 Long Tom).
As noted, being very successful according to the estimates of the Red Army, the Wehrmacht and the Finnish army, the ML-20 simply made unnecessary the 152-mm howitzer, which was close enough to it in mass, but significantly inferior in range. Although the latter was still much lighter than the ML-20, this was still not enough to use anything other than a national economic tractor or a powerful, but slow-moving army caterpillar tractor to tow it off-road. This crossed out all the potential advantages of the M-10 in mobility due to its lower mass compared to the ML-20. It is worth noting that in the German Wehrmacht, the Royal Italian Army and the US Army, there were quite fast and powerful specialized tractors for heavy howitzers - the high level of development of the automobile and tractor industries of the respective countries affected. As a result, the desire to get the lightest possible system for divisional artillery (in the presence of the "obelisk of glory" in the face of the ML-20) led to a rather isolated place for the M-10 among its foreign counterparts. The Japanese howitzer “type 96” could be close to it, however, a lighter projectile weighing 31 kg generally casts doubt on the belonging of the Japanese model to other guns of similar caliber and the same purpose (although there was also a heavy ammunition of the First World War era weighing 39 kg for it , but with a significantly shorter maximum firing range).
Finishing the review of foreign artillery systems similar to the M-10, it is difficult not to mention the absence of serial French and British guns in their list. For obvious reasons, the French simply did not have time to bring their prototypes of 155 mm caliber to mass production. As for the artillery of Great Britain, it went its own way, very original and rather vague, which is surprising for the prevailing conservative British stereotype. Having as a starting point for development a completely ordinary 6-inch howitzer of the First World War era (which fought a lot in World War II too), the British designers decided to replace it with a howitzer gun with a radically new caliber, ballistic solution and ammunition. This happened not for the first time, it is enough to recall the history of the light divisional 25-pounder. But in this case, the deployment of the production of a new system and ammunition for it had to be carried out already in the course of the war, which from an economic point of view can hardly be called the optimal solution. As a result, a 5.5 inch Medium Field Gun of 140 mm caliber with cap loading was born, which, in terms of range, was somewhere in the middle between the American M1 howitzer and the Soviet ML-20, significantly inferior to them in terms of the power of the high-explosive fragmentation grenade. In addition, due to a number of "childhood illnesses", both guns and shells for it, the outdated six-inch howitzer continued to complete the units that fought in Burma.
Italian 149 mm howitzer da 149/19 Modello 37.
American 155 mm howitzer M1.
Afterword
Concluding the article about the 152-mm M-10 howitzer, we can briefly summarize its history with the well-known phrase "cadres decide everything." The successful efforts of the development team led by F.F. Petrov, to a certain extent, turned out to be leveled by the unpreparedness, first of all, of the personnel of all ranks of the pre-war Red Army for the correct use of the new gun. This also applied to the top management, who optimistically placed the M-10 in divisional artillery, and to the command staff of the middle and junior levels, who failed to competently dispose of such a powerful weapon in their hands. And the tank crews on the KV-2 added to this the ignorance of the crews of the materiel when firing a marine semi-armor-piercing projectile. Moreover, the author is not sure that in 1941 the gunners themselves did not have such a thing. But in the Finnish armed forces and in the post-war Soviet Army, where the knowledge and skills of the personnel were at a fairly high level, this system turned out to be both necessary and reliable. In the first case, when there was no "little sister" D-1,152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 was also destined to become a long service life.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the 152-mm howitzer M-10 and foreign analogues
| FeatureSystem | M-10 | 15cm s.FH.18 | da 149/19 | 155mm M1 | Type 96 |
| State | the USSR | Germany | Italy | USA | Japan |
| Years of development | 1937–1939 | 1928–1933 | 1933–1937 | 1939–1941 | 1920–1934 |
| Years of production | 1939–1941 | 1933–1945 | 1939–1945 | 1942–1953 | 1937–1945 |
| Built, pcs. | 1522 | 5403 | 147 | 6000+ | 440 |
| Weight in combat position, kg | 4100 | 5512 | 5650 | 5427 | 4140 |
| Weight in the stowed position, kg | 4500 | 6304 | 5780 | 5800 | 4920 |
| Caliber, mm | 152,4 | 149,1 | 149,1 | 155 | 149,1 |
| Barrel length, klb | 23,1 | 29,5 | 20,4 | 23 | 23,4 |
| HE grenade model | OF-5EO | 15-cm-SprGr | Mod.32 | M107 | Type 92 |
| Mass of HE grenades, kg | 40 | 43 | 42,5 | 43 | 31,3 |
| Max. initial speed, m/s | 525 | 520 | 597 | 563 | 540 |
| Muzzle energy, MJ | 5,51 | 5,81 | 7,57 | 6,81 | 4,56 |
| Max. range, m | 12800 | 13250 | 15320 | 14955 | 11900 |
| Elevation angles | - 1…+65° | - 1…+43° | - 3…+60° | - 2…+63° | - 1…+65° |
| Sector horizon, aiming | 50° | 56° | 50° | 50° | 30° |
| Metal utilization factor, J/kg | 1345 | 1055 | 1341 | 1256 | 1102 |
The author is grateful for the help in selecting material and preparing the article to M. Svirin, I. Sliva, V. Chobitok and those who provided original factory documents, service manuals and firing tables for study.
The article uses photos from the archives of M. Grif, M. Pavlov and I. Pavlov.
Applications
1. Nomenclature of ammunition 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-10).
The nomenclature of the "long-range form" projectiles is given as of 1941, excluding chemical munitions, as well as old high-explosive grenades and shrapnel. For a concrete-piercing projectile, the ban on firing at full charge introduced later is not taken into account.
2. Tables of armor penetration for a 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-10).
Armor penetration of a 152-mm naval semi-armor-piercing projectile mod. 1915/28 when firing from the M-10 howitzer, was obtained from the firing tables of the 152-mm howitzer-gun ML-20 by recalculating the values indicated in them under the assumption that penetration is proportional to the momentum of the ammunition. This value is an upper estimate, because in a more accurate theoretical model, penetration is proportional to speed raised to a power between 1 and 2, the latter being somewhat dependent on firing distance.
The given data were calculated taking into account the conditions of the Soviet methodology for determining penetration capacity (the Jacob-de-Marr formula with a dimensionless coefficient K, taken as 2400).
Armor penetration table for 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-10) for naval semi-armor-piercing projectile mod. 1915/28 and charge No. 1 (initial speed 435 m / s)
| Range, m | Meeting angle 90° | Meeting angle 60° |
| 100 | 10Z | 84 |
| 300 | 100 | 81 |
| 500 | 97 | 79 |
| 1000 | 90 | 74 |
| 1500 | 84 | 69 |
| 2000 | 80 | 65 |
Penetration ability for reinforced concrete is taken from the firing tables of the 152-mm howitzer mod. 1943 (D-1) unchanged. Given the 3% higher initial speed of the M-10, we can expect slightly higher values of the final speed and the thickness of the punched wall. However, taking into account all possible factors affecting the process of breaking through the barrier (grade, quality, age of reinforced concrete), taking this correction into account to a certain extent is an imaginary increase in accuracy.
It should be remembered that penetration rates can vary markedly when using different batches of shells and different technologies for manufacturing armor or reinforced concrete.
3. The presence in the troops, the consumption of ammunition and the loss of 152-mm howitzers mod. 1938 (M-10).
In the available statistics, data on all types of 152-mm howitzers are summarized in one group, so their isolation for the M-10 is calculated based on the loss of guns of all types and the arrival of only new D-1 from industrial plants. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that due to the rounded values of losses, the availability and supply of tools in the initial data and the operations of addition and subtraction in the calculations, the initial absolute error of 0.05 thousand pieces. triples. The resulting number of M-10s in the troops has an absolute error of 0.15 thousand units, the corresponding relative error determines the possible variation in the number of lost guns and ammunition consumption.
| Type | Designation | Projectile weight, kg | Mass of explosives, kg | Initial speed, m/s | Table range, m |
| Naval semi-armor-piercing projectile | arr. 1915/28 gt. | 51,1 | 3,15 | 435 (charge #1) | ? |
| High-explosive fragmentation steel howitzer grenade | 00-530 | 40,0 | 5,47-6,86 | 525 (full charge) | 12800 |
| Cast Iron Fragmentation Howitzer Grenade | 0-530A | 40,0 | 5,66 | 525(full charge) | 12800 |
| Concrete-piercing projectile | G-530 | 40,0 | 5,1 | 525 (full charge) | 12860 1* |
1* Table range +0.5% range correction for concrete projectile.
Table of penetration of a vertical reinforced concrete wall for a 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-10) G-530 concrete-piercing projectile, charge No. 1
| Range, m | Final speed, m/s | Thickness of the punched wall, m |
| 100 | 450 | 1,12 |
| 500 | 425 | 1,05 |
| 1000 | 398 | 0,98 |
| 1500 | 374 | 0,92 |
| 2000 | 354 | 0,87 |
| 2500 | 337 | 0,83 |
| 3000 | 323 | 0,78 |
| 4000 | 301 | 0,71 |
| 5000 | 286 | 0,64 |
The presence of 152-mm howitzers in the troops
| Number of guns/Date | 22. VI. 1941 | 1.1.1942 | 1.1.1943 | 1.1.1944 | 1.1.1945 | May 10, 1945 |
| All types, thousand pieces | 3,8 | 1,5 | 1,3 | 1,4 | 1,6 | 1,7 |
| M-10, thousand pieces | 1,4 | 0,55 | 0,5 | 0,5 | 0,4 | 0,4 |
| M -10, share of the total, % | 37 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 25 | 24 |
Ammunition consumption by 152 mm howitzers
1* According to the book "Artillery Supply in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945."
2* Soviet artillery ammunition consumption in 1942. TsAMO, F. 81, on. 12075, room 28. Published by A. V. Isaev on the site vil2ne.ru (http://vif2ne.ru/nvk/forum/archive/1718/1718985.htm)
3* Soviet artillery ammunition consumption in 1943. Published by A.V. Isaev on the website vif2ne.ru (http://vif2ne.ru/nvk/forum/2/archive/1706/1706490.htm)
4* Soviet artillery ammunition consumption in 1944-45. Published by A.V. Isaev on the website vif2ne.ru (http://vif2ne.ru/nvk/forum/arhprint/1733134)
5* In proportion to the M-10 share of the total number of 152-mm howitzers.
Losses of 152 mm howitzers
1* 2583, according to the book Artillery Supply in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945.
2* 212, according to the same source.
3* In proportion to the M-10 share of the total number of 152-mm howitzers.
Literature and sources
1.152 mm howitzer mod. 1938 (M-10). Memo to the platoon commander and gun commander. - M .: Military publishing house of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR, 1942.
2.152 mm howitzer mod. 1943 Service leadership. - M.: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1958.
3. Firing tables for 152-mm howitzers mod. 1943 - M .: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1968.
4. Firing tables for 152-mm howitzers mod. 1937 and 152 mm guns mod. 1910/34 TS / GAU KA No. 161 and 159. - M .: Military Publishing House of the People's Commissariat of Defense, 1944.
5. Album of artillery structures designed and manufactured by the Molotov plant. - Molotov, 1940.
6. Artillery supply in the Great Patriotic War 1941-45. - Moscow-Tula: GAU, 1977.
7. Ivanov A. Artillery of the USSR in World War II. - St. Petersburg: Neva, 2003. - 64 p.
8. Russia and the USSR in the wars of the XX century: A statistical study. - M. YULMA-PRESS, 2001. - 608 p.
9. Kolomiets M. V. KV. "Klim Voroshilov" - a breakthrough tank. - M.: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2006. - 136s
10. N. N. Nikiforov, P. I. Turkin, A. A. Zherebtsov, and S. G. Galienko, Russ. Artillery / Under the general. ed. Chistyakova M.N. - M.: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1953.
11. Svirin M. N. Tank power of the USSR. -M.: Eksmo, Yauza, 2008.
12. Svirin M.N. Self-propelled guns of Stalin. History of the Soviet self-propelled guns 1919–1945. - M.: Eksmo. 2008.
13. Solyankin A.G., Pavlov M.V., Pavlov I.V., Zheltov I.G. Soviet heavy tanks 1917–1941 - M.: LLC Publishing Center - Eksprint", 2005. - 48 p.
14. Shirokorad A.B. Encyclopedia of domestic artillery. - Minsk: Harvest, 2000. - 1156 p.
15. Shunkov V.N. Weapons of the Red Army. - Minsk: Harvest, 1999. - 544 p.
16. Website "Jaeger-Platoon" http://wm.jaegerplatoon. net/ARTILLERY6. htm.
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From the MiG-21 book. Features of modifications and design details. Part 1 author Ivanov S. V.152-mm howitzers M-10 and D-1. Part 2 Anatoly Sorokin Combat vehicles armed with a 152-mm howitzer mod. 1938 During the Soviet-Finnish (Winter) War of 1939-1940. the Red Army needed a combat vehicle with powerful weapons and armor to destroy enemy reinforced concrete
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From the author's book152-mm howitzers M-10 m D-1 Part 4 Endgame "nine" Combat vehicles armed with 152-mm howitzer mod. 1943 Unlike other artillery systems, which were installed in an adapted form on serial and experimental combat vehicles of various types, the D-1 howitzer almost never
From the author's bookChapter 3 Divisional howitzers As a legacy from the tsarist army, the Red Army received two 122-mm howitzers - mod. 1909 and 1910 with almost the same performance characteristics. But the designs of both systems had fundamental differences, starting with the wedge gate at
From the author's bookPart 1 MiG-21PFM ("Red 353") of the Afghan Air Force before the next sortie, 80s. On the pylons - UR R-ZS. During the 1979-89 war, both the Afghan Air Force and the USSR Air Force actively used the MiG-21PFM in battles. The MiG-21 fighter (according to NATO terminology "Fishbed") appeared in