The Germans gave the female name “Dora” to the most gigantic gun of the Second World War. This 80 centimeter caliber artillery system was so huge that it could only be moved by rail. She traveled half of Europe and left an ambiguous opinion about herself.
Dora was developed in the late 1930s at the Krupp plant in Essen. The main task of the super-powerful weapon is to destroy the forts of the French Maginot Line during a siege. At that time these were the strongest fortifications that existed in the world.
"Dora" could fire projectiles weighing 7 tons at a distance of up to 47 kilometers. When fully assembled, Dora weighed about 1,350 tons. The Germans developed this powerful weapon when preparing for the Battle of France. But when the fighting began in 1940, the most big gun World War II was not yet ready. In any case, Blitzkrieg tactics allowed the Germans to capture Belgium and France in just 40 days, bypassing the Maginot Line defenses. This forced the French to surrender with minimal resistance and the fortifications did not have to be stormed.
"Dora" was deployed later, during the war in the East, in the Soviet Union. It was used during the siege of Sevastopol to fire at coastal batteries heroically defending the city. Preparing the gun from the traveling position for firing took a week and a half. In addition to the immediate crew of 500 people, a security battalion, a transport battalion, two trains for the supply of ammunition, an anti-aircraft battalion, as well as its own military police and a field bakery were involved.
The German gun, the height of a four-story building and 42 meters long, fired concrete-piercing and high-explosive shells up to 14 times a day. To push out the largest projectile in the world, a charge of 2 tons of explosives was needed.
It is believed that in June 1942, "Dora" fired 48 shots at Sevastopol. But due to the large distance to the target, only a few hits were obtained. In addition, if the heavy ingots did not hit the concrete armor, they would go 20-30 meters into the ground, where their explosion would not cause much damage. The supergun showed completely different results than the Germans, who poured a lot of money into this ambitious miracle weapon, had hoped for.
When the barrel expired, the gun was taken to the rear. After repairs, it was planned to use it under besieged Leningrad, but this was prevented by the liberation of the city by our troops. Then the supergun was taken through Poland to Bavaria, where in April 1945 it was blown up so that it would not become a trophy for the Americans.
In the XIX-XX centuries. there were only two weapons with a large caliber (90 cm for both): the British Mallet mortar and the American Little David. But “Dora” and the same type “Gustav” (which did not take part in the hostilities) were the largest caliber artillery that took part in the battles. Also these are the biggest self-propelled units ever built. However, these 800 mm guns went down in history as “a completely useless work of art.”
The Third Reich developed many interesting and unusual “miracle weapon” projects. For example, .
Artillery is a branch of the military whose main armament is artillery guns - firearms with a caliber of at least 20 mm intended to defeat the enemy on land, sea and air. The same concept also refers to the entire set of artillery weapons (guns, ammunition, shooting devices, etc.).
The principle of operation of an artillery gun is based on the physical and chemical process of converting the combustion energy of a powder charge in the barrel into the energy of projectile movement that occurs during a shot. When fired, high temperatures (3000–3500 degrees) and pressures of 400–500 MPa develop in very short periods of time (0.001–0.06 s). In this case, 25–35% of the charge energy is spent on the forward movement of the projectile, the rest of it goes to secondary work (rolling back moving parts, dynamic recoil balancing in recoilless guns and grenade launchers, ensuring the operation of automation in automatic weapons etc.) or is lost. The gases flowing from the bore form flame, smoke and a shock wave, which is the source of sound.
An artillery gun consists of two main parts - a barrel with a bolt and a carriage. The barrel is designed to throw a projectile (mine) with a certain initial speed and give it stable flight in the desired direction. It is a pipe, the internal cavity of which is called the bore. The inner diameter of the bore is called the caliber. For rifled weapons in Russia, the caliber is determined by the distance between the opposite fields of the rifling, in the USA and Great Britain - by the distance between the rifling. Typically, the caliber of a weapon is expressed in linear units: inches (25.4 mm), lines (2.54 mm), millimeters. Caliber is also called the diameter of a projectile (missile) based on its largest cross section.
The end sections of the barrel are called breech and muzzle. The barrel bore after loading and during firing from the breech is closed by a bolt, which is located in the breech breech. The barrel bore consists of a chamber where the propellant charge is placed and the leading part. In the chamber, the propellant charge burns and its chemical energy is converted into the kinetic energy of the projectile. The leading part is designed to direct the movement of the projectile. In rifled barrels it is also used to impart rotational motion to the projectile.
The barrels of some guns have muzzle brakes and ejectors. Muzzle brake is a device designed to absorb the energy of recoil parts (25–75%). The use of a muzzle brake reduces the load on the carriage and allows the overall weight of the gun to be reduced. Muzzle brakes differ in the number of chambers (tubeless, single and multi-chamber), the number of rows of side holes (single and multi-row) and their shape (slotted, mesh and window). Based on their operating principle, muzzle brakes are divided into active, reactive and active-reactive.
An ejector is a device for purging the bore of an artillery gun from powder gases, as well as reducing gas contamination in the fighting compartments of tanks, self-propelled guns and naval turret artillery installations. The operation of the ejector is based on the principle of ejection (suction) of powder gases by creating a gas pressure difference in the breech and muzzle parts of the barrel.
Depending on the design of the leading part of the channel, the barrels are rifled and smooth-bore. In most countries, right-hand rifling of weapons (from left to top to right) is adopted. The rifling imparts a rotational motion to the projectile, which ensures its stability along the trajectory and increases the accuracy of fire and range. In turn, smoothbore guns have a number of advantages. The absence of rifling allows them to significantly increase the pressure of the powder gases in the barrel and, accordingly, increase the initial speed and armor penetration of armor-piercing projectiles. A smooth barrel is less susceptible to erosion from powder gases and has less wear on the bore when firing high-velocity armor-piercing projectiles. Its service life is approximately twice as long as that of a rifled barrel. It is also cheaper to produce.
Based on the structure of the walls, gun barrels are divided into unfastened, fastened (self-fastened) and collapsible. An unfastened trunk is a monolithic pipe called a monoblock trunk; made from one piece. A bonded barrel is a barrel that has artificial stresses pre-created in the walls during the manufacturing process, increasing its strength. To do this, the barrel is made of two or more pipes, put on one another with tension. The outer pipe is called the casing. Collapsible barrel - a barrel consisting of two pipes, put on one another with a gap that is removed during the shot. Collapsible barrels come with a free tube or with a free liner. The free pipe, compared to the liner, has thicker walls and is not covered along its entire length, but only on the part where the greatest pressures of powder gases develop in its channel. The use of collapsible barrels makes it possible to quickly replace their worn part in combat conditions (re-barreling) and increases ease of use (disassembly into packs in mountain conditions).
The bolt is a device designed to send an artillery shot into the chamber, lock and unlock the barrel, fire a shot and eject the cartridge case. The breech of artillery guns is divided by design into wedge and piston. Wedge valve is a valve whose locking part is a wedge. It is used in artillery guns of unitary and separate-case loading. There are vertical wedge gates (in small-caliber guns) and horizontal (in large-caliber guns). Piston valve is a valve whose locking part is a piston. It is used in medium and large caliber artillery guns with separate case and cartridge loading.
A carriage is a machine on which the barrel of an artillery gun is attached. Designed to impart vertical and horizontal angles to the barrel (using aiming mechanisms), absorb recoil energy when fired (by recoil devices) and transfer the resulting forces to the ground (or to the base of the installation), as well as to move the artillery gun. Carriages are movable (wheeled or tracked), semi-stationary (on a moving base for tank, self-propelled, ship, and aircraft guns) and stationary (on a fixed base for casemate and coastal guns).
The carriage consists of a cradle with recoil devices, an upper and lower machine. The cradle with recoil devices and the barrel make up the swinging part of the gun. The barrel and recoil devices are secured in the cradle. When fired, the barrel rolls back along the cradle to a certain length, recoil devices slow down the barrel during rollback, after which, with the help of recoil devices, the barrel returns to its original position. The upper machine is the basis for the swinging part of the implement. A cradle, a balancing mechanism, aiming mechanisms, sights and shield cover. Using a rotating mechanism, the upper machine rotates in a horizontal plane.
Sights are used to accurately aim the gun at the target and consist of a gun panorama and an artillery sight. The gun panorama serves for a 360-degree view of the area, aiming and marking the gun. The artillery sight provides aiming of the gun in the horizontal and vertical planes.
The shield cover, made of steel sheets 3–10 mm thick, is designed to protect the gun crew and vulnerable parts of the carriage from bullets and shell fragments.
The lower machine with frames and chassis is the base of the rotating part of the implement. The beds, when bringing the gun into a firing position, are moved apart and secured in the ground with coulters, which ensures the gun's immobility when fired and lateral stability when changing the direction of fire. In the stowed position, the frames are brought together and secured to the front of the gun, if it is not on the tractor hook.
The main combat properties of an artillery gun include: the power of projectiles, shooting accuracy, range, rate of fire, fire maneuverability, mobility, air transportability, operational reliability, simplicity and ease of maintenance.
The power of ammunition is an indicator of the effectiveness of its action on the target. Thus, the power of high-explosive shells is determined by the area of the destruction zone, which depends on the mass and properties of the explosive charge, the ability to penetrate barriers, and the installation of the fuse; fragmentation shells - the area of the reduced zone of fragmentation damage, determined by the number, mass and speed of dispersion of fragments, the vulnerability of the target and the conditions of the encounter; armor-piercing shells - the thickness of the armor penetrated at a given angle of impact, the probability of hitting an armored target.
Firing accuracy is a probabilistic assessment of the possible positions of the impact points (explosions) of shells and missiles relative to the target. Characterized by accuracy and accuracy of fire.
Range – the greatest range over which a weapon can throw a projectile (missile, mine).
Rate of fire - the number of shots that can be fired from a given weapon per unit of time (usually one minute); one of the main tactical and technical characteristics of a weapon, determining its firing power and effectiveness. There are combat and technical rates of fire of weapons. Combat rate of fire is the practically possible rate of fire of a weapon under conditions of its combat use, i.e. taking into account the time for aiming, reloading and transferring fire from one target to another. Technical rate of fire is the highest rate of fire of a weapon allowed by its technical capabilities. Determined by the time between two consecutive shots (reloading and firing time).
Fire maneuverability is determined by the speed of opening fire and the flexibility of fire. Flexibility of fire - the ability to fire at targets occupying any position in relation to the weapon, the speed of opening and transferring fire from one target to another.
The mobility of an artillery piece is the ability of an artillery piece to move quickly before the start of a battle and during combat operations. It is characterized by an average speed of movement and time of deployment to a combat position, as well as removal from positions.
Artillery guns have a diverse classification according to a variety of characteristics. So, based on the type of troops, they distinguish between artillery of the ground forces and naval artillery (coastal and naval).
Based on design features (type), guns are divided into cannons, howitzers, howitzer-cannons, mortars, mortars, recoilless rifles and rocket weapons.
According to the design of the bore - rifled and smoothbore.
According to their functional purpose, guns are classified into aviation, mountain, infantry, anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft, ship and coastal guns.
Based on caliber or power, small-caliber guns (20-75 mm), medium-caliber guns (75-155 mm), large-caliber (heavy) guns (155-460 mm) and special-power guns (over 460 mm) are distinguished.
Based on their ballistic properties, a distinction is made between guns with a flat trajectory (guns) and a mounted trajectory (howitzers, mortars and mortars).
According to organizational structure, artillery is divided into battalion, regimental, divisional, corps, army and strategic reserve artillery.
According to the methods of movement, artillery is divided into self-propelled, towed, self-propelled, transportable and stationary artillery.
According to the loading method, artillery is divided into separate-loading guns, unitary-shot guns, cap guns, automatic guns, semi-automatic guns and manually loaded guns.
Based on the design of the sight, a distinction is made between guns with an independent aiming line (remains stationary when the lifting mechanism is operating), guns with a semi-independent aiming line, and guns with a dependent aiming line (fixed motionless on the swinging part of the gun and moving with it when the lifting mechanism is operating).
In some countries, field artillery is distinguished for battles in the open field; positional (siege), where the battle is less volatile due to the fact that the targets stand still, or positions are taken for a longer time; fortress (casemate or coastal), installed permanently with a narrow gun and special shooting techniques.
The main tactical techniques of artillery include the following.
Artillery offensive - artillery combat in an offensive operation with the aim of suppressing enemy defenses and continuous support of infantry and tanks with massive artillery fire in breakthrough areas. In this case, superiority over enemy artillery is achieved in the direction of action of strike force groups. To ensure interaction with the advancing units, the artillery concentrated in the breakthrough area was united into artillery groups subordinate to combined arms commanders. Based on the nature of the actions of infantry and tanks at different stages of the offensive, the artillery offensive was divided into three periods: artillery preparation for the attack; artillery support for the attack; artillery support for infantry and tank operations in the depths of enemy defenses.
Artillery preparation for the attack was carried out by conducting massive and concentrated fire to the entire tactical depth of the enemy’s defense (8-10 km) in combination with the fire of guns allocated for direct fire at targets on the front line. Artillery support for the attack was achieved by sequential concentration of fire or a barrage of fire to a depth of 3-5 km, as well as a combination of these two types of fire. Artillery escort of infantry and tanks during battles in depth was carried out by a combination of fire and maneuver of escort guns with concentrated fire from artillery groups.
Artillery preparation refers to attacking tactical actions of artillery intended to destroy or suppress enemy fire weapons, manpower, defensive structures and other objects before the advance of friendly troops. Depending on the task, artillery preparation was carried out from several tens of minutes to several hours.
Fork is a technique used in artillery in which two shots are fired such that with one of them the projectile overshoots the target a little, and with the second it misses the target a little. Locking the target into the fork is the desired result of zeroing, after which you can begin shooting to kill, using the average values between the shooting settings for the first and second shots, if they are not too different. If the fork is too large to switch to kill fire, then the fork begins to be “halved” (reduced by 2 times with each change of flight sign) until sufficient accuracy is achieved.
Barrage (cutting) fire is a type of artillery fire used suddenly to repel attacks and counterattacks of enemy infantry and tanks at pre-designated and, as a rule, targeted lines (areas). According to the direction relative to the front of friendly units, barrage fire is divided into frontal and flanking. Keeping the nearest line of barrage away from friendly units outside cover guarantees the safety of friendly troops. The depth of the barrage areas usually reaches 150-200 meters. When the enemy leaves the barrage fire area, the fire is transferred to the next line. To destroy air targets, barrage fire can be used by anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft machine guns.
Sound metry (sound reconnaissance) is a method of determining the location of an object by the sound it creates. It is especially widely used in military affairs to identify the location of enemy artillery batteries and conduct counter-battery fire.
Counter-battery firing is firing from artillery pieces from indirect firing positions at similarly located enemy artillery fire weapons. As a rule, counter-battery fire is carried out by an entire artillery unit (battery or division) against a group of enemy guns located close to each other. Most often, the target turns out to be an enemy battery and it is
This is where counter-battery fire gets its name. Counter-battery fire is considered successful if enemy fire weapons and their crews are suppressed or destroyed. Suppression implies the further temporary inability of enemy fire weapons to continue firing. It is caused by the need for enemy gun crews to wait out the fire attack in shelters. If the area of impact is in close proximity to the enemy’s guns, then his inability to fire may continue for some time, which is necessary to change the firing position. Even if the area of impact is far from the enemy's guns and does not pose an immediate danger to them, they can also become silent so as not to allow their location to be more accurately determined. This case is also considered successful target suppression. If the area of impact during counter-battery fire covers an enemy firing position and after the shelling the enemy’s guns and their crews are irrevocably disabled, then the target is considered destroyed.
Counter-battery shooting has its own characteristics. The main one is the large distance of the target from the front line (up to several tens of kilometers), which makes direct observation of it by artillery reconnaissance officers on the front line impossible. Therefore, to determine the coordinates of the target, the following means are used: direct observation from an aircraft, the results of aerial photography, a sound reconnaissance unit, a radar station, visual observation of phenomena accompanying the shooting, the deployment of scouts or the use of agents in the near rear of the enemy.
There are methods to counter counter-battery fire. Thus, when choosing a firing position, terrain features are taken into account, which can simplify or complicate the task of hiding the battery from the above-mentioned technical reconnaissance means. To soundly mask the location of the battery, explosive packages were used to imitate the sound of an artillery shot in order to cause counter-battery fire at the location of the explosive packages, and thereby reveal the position of the enemy battery. To divert the enemy's attention from the location of the main artillery forces, various demonstrations, false positions, and roaming guns were used to disperse his counter-battery fire.
In artillery, several firing methods are practiced, in which an artillery gun is aimed at a target and sends a projectile, depending on the purpose of the gun, the location of the target and the combat situation, along one trajectory or another.
Direct fire is a shooting method in which the shooter visually observes the target and carries out aiming by aligning the sight with the target.
Semi-direct fire is a shooting method in which the shooter visually observes the target, aiming in the horizontal plane is carried out by aligning the sight with the target, and aiming in the vertical plane is carried out as when shooting from closed positions.
Firing from closed positions - firing artillery at targets that are not in direct visibility from the firing position, aiming is carried out with the help of third-party observers.
Mounted shooting is shooting from artillery pieces at barrel elevation angles of over 20°. Mortar shooting is shooting from artillery pieces at elevation angles above 45°.
A salvo is a simultaneous shot from several artillery pieces. When firing from guns, a salvo retains its significance, both because of the stunning impression and in the sense of the strong destructive effect of the cumulative impact of several shells and a mass of hits in a short period of time. Artillery salvo fire is carried out in cases where the guns are well targeted, and must be coordinated with the actual need, properties and importance of the target. The salvo is fired either by command or automatically, using electrical devices and fuses; An automatic salvo is used for fortress guns and ship artillery.
In addition to the above tactical methods of using artillery, the following types of artillery fire are known: fire on a single target, concentrated fire (conducted simultaneously by several batteries or a division at one precisely defined target), sequential concentration of fire (concentrated on enemy strongholds and other targets in front of the front and on flanks of the attacking troops, is consistently transferred into depth), combing fire (clears the entire strip between the lines of the fire curtain and suppresses enemy firing points that come to life here and there), fire fringing (a type of barrage fire), attritional fire (long-term, massive fire on the same certain targets), harassing fire (methodical, infrequent fire on the same areas without an exact definition of the target), etc.
Artillery has a long history. However, its appearance, reflected in the Second World War, was laid before the start of the First World War and during its course. Artillery pieces created at this time
served as the basis for the creation of guns in service during the Second World War. Already by the beginning of the First World War, artillery guns had a rifled barrel, a recoilless single-frame carriage with coulters, an arc sight with a side level and an inclinometer, a charge of smokeless powder, and unitary loading with a breech.
The role of artillery in the conduct of combat operations in all armies increased. During offensives to break through enemy defenses, guns began to be used more and more massively, concentrating up to 80 - 100 in breakthrough areas, and in some operations up to 120 - 160 guns per 1 km of front. Accordingly, the number of guns in armies increased. Thus, by the beginning of the war, the main warring countries had the following number of guns: Russia - 7,088, France - 4,300, England - 1,352, Germany - 9,388, Austria-Hungary - 4,088 guns. During the war, the number of guns was increased by 2-3 times.
Along with the quantitative growth of artillery, its quality improved: the range and power of the guns increased. Infantry escort artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery appeared. The caliber of heavy guns increased. The artillery began to be transferred to mechanical propulsion and used firing from closed firing positions. New means and methods of conducting artillery reconnaissance were created, and an artillery instrumental reconnaissance service appeared. To correct shooting at unobserved targets, observation aircraft and balloons began to be used.
During the interwar period, the tactical and technical characteristics of old guns and ammunition were improved, new guns were created, and self-propelled artillery was developed.
The world's armies entered World War II with old, partially modernized guns and outdated tactics for using them. The concepts for the development of artillery in all countries were different, and as practice has shown, they were erroneous. Germany relied on bomber aviation, leaving artillery to play a supporting role. At the same time, it actively developed anti-aircraft artillery, assuming the same enemy strategy. France relied on infantry fire support artillery - field and infantry guns - and also built mortars. Great Britain and the United States paid primary attention to howitzers and mortars, while simultaneously modernizing the old multi-purpose artillery arsenal. In the USSR they tried to create universal field guns and at the same time modernized their old stock. Japan treated artillery as an auxiliary weapon and did not pay any attention to its development.
Thus, the war began with approximately the same artillery weapons as the First World War, but used on a much larger scale. The outbreak of hostilities quickly revealed shortcomings in the existing artillery arsenals and led to the comprehensive, rapid development of artillery, especially its new types: anti-tank, rocket and self-propelled. The rate of fire in anti-aircraft artillery has increased, and fire control systems have appeared. The role of mortars increased sharply, and recoilless rifles began to be used. The number of guns produced has increased significantly.
Approximate number of guns, examples of which took part in the war, by country and type of gun (excluding transferred/received)
| Types and number of guns | ||||||
| Mountain guns | Zenith. | Inf. and field guns | Howitzers and mortars | Fri. Guns 1) |
Railway guns 2) |
|
| Australia | — | — | — | — | ||
| Austria-Hungary | — | 577 | 638 | 580 | ||
| Belgium | — | 1 024 | — | 750 | ||
| England | 40 583 | 2 350 | 22 033 | 63 605 | ||
| Germany | 204 413 | 25 314 | 35 833 | 58 574 | ||
| Denmark | — | — | — | 1200 | ||
| Italy | 4 409 | 4 301 | 1 144 | 276 | ||
| Spain | — | — | — | — | ||
| Netherlands | — | 686 | — | 380 | ||
| Norway | — | — | 8 | — | ||
| Poland | 146 | 628 | — | 1 200 | ||
| USSR | 51 991 | 56 301 | 37 477 | 113 868 | ||
| USA | 211 509 | 716 | 29 731 | 37 744 | ||
| Finland | — | — | — | 544 | ||
| France | 2 294 | 22 341 | 2 863 | 5 768 | ||
| Czechoslovakia | 387 | 304 | 1 611 | 1 807 | ||
| Sweden | — | 492 | 786 | 3 600 | ||
| Japan | 43 319 | 4 041 | 2 590 | 8 000 | ||
| 559 051 | 119 075 | 134 714 | 297 896 | |||
Table continuation
| A country |
Types and number of guns |
|||||
|
Cor. Guns 3) |
Heavy Guns 4) | TOTAL | self-propelled guns | Mortars 5) |
Air. Guns 6) |
|
| Australia | — | 213 | — | |||
| Austria-Hungary | 46 | 4 435 | 202 | |||
| Belgium | — | 1 774 | — | |||
| England | 5 343 | 145 404 | 5 549 | 147 000 | ||
| Germany | 102 | 327 759 | 29 296 | 107 300 | ||
| Denmark | — | 1 200 | — | |||
| Italy | 10 | 13 262 | 1 054 | |||
| Spain | 19 | 19 | — | |||
| Netherlands | — | 1 066 | — | |||
| Norway | — | 36 | — | |||
| Poland | — | 1 974 | — | |||
| USSR | 810 | 263 406 | 24 767 | 402 300 | ||
| USA | 849 | 307 862 | 37 915 | 111 000 | ||
| Finland | 14 | 558 | 18 | |||
| France | 1 390 | 36 834 | — | 32 400 | ||
| Czechoslovakia | — | 4 366 | — | |||
| Sweden | 48 | 5 339 | 42 | |||
| Japan | — | 62 134 | 132 | 125 300 | ||
| 8 631 | 1 177 641 | 98 975 | 946 400 | |||
1) Anti-tank guns
2) Railway guns
3) Ship guns
4) Heavy and coastal guns
5) Mortars and recoilless rifles
6) Aircraft guns
In addition to the above data, Germany had 40.2 thousand missile launchers, the USSR - 26.2 thousand, and the British and US Navy - 5.1 installations mounted on ships.
Thus, in World War II, they could take at least 2.8 million guns and mortars, excluding aircraft guns.
The characteristics of the state and development of the artillery of some countries during the war are as follows.
Great Britain, while modernizing old guns, created virtually no new models. The main attention in the pre-war period was directed to the development of medium-caliber howitzers with sufficiently high tactical and technical characteristics. The industry was unable to master the production of medium-caliber aircraft guns (30-45 mm), as a result of which aviation was overloaded with numerous large-caliber machine guns and 20-mm cannons, which, especially in the second half of the war, were ineffective. The basis of British naval guns were medium-caliber guns built in the pre-war years and the second half of the war. Almost all large-caliber guns were built before or during the First World War, some of them were modernized during the interwar period.
Great Britain was almost the only maritime state that did not have heavy and large-caliber coastal guns in its arsenal. This problem was solved by a mass of medium-caliber guns and ships. At the same time, the number of small-caliber coastal guns (up to 100 mm) was extremely large, which was due to the British fear of the German mosquito fleet. To strengthen coastal defenses, large-caliber railway guns, usually decommissioned from ships, were used.
The British anti-aircraft artillery, despite its relative modernity, turned out to be qualitatively and quantitatively unprepared to repel massive German air raids. This problem was not resolved by the end of the war, even taking into account US supplies under Lend-Lease. The effectiveness of anti-aircraft, naval and coastal artillery increased significantly in the second half of the war due to the use of radar stations and fire control systems.
Great Britain and the countries of the British Commonwealth were among the leaders in the production of mortars. At the same time, light mortars located directly in infantry units took up more than half of the total output. At the same time, the number of field and infantry guns in service with the army was too small. Moreover, most of the guns were modernized artillery from the First World War. The number of anti-tank guns produced by Britain ranks third in the world, but two thirds of them were small-caliber. The country did not have specialized weapons to combat heavy tanks.
The British self-propelled artillery was not numerous and consisted, for the most part, of anti-tank guns and howitzers mounted on the basis of obsolete tanks. Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were often based on truck chassis, less often on light tanks. Missile weapons Great Britain was in its early stages of development. Jet systems were in serial production volley fire, which served as auxiliary weapons.
In the first half of the war, German aircraft guns met the requirements of the time, but in the second part there was clearly a lack of large-caliber guns, the development of which turned out to be “crude.” Germany's naval guns, for the most part, were built in the pre-war years and were qualitatively different from similar enemy models, which allowed German sailors to engage in artillery duels with ships that had quantitative superiority and a larger caliber of guns.
Germany possessed a significant number of large-caliber coastal guns converted from naval guns, both its own production and captured ones. Almost all of these guns were produced before the First World War. To make up for the shortage of heavy weapons in Eastern Front. Germany actively used medium and especially large caliber railway guns. They were built on the basis of obsolete naval guns, as well as specially designed cannons. The guns were used both in offensive operations and in defense, notable for their high range.
Germany's anti-aircraft artillery, both in quantitative and qualitative dimensions, was the best during the war. A large number and high mobility of small and medium caliber anti-aircraft guns provided effective air defense for troops at the front. Large-caliber anti-aircraft guns equipped with radar stations and fire control systems created fairly dense barrage fire over cities and military installations. In addition, the number of captured anti-aircraft guns in Germany exceeded the number of anti-aircraft guns produced by many countries, incl. and the USSR for the entire period of the war.
Germany created new models of light and heavy howitzers, as well as extra-heavy mortars. At the same time, its industry was able to organize their mass production. Infantry and field guns in Germany were represented by a large range of modernized World War I guns and wartime developments, which constituted at least half of the artillery armament of infantry units. In addition to guns, medium-caliber mortars significantly increased firepower infantry units and occupied more than 70% of their total output.
Having become one of the first countries to create specialized anti-tank guns, Germany in 1941-1942. found itself without an effective gun capable of resisting enemy medium and heavy tanks. And only at the beginning of 1943, having adapted an anti-aircraft gun to fight tanks, she no longer had problems with this.
In terms of effectiveness on the battlefield, self-propelled artillery installations Germany rightfully occupied a leading place. By applying the specialization of self-propelled guns by functional purpose, Germany reached second place in the world in the number of units produced. Along with the USSR, it built self-propelled guns according to special projects, which significantly prevailed over “hybrids”.
Developments in rocket science and mass production of rockets had no analogues in the world. However, shortcomings in their design and lack of resources for production did not allow Germany to achieve significant results in their use. German rocket artillery was put into mass production and approximately corresponded in its qualitative parameters to analogues produced in the USSR, and in quantitative terms it was 1.5 times higher. At the same time, the German military perceived rocket artillery without “hysterical delight”, since they considered it a pointless waste of explosives on dimensionless territories.
Italy's naval guns were predominantly of medium caliber, built during the interwar period. However, according to their tactical and technical data, they lagged behind the requirements of the time. Italy did not have large-caliber anti-aircraft guns at its disposal, and medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns were produced in the interwar period, i.e. were morally outdated. A small amount of modern small-caliber artillery could not solve the problems with air defense.
Howitzers were predominantly used to equip the army from the First World War, and only a third of the guns were built in the interwar period. The number of mortars fired was insignificant. At the same time, serial production of only medium-caliber mortars was established. The arsenal of infantry and field guns in Italy almost entirely consisted of modernized guns from the First World War. Only two models were produced during the interwar period, and even then in small quantities.
Aircraft guns in the USSR, both quantitatively and qualitatively, met the requirements of the time. The only problem that was not solved during the war was the aiming devices for aircraft weapons. The basis of the USSR's naval guns was medium-caliber artillery built before the First World War, and only a small number of guns were produced in the interwar period. All large-caliber guns were pre-war Russian models. However, only a few ships had fire control systems.
Based on the length of the border coastline, the USSR had a meager number of coastal defense guns, represented by medium-caliber interwar guns and large-caliber guns created before the First World War. At the same time, they provided significant influence on the course of defensive military operations in the first half of the war. It was mainly thanks to coastal batteries that the defense of Sevastopol, Odessa and, to some extent, Leningrad held out.
Numerous and quite modern mobile heavy artillery, belonging to the reserve of the commander-in-chief's headquarters, turned out to be ineffective, both in defensive and offensive operations. The reason for this situation was the lack of professionalism of the command in its use. The lack of heavy artillery was partially compensated for by medium-caliber railway guns. Possessing sufficient mobility and firing range, they effectively conducted counter-battery combat with the enemy.
Anti-aircraft artillery in the USSR was the most backward among all types of artillery weapons, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. This lag was not overcome even by the end of the war. The USSR had absolutely no large-caliber anti-aircraft guns, practically did not use fire control and gun automation systems, and there was a critical shortage of radar stations. Air defense systems, other than those protecting Moscow and Leningrad, existed only nominally.
The largest number of howitzers, infantry, field guns and mortars during the war was built in the USSR, which in individual operations on the Soviet-German front in 1943 - 1945. made it possible to achieve an artillery density in areas where the enemy had broken through the prepared positional defense of 200–300 artillery pieces per 1 km of front, and in some cases more. Soviet artillery was the most effective branch of the Red Army. According to Soviet estimates, up to 60-80% of German losses came from artillery fire.
Not having a single mass-produced self-propelled gun at the beginning of the war, the USSR was able to launch production of almost all calibers of universal self-propelled guns during the war. And by the end of the war it could compete with Germany in tank destroyers and assault guns. At the same time, the production of self-propelled howitzers and self-propelled howitzers was not established in the USSR.
Rocket science in the USSR during the war was at the experimental stage. At the same time, rocket artillery was actively developing, to which the Soviet command attached special importance. This attitude was caused by the high rate of fire of multiple rocket launchers, the great destructive power of shells and the ability to fire across areas. Having the largest number of artillery pieces among all the warring countries, the Soviet military did not know how and did not have the opportunity to shoot at targets, but “hit” in areas. However, this method of firing required a huge number of guns and shells, which were successfully replaced by rocket launchers. Hence the command’s love for the Katyushas and Andryushas and the legends about their “exceptional efficiency.”
In the USA, the basis of aircraft guns were 20-mm guns, which fully satisfied the demands in the Pacific theater of operations, and clearly lagged behind European requirements. Despite the massive construction of the fleet during the war, the ships were armed with medium-caliber guns developed during the interwar period. Less than half of the battleships built during the war years received modern large-caliber guns.
Not seeing a military threat from the sea, the United States had less than two hundred stationary coastal guns of outdated modifications. To improve the situation, about 700 heavy mobile guns were used. In addition, like Great Britain, the United States used medium and large caliber railway guns that had previously been decommissioned from ships.
During the war, the United States produced the largest number of anti-aircraft guns, two thirds of which were small-caliber, which was determined by the specifics of military operations in the Pacific theater. Due to the lack of an enemy, large-caliber long-range guns were produced in symbolic quantities.
In the United States, pre-war developments were limited to medium-caliber howitzers, which, although they did not have outstanding tactical and technical characteristics, were produced with a large supply during the war years. The production of light mortars in the United States accounted for about 60% of the total output.
The production of anti-tank guns in the United States was limited to small calibers, which could cope well with the bulletproof armor of Japanese tanks. In Europe, the Americans used British guns. The USA, having produced the largest number of self-propelled guns, did not create a single special installation project.
Specialized guns were installed on trucks, armored personnel carriers and tank chassis. At the same time, the qualitative component of the installations relied more on “self-propelledness” than on the effectiveness of weapons, the shortcomings of which were replaced by the number of self-propelled guns produced.
The US rocket industry was in the experimental development stage, and rocket artillery was used as an auxiliary weapon for fire support of infantry or airborne troops.
France was unable to advance further than 20-mm guns in either the development or production of aircraft guns. Most medium caliber naval guns were built in the pre-war years, at a time when almost all large caliber guns were created before the First World War. France replaced the dilapidation of its coastal and heavy guns with more numerous ones, which led it to obtain the status of the main supplier of captured weapons to the Wehrmacht. In addition, many decommissioned medium and large caliber naval guns were placed on railway platforms. Heavy-duty guns (caliber over 400 mm) were also created. Almost all of them, like the previous ones, fell into the hands of the enemy.
The number of anti-aircraft guns built by France was insignificant, and the medium-caliber guns were modernized ones. France, modernizing old guns, created medium and large caliber howitzer guns, but their number was clearly not enough to conduct effective combat operations. Light mortars occupied a predominant place in their overall production, although they total was clearly insufficient for French army. At the same time, the number of infantry and field guns was only slightly inferior to Germany, although half of them were produced during the First World War and were subsequently modernized. Due to the lack of special anti-tank guns to combat tanks with ballistic armor, the French used infantry and field guns.
Japan, having created excellent examples of medium-caliber aircraft cannons, was unable to produce them in sufficient quantities, having fought the war with ineffective 20-mm weapons. Almost all medium-caliber naval guns were created during the interwar period. Large-caliber guns of battleships were produced both in the period before the First World War and in the interwar period. And only 460 mm guns for the largest battleships in the world were built in 1941.
Of the large-caliber land guns, Japan had only 30 railway installations, which did not have time to take part in hostilities. Despite the relative “freshness” of the released anti-aircraft guns, most of them were obsolete, especially large calibers. In this regard, even a fairly large number of fired anti-aircraft guns did not provide significant resistance to Allied aviation.
In the pre-war years, a number of medium-caliber guns and large-caliber howitzers were created in Japan. During the war, giving primary importance to the actions of the infantry, the improvement of artillery special attention was not given. And their number precluded the conduct of military operations adequate to the enemy.
Japan, having produced a significant number of light mortars, did not pay enough attention to medium and heavy calibers. To combat tanks, a 47-mm anti-tank gun was created. As part of the anti-tank artillery in Japan, there were only small-caliber guns that did not penetrate the anti-ballistic armor of Allied tanks.
Rocket artillery in Japan was in its infancy and was used sporadically in combat operations.
70 mm battalion gun Type 92 1932 This gun is the most famous artillery piece of the Japanese army during World War II, it could be used both as a mortar and as a regular field gun. Lightweight and easy to handle, it was easily operated by several people; during transportation, it was disassembled, carried in parts, or transported entirely on a horse or mule. The carriage had a pneumohydraulic recoil device, the wheels were attached to the cranked axles, so that for better stability the gun could be lowered straight... 152 mm howitzer D-1 1943 The accumulated experience of unification and standardization of various artillery systems has allowed Soviet designers in the shortest possible time to create new types of weapons necessary to arm the army. At the end of 1942 Soviet troops moved on to offensive operations and to support the formations, a fairly maneuverable 152-mm hull howitzer with a relatively low weight was required. Its development was entrusted to the design bureau under the leadership of F.F. Petrova. Engineers used already proven... 128-mm anti-tank self-propelled gun "Jдgdtiger" ("Yagdtiger") 1944 Following the tradition of using an existing tank to convert it into a self-propelled gun by installing a larger caliber gun on its chassis, the Germans immediately saw a potential self-propelled gun in the heavy Tiger II. Since the tank was armed with an 88-mm cannon, it should, following the logic, be equipped with a more powerful 128-mm gun. The muzzle velocity of its 28.3-kilogram projectile was less than that of the 88-mm cannon, but at a greater range its armor penetration was higher... 200 mm rocket-propelled mortar type 4 Although imperial Japan on the eve of World War II lagged behind European countries in terms of the development of traditional types of weapons, during subsequent battles it was largely able to catch up thanks to the technical assistance provided by Nazi Germany. However, to establish mass production of such modern species weapons, such as jet aircraft and rocket-propelled gun mounts, Japan was unable to due to the limited industrial potential and unskilled workforce.... 82 mm mortar BM-36 1936 In 1935–1936, small-scale production of 82-mm battalion mortars began. By November 1, 1936, the Red Army had 73 82-mm battalion mortars, although according to the states they were supposed to have 2586 pieces. In 1937, 1587 82-mm mortars were produced, in 1938 - 1188, in 1939 - 1678. In the first and third quarters of 1940, three NKV factories (No. 7, 106 and 393), as well as the Kirovsky, Gorlovsky and " Red October" was given the task to produce 6,700 82-mm mortars. By August 1st... 75 mm field gun type 38 1905 Entering the 20th century, imperial Japan, remote from the countries of Europe and America, had no experience in developing heavy weapons. Therefore, she purchased licenses for its production from famous gunsmiths in Europe, in particular from Krupp. One of these acquisitions in 1905 was a Type 38 cannon of 75 mm caliber. Minor changes were made to the design of the gun due to the peculiarities of Japanese production technology at that time. Thus, the carriage frames acquired a square cross-section... Rocket launcher BM-13 1941 On July 14, 1941, the German command received a panicked report from the front: “The Russians used a battery with an unusual number of guns. The troops fired at by the Russians testify: the fire raid is like a hurricane. The loss of life is significant." All this commotion was caused by just one battery of captain I.A. Flerova, armed with seven rocket launchers BM-13, later known as "Katyusha". The development of 82-mm and 132-mm rockets began in the USSR in 1930... 90 mm anti-aircraft gun M1 1940 In 1938, the US Ordnance Command realized that the 76.2 mm M3 anti-aircraft gun was no longer powerful enough and ordered a heavier gun capable of firing shells weighing at least 21 pounds (9.5 kg). Preliminary studies showed that a 90 mm gun with 24 lb (10.9 kg) shells was quite acceptable in this regard, and in 1938 the development of the model was approved. The gun was put into service in March 1940 under the designation M1; it had a biaxial carriage and a special... 75 mm gun Type 35 1902 By the beginning of World War II, the 75-mm Type 35 cannon was the most modern artillery piece of the Japanese army. It was designed based on the experience of military operations in Manchuria and China. The gun carriage had a sliding ploughshare and seats for the crew; it was probably the last of the field guns with such seats. Guns of this type were supposed to replace horse-drawn field guns of the 1908 model, but the volume of their production fell far behind the requirements of the army, so the arrival... 20-mm anti-aircraft gun Polsten (Polsten) 1937 This gun was designed by Polish engineers who were trying to simplify the design of the famous Oerlikon cannon, making it even faster, lighter and cheaper. The Poles even managed to produce the first prototype, but in 1939 the Germans occupied Poland. The sample, along with the drawings, was secretly taken out of the country, and eventually ended up in England, along with some of the Polish developers. Here the designers managed to complete their work, and the gun was put into production... 75-mm anti-tank self-propelled gun "Jдgdpanzer IV" ("Yagdpanzer" IV) 1944 The Jgd Pz IV was originally designed as an analogue of the StuG III assault gun, but only on the basis of the “four” and the factory capacities of the companies involved in its production. (Hence the second name StuG neuer Art mit 7.5cm PaK L/48 auf Fahrgestell PzKpfw IV). The lead company for this tank model, Krupp-Gruzon, received the task. Almost simultaneously, the Fomag company also took up construction. In October 1943, she presented to the selection committee a sample made of non-armored steel.... 240 mm gun St.Chamond 1884 This French weapon was originally intended as a coastal and siege weapon. However, at the end of 1914, when the need for heavy artillery was extremely high, many of these guns were removed from the fortresses, and the Saint-Chamon company made a fairly convenient stationary carriage for them. After this, the gun could be transported in two parts (barrel and carriage), which were then installed in place using a winch. The gun turned out to be quite successful, and the Saint-Chamon company received an order... 76.2 mm anti-aircraft gun Q.F. 3-in 20cwt 1914 Q.F. The 3-dm was the first British gun specifically designed as an anti-aircraft gun. It was originally intended to arm ships and was put into production in early 1914. An unusual name indicating the weight of the gun (20 centners or 1 British ton) - a way to distinguish it from other 3-inch guns with which the British army and navy were equipped in abundance. The gun was mounted on a massive pedestal with the possibility of circular rotation; this pedestal could be rotated using bolts... 140 mm B.L. gun 5.5-in 1942 The Mk 2 BL 5.5-inch gun was designed to replace the British 60-pounder gun, and the 5.5-inch (140 mm) caliber was chosen to give the projectile a better ballistic shape. At first, to compensate for the weight of the heavy barrel, it was planned to equip the gun with a special pneumohydraulic mechanism, but this gave rise to a number of problems, and as a result, instead of pneumohydraulics, conventional spring balancing devices were used, the “horns” of which noticeably rose above the barrel. First... 203 mm howitzer B.L. 8-in Mk.VII 1916 Britain entered the First World War with very few heavy guns, so one of its main concerns was establishing the production of such guns. Since equipment for the production of 203 mm (8-inch) guns was available in large quantities, their production was established quite quickly, and standard carriages for them were also developed at the same time. The guns turned out to be heavy, with riveted iron frames of rectangular cross-section and large wheels. Since the system is open... 88 mm anti-tank gun Pak.43/41 1943 The Pak-43/41 gun was one of the most powerful anti-tank weapons of the Second World War. In terms of armor penetration, only the Soviet 100-mm cannon mod. 1944 and the German 128 mm Pak-44. The contract for the development of an 88-mm anti-tank gun under the designation “product 5-809” was received by Krupp and Rheinmetall-Borzig in mid-1942, and in the spring of 1943 a new anti-tank gun under the designation "Pak-43/41" the beginning of... 150 mm field howitzer sFH.18 1918 Before the outbreak of World War II, the artillery regiment of the Wehrmacht infantry division included a heavy artillery battalion equipped with 12 150 mm sFH.18 howitzers. Separate divisions of the German RGK were also armed with guns of this type. Heavy howitzers "arr. 18" were produced by Krupp and Rheinmetall, and in mid-1941 the German troops had over 2800 of these guns, designed to destroy enemy rear targets and destroy their debts... 122 mm hull gun A-19 1931 During the First World War, heavy field artillery was divided into divisional and corps. The corps included long-range 100–110 mm cannons and 150–155 mm howitzers, designed to destroy pillboxes, rear structures and fortifications, as well as enemy communications nodes. In 1927, the command of the Red Army, having at its disposal a 107-mm hull gun mod. 1910, required the development of a more powerful 122 mm artillery system. Four years later on... 105 mm howitzer M3 1943 In 1941, the US Army felt the need for a 105 mm howitzer suitable for air transport. Such a gun would weigh 2,500 pounds (1,134 kg) and have a firing range of at least 7,000 yards (6,400 m) and would be used by airborne units. A gun with the required characteristics was created by increasing the barrel caliber of the 68.6 mm (2.7 in) M2A1 howitzer to 105 mm and mounting it on the carriage of the standard 75 mm (2.95 in) M3A1 howitzer. Significantly improved... 65 mm mountain gun 65/17 mod.13 1913 Adopted by the Italian army in 1913, the 65 mm (2.5 inch) mountain gun could be quickly disassembled into 6 parts for transport on mules. In exceptional cases, the weapon could also be carried by people. However, if conditions allowed, the cannon was transported by horses or some other means of transport. Like other mountain guns, this gun did not have any frills, it was made as light and simplified as possible, since it was intended to be used in difficult-to-reach areas in harsh conditions... 1 Next page...EndWhen using site materials, an active link to is required!
The Germans gave the female name “Dora” to a giant cannon of World War II. This 80 centimeter caliber artillery system was so huge that it could only be moved by rail. She traveled half of Europe and left an ambiguous opinion about herself.
Dora was developed in the late 1930s at the Krupp plant in Essen. The main task of the super-powerful weapon is to destroy the forts of the French Maginot Line during a siege. At that time these were the strongest fortifications that existed in the world.
"Dora" could fire projectiles weighing 7 tons at a distance of up to 47 kilometers. When fully assembled, Dora weighed about 1,350 tons. The Germans developed this powerful weapon as they prepared for the Battle of France. But when fighting began in 1940, the biggest gun of World War II was not yet ready. In any case, Blitzkrieg tactics allowed the Germans to capture Belgium and France in just 40 days, bypassing the Maginot Line defenses. This forced the French to surrender with minimal resistance and the fortifications did not have to be stormed.
"Dora" was deployed later, during the war in the East, in the Soviet Union. It was used during the siege of Sevastopol to fire at coastal batteries heroically defending the city. Preparing the gun from the traveling position for firing took a week and a half. In addition to the immediate crew of 500 people, a security battalion, a transport battalion, two trains for the supply of ammunition, an anti-aircraft battalion, as well as its own military police and a field bakery were involved.
The German gun, the height of a four-story building and 42 meters long, fired concrete-piercing and high-explosive shells up to 14 times a day. To push out the largest projectile in the world, a charge of 2 tons of explosives was needed.
It is believed that in June 1942, "Dora" fired 48 shots at Sevastopol. But due to the large distance to the target, only a few hits were obtained. In addition, if the heavy ingots did not hit the concrete armor, they would go 20-30 meters into the ground, where their explosion would not cause much damage. The supergun showed completely different results than the Germans, who poured a lot of money into this ambitious miracle weapon, had hoped for.
When the barrel expired, the gun was taken to the rear. After repairs, it was planned to use it under besieged Leningrad, but this was prevented by the liberation of the city by our troops. Then the supergun was taken through Poland to Bavaria, where in April 1945 it was blown up so that it would not become a trophy for the Americans.
In the XIX-XX centuries. there were only two weapons with a large caliber (90 cm for both): the British Mallet mortar and the American Little David. But “Dora” and the same type “Gustav” (which did not take part in the hostilities) were the largest caliber artillery that took part in the battles. They are also the largest self-propelled units ever built. However, these 800 mm guns went down in history as “a completely useless work of art.”
The 37-mm anti-tank gun model 1930 (1-K) was developed by the German company Rheinmetall and, under an agreement between Germany and the USSR, was transferred to the latter. In essence, it was similar to the German Pak-35/36 anti-tank gun with interchangeable ammunition: armor-piercing, fragmentation shells and buckshot. A total of 509 units were produced. TTX guns: caliber 37 mm; trunk length – 1.6 m; height of the firing line - 0.7 m; firing range - 5.6 km; initial speed – 820 m/s; rate of fire - 15 rounds per minute; armor penetration - 20 mm at a distance of 800 m at an impact angle of 90°; calculation – 4 people; transportation speed on the highway is up to 20 km/h.
Airborne gun mod. 1944 had a shortened recoil barrel and was equipped with a specially created 37-mm BR-167P sub-caliber projectile (weight - 0.6-07 kg). The gun was disassembled into three parts: the swinging part, the machine and the shield. The two-wheeled machine had sliding beds with constant and driving coulters. The shield in a traveling position on wheels was placed along the movement of the gun. The gun was transported in Willys (1 gun), GAZ-64 (1 gun), Dodge (2 guns) and GAZ-A (2 guns), as well as in the sidecar of a Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was possible to fire from a motorcycle at speeds of up to 10 km/h. In 1944-1945 472 guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 37 mm; trunk length – 2.3 m; weight – 217 kg; projectile weight – 730 g; height of the firing line – 280 mm; maximum firing range – 4 km; rate of fire - 15-25 rounds per minute; initial projectile speed – 865 – 955 m/s; armor penetration with a caliber armor-piercing projectile at an angle of 90° at a distance of 500 m - 46 mm, with a sub-caliber projectile - 86 mm; shield thickness – 4.5 mm; calculation – 4 people; the time it takes to transfer a gun from traveling to combat is 1 minute.
The 1932 model gun was created by replacing the barrel of a 1930 model 37-mm anti-tank gun. The gun was transported both by horse traction and mechanically. In the transport position, a single-axle ammunition box was attached, and behind it the gun itself. The 19-K gun had wooden wheels. The gun, adapted for installation in a tank, received the factory designation “20-K” (32.5 thousand guns were produced). In 1933, the gun was modernized - the weight in firing position was reduced to 414 kg. In 1934, the gun received pneumatic tires, and the weight increased to 425 kg. The gun was produced in 1932-1937. A total of 2,974 guns were fired. TTX guns: caliber - 45 mm; length – 4 m; width – 1.6 m; height – 1.2 m; ground clearance – 225 mm; trunk length – 2.1 m; weight in combat position - 560 kg, in stowed position - 1.2 tons; firing range - 4.4 km; rate of fire - 15-20 rounds per minute; armor penetration - 43 mm at a distance of 500 m; calculation – 5 people; transportation speed on the highway on wooden wheels is 10 - 15 km/h, on rubber wheels - 50 km/h.
Gun arr. 1937 was put into service in 1938 and was the result of the modernization of the 19-K anti-tank gun. The gun was mass produced until 1942.
It differed from the previous model in the following innovations: semi-automatic operation worked when firing all types of ammunition, a push-button release and suspension were introduced, and a car wheel was installed; cast machine parts are excluded. Armor penetration - 43 mm at a distance of 500 m. To improve armor penetration, a 45 mm sub-caliber projectile was adopted, which penetrated 66 mm armor at a distance of 500 m, and 88 mm armor when fired at a distance of 100 m. A total of 37,354 guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 45 mm; length – 4.26 m; width – 1.37 m; height – 1.25 m; trunk length – 2 m; weight in combat position - 560 kg; traveling - 1.2 t; rate of fire - 20 rounds per minute; initial projectile speed – 760 m/s; direct shot range – 850 m; armor-piercing projectile weight – 1.4 kg, maximum firing range – 4.4 km, carriage speed on the highway – 50 km/h; calculation - 6 people.
The 1942 model gun (M-42) was created as a result of the modernization of the 45-mm gun mod. 1937 Modernization consisted of lengthening the barrel (up to 3.1 m) and strengthening the propellant charge. The thickness of the shield cover armor was increased from 4.5 mm to 7 mm to better protect the crew from armor-piercing rifle bullets. As a result of modernization, the muzzle velocity of the projectile increased from 760 to 870 m/s. A total of 10,843 units were produced. TTX guns: caliber - 45 mm; length – 4.8 m; width – 1.6 m; height – 1.2 m; trunk length – 3 m; weight in combat position - 625 kg; traveling – 1250 kg; projectile weight - 1.4 kg; initial speed – 870 m/s; maximum firing range – 4.5 km; direct shot range – 950 m; rate of fire - 20 rounds per minute; transportation speed on the highway – 50 km/h; armor penetration - 51 mm at a distance of 1000 m; calculation – 6 people.
The 57-mm anti-tank gun model 1941 (ZIS-2) was created under the leadership of V.G. Grabin in 1940, but its production was suspended in 1941. Only with the advent of heavily armored German tanks in 1943 was mass production resumed under a new designation. The 1943 model gun had a number of differences from the 1941 model guns, aimed at improving the manufacturability of the gun's production. The gun was towed at the beginning of the war by the semi-armored Komsomolets tractor, GAZ-64, GAZ-67, GAZ-AA, GAZ-AAA, ZIS-5 vehicles; from the middle of the war, those supplied by land were used -Lease Dodge WC-51 semi-trucks and Studebaker US6 all-wheel drive trucks. On the basis of the ZIS-2, the ZIS-4 and ZIS-4M tank guns were created, which were installed on the T-34. The gun was also used to arm the ZIS-30 anti-tank self-propelled guns. The gun was equipped with ammunition in the form of a unitary cartridge with shells: caliber and sub-caliber armor-piercing; fragmentation and buckshot. The weight of the projectile ranged from 1.7 to 3.7 kg depending on its type, the initial speed ranged from 700 to 1270 m/s; armor penetration - 109 mm at a distance of 1000 m at a meeting angle of 90°. A total of 13.7 thousand guns were fired. TTX guns: caliber – 57 mm; length – 7 m; width – 1.7 m; height – 1.3 m; trunk length – 4.1 m; ground clearance – 350 mm; weight in combat position - 1050 kg; traveling – 1900 kg; rate of fire - 25 rounds per minute; transportation speed on the highway – up to 60 km/s; height of the firing line – 853 mm; firing range - 8.4 km; direct shot range - 1.1 km; the thickness of the shield cover was 6 mm; calculation – 6 people.
Structurally, the ZiS-3 was a superposition of the barrel of the F-22USV divisional gun model on the light carriage of the ZiS-2 57-mm anti-tank gun. The gun had suspension, metal wheels with rubber tires. To be moved by horse traction, it was equipped with a standardized limber model 1942 for regimental and divisional guns. The gun was also towed by mechanical traction: trucks of the ZiS-5, GAZ-AA or GAZ-MM types, three-axle all-wheel drive Studebaker US6, light all-wheel drive Dodge WC. The ZIS-3 gun was put into service in 1942 and had a dual purpose: a divisional field gun and an anti-tank gun. Moreover, the weapon was used more in the first half of the war to fight tanks. The SU-76 self-propelled guns were also armed with a cannon. During the war, the divisional artillery had 23.2 thousand guns, and the anti-tank units had 24.7 thousand. During the war, 48,016 thousand guns were produced. TTX guns: caliber – 76.2 mm; length – 6 m; width – 1.4 m; barrel length – 3; weight in traveling position - 1.8 tons, in combat position - 1.2 tons; rate of fire - 25 rounds per minute; armor penetration of a projectile weighing 6.3 kg with an initial speed of 710 m/s - 46 mm at a distance of 1000 m; barrel survivability - 2000 shots; maximum firing range – 13 km; transition time from transport to combat position – 1 minute; transportation speed on the highway is 50 km/h.