122 mm howitzer. Developed in 1938 by the Motovilikha Plants design bureau (Perm) under the leadership of Fedor Fedorovich Petrov. Serial production of the howitzer began in 1939 at three factories at once - incl. at the Motovilikha Plants (Perm) and at the artillery production of the Uralmash plant (Sverdlovsk, since 1942 - artillery plant No. 9 with OKB-9). The howitzer was produced until 1955. A total of 16,887 guns / 19,266 guns were produced ( according to other data - http://www.ugmk.com). In the post-war period, the howitzer was in service for a long time in parts of the Siberian and Ural military districts.

Design- classic with a two-frame carriage and a rigidly fixed shield with a liftable central sheet. The barrel is rifled without a muzzle brake. The carriage is identical to that of the 152 mm howitzer. Large diameter wheels are equipped with solid slopes filled with spongy rubber. There are two types of coulters on frames - for hard and soft soil.

Performance characteristics of the gun:
Calculation - 8 people

Caliber - 121.9 mm
The length of the gun in the stowed position is 5900 mm
Barrel length - 2800 mm (22.7 caliber)
The width of the gun in the stowed position is 1975 mm
Height - 1820 mm
Vertical guidance angles - from -3 to +63.5 degrees
Horizontal pointing angles - sector 49 degrees

Maximum traveling weight - 2900 kg
Maximum combat weight - 2360 / 2450 kg
Projectile weight:
- 21.76 kg (OS)

Maximum firing range:
- 11800 m (OS)
Direct shot range - 630 m (BKS BP-463)
Initial projectile speed - 508 / 515 m/s
Rate of fire - 5-6 rounds/min
Highway towing speed - 50 km/h
Gun life - 18,000 rounds. (based on the experience of one of the production samples)

Ammunition:
- fragmentation projectile (OS) - the main type of howitzer ammunition.

The BP-463 armor-piercing cumulative projectile (APC) can be used from a howitzer. In practice it was used extremely rarely.
Armor penetration - 200 mm at a distance of 630 m

Modifications:
- M-30 - the basic model of a 12 mm howitzer.

SU-122 - self-propelled gun on a T-34 chassis with an M-30 howitzer as a weapon. Mass-produced during the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War.

Status: USSR / Russia
- 2012 - perhaps still used for training purposes and is definitely in reserve.

Export:
- Bulgaria - a modification of the M-30 howitzer with wheels of a different design was mass-produced.

Hungary - was in service.

GDR - was in service.

China: the howitzer is mass-produced under the name Type 54 and Type 54-1 - the first model is an exact copy of the M-30 howitzer, the second has a number of design differences. Also, back in the first half of the 1990s, self-propelled guns with a Type 54-1 howitzer on the Type 531 armored personnel carrier chassis were mass-produced.

Lebanon:
- 1992 - is in service among 90 guns of all cannon field artillery; It is also part of the South Lebanon Army (pro-Israeli formations).

Poland - was in service.

Romania was in service.

Czechoslovakia - was in service.

Yugoslavia was in service.

Sources:
122-mm howitzer M-30 model 1938. Website http://www.ugmk.com, 2005
Zheltonozhko O. Under the index “D”. For the opening of the Museum of the 9th Artillery Plant. Website http://www.otvaga2004.narod.ru, 2012
O'Malley T.J. Modern artillery: guns, MLRS, mortars. M., EKSMO-Press, 2000.
Yurchin V. Lebanese Armed Forces. // Foreign Military Review. No. 5 / 1993

The M-30 howitzer is probably known to everyone. The famous and legendary weapon of the workers' and peasants', Soviet, Russian and many other armies. Any documentary about the Great Patriotic War almost necessarily includes footage of an M-30 battery firing. And even today, despite its age, this weapon is in service in many armies of the world.

By the way, it’s like 80 years...

So, today we will talk about the 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30. About the howitzer, which many artillery specialists call an era. And foreign experts say that it is the most widespread weapon in the history of artillery (about 20 thousand units). A system where old solutions, tested by many years of operation of other tools, and new, previously unknown solutions were combined in the most organic way.

In the article preceding this publication, we talked about the most numerous howitzer of the Red Army of the pre-war period - 122 mm howitzer model 1910/30. It was this howitzer that was already replaced in number by the M-30 in the second year of the war. According to data from various sources, in 1942 the number of M-30s was already greater than its predecessor.

There is a lot of material on creating the system. Literally all the nuances of competition between different design bureaus, the tactical and technical characteristics of guns, design features, etc. are discussed. The points of view of the authors of such articles are sometimes diametrically opposed.

I would not like to go into all the details of such disputes. Therefore, we will “denote the historical part of the story with a dotted line,” leaving readers the right to their own opinion on this issue. The authors' opinion is just one of many and cannot serve as the only correct and final one.

So, the 122-mm howitzer of the 1910/30 model was outdated by the mid-30s. That “small modernization” that was carried out in 1930 only extended the life of this system, but did not return its youth and functionality. That is, the weapon could still serve, the whole question is how. The niche of divisional howitzers would soon be empty. And everyone understood this. The command of the Red Army, state leaders and the designers of artillery systems themselves.

In 1928, there was even quite a heated discussion on this issue after the publication of an article in the Journal of the Artillery Committee. Disputes took place in all directions. From combat use and gun design, to the necessary and sufficient caliber of howitzers. Based on the experience of the First World War, several calibers were quite reasonably considered at once, from 107 to 122 mm.

The designers received the task of developing an artillery system to replace the outdated divisional howitzer on August 11, 1929. In studies on the issue of howitzer caliber, there is no clear answer regarding the choice of 122 mm. The authors are inclined to the simplest and most logical explanation.

The Red Army had enough ammunition of this caliber. Moreover, the country had the opportunity to produce these ammunition in the required quantities at existing factories. And third, the logistics of delivering ammunition was simplified as much as possible. The most numerous howitzer (model 1910/30) and the new howitzer could be supplied “from one box.”

There is no point in describing the problems during the “birth” and preparation for mass production of the M-30 howitzer. This is beautifully described in the “Encyclopedia of Russian Artillery”, probably the most authoritative artillery historian A. B. Shirokorad.

The Red Army Artillery Directorate announced the tactical and technical requirements for the new divisional howitzer in September 1937. The requirements are quite strict. Especially in the shutter part. The AU required a wedge valve (promising and having great potential for modernization). Engineers and designers understood that this system was not reliable enough.

The development of the howitzer was carried out by three design bureaus at once: the Ural Machine-Building Plant (Uralmash), Plant No. 172 named after Molotov (Motovilikha, Perm) and Gorky Plant No. 92 (Nizhny Novgorod Machine-Building Plant).

The howitzer samples presented by these factories were quite interesting. But the Ural development (U-2) was significantly inferior to the Gorky (F-25) and Perm (M-30) in ballistics. Therefore, it was not considered promising.

Howitzer U-2

Howitzer F-25 (highly likely)

We will look at some performance characteristics of the F-25 / M-30:
Barrel length, mm: 2800 / 2800
Rate of fire, rpm: 5-6 / 5-6
Initial projectile speed, m/sec: 510 / 515
HV angle, degrees: -5…+65 / -3…+63
Firing range, m: 11780 / 11800
Ammunition, index, weight: OF-461, 21, 76
Weight in firing position, kg: 1830 / 2450
Calculation, persons: 8 / 8
Issued, pcs: 17 / 19 266

It is no coincidence that we have listed part of the performance characteristics in one table. It is in this version that one can clearly see the main advantage of the F-25 - the weight of the gun. Agree, the difference of more than half a ton is impressive. And, probably, it was this fact that became the main one in Shirokorad’s definition of this design as the best. The mobility of such a system is undeniably higher. It is a fact.

True, there is a “buried dog” here too, in our opinion. The M-30s provided for testing were somewhat lighter than the serial ones. Therefore, the gap in mass was not so noticeable.

The question arises about the decision taken. Why M-30? Why not the lighter F-25.

The first and main version was voiced back on March 23, 1939 in the same “Journal of the Artillery Committee” No. 086: “The 122-mm F-25 howitzer, developed by Plant No. 92 on its own initiative, is currently of no interest to the AU, since it is already Field and military tests of the M-30 howitzer, more powerful than the F-25, have been completed.”

Agree, such a statement at that time puts a lot into place. There is a howitzer. The howitzer has been tested and there is no point in wasting people’s money on developing a weapon that no one needs. Continuing further work in this direction was fraught for the designers with “moving to some kind of sharashka” with the help of the NKVD.

By the way, the authors in this regard agree with some researchers on the issue of installing not a wedge valve on the M-30, but the good old piston valve. Most likely, the designers committed a direct violation of the AU requirements precisely because of the reliability of the piston valve.

At that time, problems with the semi-automatic wedge bolt were also observed in smaller caliber guns. For example, the F-22, a universal divisional 76-mm gun.

The winners are not judged. Although, this is how you look at it. Of course they took risks. In November 1936, the head of the Motovilikha plant design bureau, B.A. Berger, was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison; a similar fate befell the leading designer of the 152-mm ML-15 howitzer-gun, A.A. Ploskirev, in January of the following year.

After this, it is understandable that the developers want to use a piston valve that has already been tested and debugged in production in order to avoid possible accusations of sabotage if problems arise with its wedge-type design.

And there is one more nuance. The lighter weight of the F-25 howitzer compared to its competitors was ensured by the machine and the carriage of the 76-mm cannon. The gun was more mobile, but had a shorter service life due to a more “flimsy” carriage. It is quite natural that the 122 mm projectile gave a completely different recoil impulse than the 76 mm one. The muzzle brake, apparently, at that time did not provide adequate reduction in impulse.

It is obvious that the lighter and more mobile F-25 was preferred to the more durable and longer-lasting M-30.

By the way, we found further confirmation of this hypothesis in the fate of the M-30. We often write that structurally successful field guns were soon “transplanted” onto already used or captured chassis and continued to fight as self-propelled guns. The same fate awaited the M-30.

Parts of the M-30 were used to create the SU-122 (on the captured StuG III chassis and on the T-34 chassis). However, the cars turned out to be unsuccessful. The M-30, for all its power, turned out to be quite heavy. The cabinet installation of weapons on the SU-122 took up a lot of space in the fighting compartment of the self-propelled gun, creating significant inconvenience for the crew. The large forward reach of the anti-recoil devices with their armor made it difficult for the driver to see from the driver's seat and did not allow a full-fledged manhole for him to be placed on the front plate.

But the main thing is that the base of the medium tank was too fragile for such a powerful weapon.

The use of this system was abandoned. But the attempts did not end there. In particular, in one of the variants of the now famous airborne self-propelled gun “Violet” the M-30 was used. But they preferred the universal 120 mm gun.

The second disadvantage for the F-25 could just be its lower mass in combination with the already mentioned muzzle brake.

The lighter the weapon, the greater its chances of being used to directly support friendly forces with fire.

By the way, it was in this role that at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the M-30, poorly suited for such purposes, played more than once or twice. Not from a good life, of course.

Naturally, powder gases deflected by the muzzle brake, raising dust, sand, soil particles or snow, will more easily give away the position of the F-25 compared to the M-30. And even when firing from closed positions at a short distance from the front line at a low elevation angle, the possibility of such unmasking had to be taken into account. Someone in the AU may well have taken all this into account.

Now directly about the design of the howitzer. Structurally, it consists of the following elements:

A barrel with a free pipe, a casing covering the pipe approximately to the middle, and a screw-on breech;

A piston valve that opened to the right. Closing and opening the shutter was done by turning the handle. A striking mechanism with a linearly moving firing pin, a screw mainspring and a rotating hammer was mounted in the bolt; to cock and lower the firing pin, the hammer was pulled back with a trigger cord. The spent cartridge case was ejected from the chamber when the bolt was opened using an ejector in the form of a crank lever. There was a safety mechanism that prevented premature unlocking of the bolt during prolonged shots;

The carriage, which included a cradle, recoil devices, an upper machine, aiming mechanisms, a balancing mechanism, a lower machine with sliding box frames, combat travel and suspension, sights and shield cover.

The cage-type cradle was placed with pins in the sockets of the upper machine.
Recoil devices included a hydraulic recoil brake (under the barrel) and a hydropneumatic knurler (above the barrel).

The upper machine was inserted with a pin into the socket of the lower machine. The shock absorber of the pin with springs ensured the suspended position of the upper machine relative to the lower one and facilitated its rotation. A screw rotary mechanism was mounted on the left side of the upper machine, and a sector lifting mechanism was mounted on the right side.

Combat drive - with two wheels, shoe brakes, switchable transverse leaf spring. The suspension was switched off and on automatically when the frames were moved apart and moved.

The hardest thing to talk about are the tools that for a long time were heard. In the pre-war period, in terms of this indicator, first place should be given, without hesitation, to the 122-mm divisional howitzer of the 1910/30 model.

There is probably no military conflict of that time where these howitzers would not appear. And in the footage of the chronicles of the Great Patriotic War, these guns are constant heroes of battles. Moreover, you can see them from both sides of the front. The command "fire" sounds in Russian, German, Finnish, Romanian. Opponents did not hesitate to use trophies. Agree, this is a fairly important indicator of the reliability, quality and good combat characteristics of a weapon.

First of all, it is necessary to explain the historical necessity of the appearance of this particular weapon. We have already talked about the problems of the Red Army of that time. As well as about the problems of the entire USSR. Worn-out guns, lack of ability to produce high-quality spare parts, moral and technical obsolescence of weapons.

Add to this the lack of engineering and design personnel in industry, the obsolescence of production technologies, and the absence of much of what was already used in the defense industry of Western countries.

And all this against the backdrop of an openly hostile environment in the country. Against the backdrop of the West's overt preparations for war with the Soviet Union.

Naturally, the leadership of the Red Army and the USSR understood perfectly well that without taking urgent measures to rearm the Red Army, the country in the fairly near future would not only be an outsider to the world artillery powers, but would also be forced to spend huge amounts of money on the purchase of obviously outdated Western artillery systems. Modern artillery was needed here and now.

In the 1920s, the Red Army was armed with two 48-line (1 line = 0.1 inches = 2.54 mm) field howitzers: the 1909 and 1910 models. Developments of the companies “Krupp” (Germany) and “Schneider” (France). In the mid-20s, after the final transition to metric system It was these guns that became 122 mm howitzers.

Comparing these howitzers is beyond the scope of the authors of this article. Therefore, the answer to the question of why the 1910 model howitzer was chosen for modernization will be answered with only one comment. This howitzer was more promising and had greater potential for further modernization in terms of range.

With equal, and sometimes better (for example, in terms of the mass of a heavy high-explosive grenade - 23 kg versus 15-17 for Western models) indicators, the howitzer was significantly inferior in firing range to Western models (the German 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09 system or the British Royal Ordnance Quick Firing 4.5 inch howitzer): 7.7 km versus 9.7 km.

In the mid-20s, the understanding of the possible imminent lag of Soviet howitzer artillery was transformed into a direct order to begin work in this direction. In 1928, the design bureau of the Perm gun factory (Motovilikha) was given the task of modernizing the howitzer and increasing its range to the level of the best models. At the same time, the advantage in weight of grenades must be preserved.

The head of the design team was Vladimir Nikolaevich Sidorenko.

What is the difference between a 1930 model howitzer and a 1910 howitzer?

First of all, the new howitzer is distinguished by its chamber, which was lengthened by boring the rifled part of the barrel by one caliber. This was done in order to ensure the safety of firing new grenades. The required initial velocity of a heavy grenade could only be obtained by increasing the charge. And this, in turn, increased the length of the ammunition by 0.64 caliber.

And then simple physics. In the standard cartridge case there was either no room left for all the beams, or there was not enough volume to expand the gases formed during the combustion of gunpowder if an increased charge was used. In the latter case, an attempt to fire led to the rupture of the gun, since due to the lack of volume for the expansion of gases in the chamber, their pressure and temperature greatly increased, and this led to a sharp increase in the rate of the chemical reaction of gunpowder combustion.

The next change in the design is caused by a decent increase in recoil when fired by the new grenade. The recoil devices, the lifting mechanism and the carriage itself were strengthened. The old mechanisms could not withstand firing with long-range ammunition.

This is where the next modernization came from. Increasing the range required the creation of new sighting devices. Here the designers did not reinvent the wheel. A so-called normalized sight was installed on the modernized howitzer.

The same sights were installed on all modernized guns at that time. The only differences were in the cutting of the distance scale and fastenings. In the modern version, the sight would be called single or unified.

As a result of all the modernizations, the total mass of the gun in firing position increased slightly - 1466 kilograms.

Modernized howitzers, which today are in various museums around the world, can be recognized by their markings. Embossed inscriptions on the trunks are required: “Extended chamber.” On the carriage - “strengthened” and “model 1910/30.” on the spindle, adjusting ring and recoil back cover.

It was in this form that the howitzer was adopted by the Red Army in 1930. Produced at the same plant in Perm.

Structurally, the 122-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 (main series according to drawings “letter B”) consisted of:
- a barrel made of a pipe, fastened with a casing and a muzzle, or a monoblock barrel without a muzzle;
- a piston valve that opened to the right. Closing and opening the shutter was done by turning the handle in one step;
- a single-beam carriage, which included a cradle, recoil devices assembled in a sled, a machine tool, guidance mechanisms, a chassis, sighting devices and a shield cover.

The gun was towed by horse (six horses) or mechanical traction. The front end and charging box were required. The transportation speed was only 6 km/h on wooden wheels. Springs and metal wheels appeared after they were put into service, and accordingly, the towing speed increased.

There is one more merit of the modernized 122-mm howitzer. She became the “mother” of the Soviet self-propelled howitzer SU-5-2. The vehicle was created as part of the design of a divisional artillery triplex. The SU-5 installations were created on the basis of the T-26 tank chassis.

SU-5-1 is a self-propelled gun with a 76 mm cannon.
SU-5-2 - self-propelled gun with a 122 mm howitzer.
SU-5-3 - self-propelled gun with a 152 mm mortar.

The machine was created at the Experimental Mechanical Engineering Plant named after S. M. Kirov (plant No. 185). Passed factory and state tests. It was recommended for adoption. 30 self-propelled guns were built. However, they were used to solve problems completely unusual for them.

Light tanks were intended for offensive operations. This means that tank units do not need howitzers, but assault guns. The SU-5-2 was used as an artillery support weapon. And in this case, the need for rapid movements disappeared. Transportable howitzers were preferable.

Nevertheless, these vehicles, even with such small numbers, are combat vehicles. In 1938, five self-propelled howitzers fought with the Japanese near Lake Khasan as part of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade, and the brigade command received positive feedback.

SU-5-2s also took part in the 1939 campaign against Poland. But no information about the fighting has been preserved. Most likely (considering that the vehicles were part of the 32nd Tank Brigade), it did not come to fighting.

But in the first period of the Patriotic War, the SU-5-2 fought, but did not make any special weather. In total, there were 17 cars in the western districts, 9 in the Kiev district and 8 in the Western Special District. It is clear that by the autumn of 1941, most of them were destroyed or taken as trophies by the Wehrmacht.

How did “classic” howitzers fight? It is clear that any weapon is best tested in combat.

In 1939, modernized 122-mm howitzers were used during the events at Khalkhin Gol. Moreover, the number of guns was constantly increasing. This is largely due to the excellent results of the work of Soviet artillerymen. According to Japanese officers, Soviet howitzers were superior to anything they had encountered before.

Naturally, the new Soviet systems became the subject of "hunting" by the Japanese. Barrage Soviet howitzers completely beat him off Japanese soldiers desire to attack. The result of this “hunt” was quite significant losses of the Red Army. 31 guns were damaged or lost forever. Moreover, the Japanese managed to capture enough a large number of trophies.

So, during the night attack of positions 149 rifle regiment, on the night of July 7-8, the Japanese captured the battery of Lieutenant Aleshkin (6th battery of the 175th artillery regiment). When trying to recapture the battery, the battery commander died, and the personnel suffered significant losses. Subsequently, the Japanese used this battery in their own army.

The finest hour of the 122-mm howitzers of the 1910/30 model was Soviet-Finnish war. For various reasons, it was these guns that were used to represent the howitzer artillery of the Red Army. According to some sources, the number of howitzers in the 7th Army (first echelon) alone then reached almost 700 (according to others 624) units.

Just as happened at Khalkhin Gol, howitzers became a “tidbit” for the Finnish army. The losses of the Red Army in Karelia, according to various estimates, ranged from 44 to 56 guns. Some of these howitzers also became part of the Finnish army and were subsequently used by the Finns quite effectively.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the guns we describe were the most common howitzers in the Red Army. According to various estimates, the total number of such systems reached 5900 (5578) guns. And the completeness of parts and connections was from 90 to 100%!

At the beginning of the war, in the western districts alone there were 2,752 122-mm howitzers of the 1910/30 model. But at the beginning of 1942, there were less than 2,000 of them left (according to some estimates, 1,900; no exact data).

Such monstrous losses played a negative role in the fate of these honored veterans. Naturally, new production was created for more advanced tools. Such systems were the M-30. They became the main howitzers already in 1942.

But still, at the beginning of 1943, howitzers of the 1910/30 model made up more than 20% (1400 units) of the total number of such weapons and continued their combat path. And we finally reached Berlin! Outdated, damaged by shrapnel, repaired many times, but they got there! Although it is difficult to see them on the victory chronicle. And then they also showed up on the Soviet-Japanese front.

Many authors claim that 122-mm howitzers of the 1910/30 model were outdated by 1941. And they were used by the Red Army "out of poverty." But a simple but logical question arises: what criteria are used to determine old age?

Yes, these howitzers could not compete with the same M-30, which will be our next story. But the weapon performed its assigned tasks quite well. There is such a term - necessary sufficiency.

So, these howitzers had exactly the required effectiveness. And in many ways, the possibility of increasing the M-30 fleet in the Red Army was facilitated by the heroic work of these old but powerful howitzers.

Performance characteristics of the 122-mm howitzer model 1910/30:

Caliber, mm: 122 (121.92)

Maximum fire range of the OF-462 grenade, m: 8,875

Weight of gun
in stowed position, kg: 2510 (with front end)
in combat position, kg: 1466

Time to transfer to combat position, sec: 30-40

Firing angles, degrees.
- elevation (max): 45
- reduction (min): -3
- horizontal: 4.74

Calculation, persons: 8

Rate of fire, rds/min: 5-6

We express our gratitude to the Museum of the Patriotic Military in Padikovo for the information provided.

Artillery of Russia and the world, guns photos, videos, pictures watch online, along with other states, introduced the most significant innovations - the transformation of a smooth-bore gun, loaded from the muzzle, into a rifled gun, loaded from the breech (lock). The use of streamlined projectiles and various types of fuses with adjustable settings for the response time; more powerful propellants 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 a projectile, propellant charge and fuse; the use of shrapnel shells, which, after the explosion, scatter small steel particles in all directions.

Russian artillery, capable of firing large shells, acutely highlighted the problem of weapon durability. In 1854, during Crimean War, Sir William Armstrong, a British hydraulic engineer, proposed a method of scooping wrought iron gun barrels by first twisting iron rods and then welding them together using a forging method. The gun barrel was additionally reinforced with wrought iron rings. Armstrong created a company where they made guns of several sizes. One of the most famous was his 12-pounder rifled gun with a 7.6 cm (3 in) barrel and a screw lock mechanism.

Artillery of the Second World War (WWII), in particular Soviet Union probably had the greatest potential among 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 adhered to a conservative approach to technology.
The first modernization efforts came with the improvement of the 76.2 mm M00/02 field gun in 1930, which included improved ammunition and replacement barrels on parts of the gun fleet. new version the guns were called M02/30. Six years later, the 76.2 mm M1936 field gun appeared, with a carriage from the 107 mm.

Heavy artilleryall armies, and quite rare materials from the time of Hitler’s blitzkrieg, whose army crossed the Polish border smoothly and without delay. The German army was the most modern and best equipped army in the world. The Wehrmacht artillery operated in close cooperation with infantry and aviation, trying to quickly occupy territory and deprive Polish army ways of communication. The world shuddered upon learning of a new armed conflict in Europe.

USSR artillery in positional warfare on the Western Front in last war and horror in the trenches among 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 precision fire would be the decisive factors.

In many films about the war, on various posters dedicated to that difficult time, you can see an image of the famous 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30. After the victory over Nazi Germany, many experts recognized it as not only the best among howitzers, but also unrivaled among all the cannon artillery of the Second World War.

The weapon did not lose its relevance even after World War II, remaining in demand in many countries. It can be found in all corners of the world, isn’t this a recognition of its perfection?

From prerequisites to creation

Even before World War I, Russia purchased 48-line howitzers for the army - guns designed to fire heavy high-explosive shells. This type of weapon was specially designed to combat enemy fortifications.

For infantry hidden in trenches or behind a rampart, heavy shells flying along a steep trajectory are very dangerous. It should be clarified that in Russian units of measurement - 48 lines correspond to 4.8 inches or 121.92 mm, reduced to the usual 122 mm, this caliber is still considered optimal for light field howitzers.

Howitzers of the 1909 - 1910 model, developed by the Krupp concern and the French company Schneider, respectively, coped well with the responsibilities and tasks assigned to them. Moreover, the mass production of ammunition for them subsequently played a role in equipping and Soviet army.

At the end of the twenties, the artillery park of the Red Army became morally and physically obsolete.

The modernizations carried out in 1930 of the Krupp howitzers, and in 1937 of the French howitzers, could not satisfy all the requirements for modern artillery. The government's policy of mechanization in the army clearly showed all their imperfections.

Even moving without suspension and on wooden wheels faster than 10 km/h was impossible. And the firing range increased during modernization remained below the required one.

The “Journal of the Artillery Committee” in 1928 was the first to formulate the requirements for the next generation divisional howitzer. After publication, on August 11, 1929, technical specifications for its development were issued. It was decided to make the caliber within the range of 107-122 mm, based on the performance characteristics of English and German howitzers that have a similar purpose.

In addition, the gun had to be adapted for towing by mechanized means.

A separate point included the possibility of maneuvering a gun on the battlefield by crew forces.

The theme of creating a new weapon was called “Lubok”. There weren't enough developers Civil War severely undermined competent engineering personnel. It was necessary to entrust the work on "Lubok" to German specialists from the Weimar Republic who served in KB-2, which structurally belonged to the All-Union Weapons and Arsenal Association of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry.

It should be noted that the help of German specialists was invaluable at that time, since the country of the Soviets lacked not only engineers, but also production capacity. There were difficulties even with machine workers.

The result of the work was a 122 mm howitzer on a single-beam carriage. Sprung metal wheels made it possible to reach speeds of up to 10 km/h, because the use of tires was not provided. The vertical angle of the barrel (length 23 caliber) did not exceed +50°, and the horizontal angle – 7°. In the stowed position the system weighed 2.8 tons, in combat - 2.25 tons. For those times, a pretty good result.

However, the material and technical capabilities of the factories were not taken into account. Only 11 howitzers were produced. The Nazis' rise to power in Germany led to the liquidation of KB-2. In 1936, the project was closed because the requirements for modern weapons.

The artillery department demanded the creation of a howitzer with rubber wheels for the Red Army.

Carriage in mandatory design with sliding frames. The rubber travel and suspension made it possible to increase the towing speed of the gun; the sliding frames, in turn, made the structure heavier, but gave the gun greater fire maneuverability.

Again we considered calibers 107 and 122 mm, but with the requirement to increase all aiming angles. It was assumed that it was even possible to make a howitzer-gun. The 122 mm caliber won, although the production of 107 mm guns would have been much cheaper.

The fact is that the arsenals had accumulated a large stock of shells for 122 mm guns; in addition, unlike the 107 mm shell, which had to be developed and created almost from scratch, for the production of 122 mm shells and charges there were ready-made and operating production lines.

Such weapons have more power. The new concrete-piercing projectile also required a large caliber. Thus, the next step was the creation of the legendary M-30.

Creation, fielding and production of the M-30

Three groups of designers received the development task at once:

1. F.F. Petrov, with the design group of the Motovilikha plant in Perm, this team had extensive experience in the design of heavy artillery systems. Until 1917, the plant was engaged in the production of guns for tsarist army. The project received the index - M-30.
2. Plant No. 92, under the leadership of the talented and young designer V.G. Grabin at that time. Initiative development for the competition. Internal index of the F-25 plant.
3. Plant No. 9, known as the Ural heavy engineering plant with the U-2 howitzer (the weapon, by the way, turned out to be quite successful). Attempts were made to equip tanks and heavy self-propelled guns with it.

In a difficult competition, the M-30 project won. U-2 failed the tests (frame deformation) and dropped out of further participation in the competition. Despite several rather interesting solutions and findings.

With the F-25, not everything is so simple. The gun was practically equivalent to the M-30. The design used developments from the Lubok, in addition, a muzzle brake was used, the bolt was of a horizontal wedge type. The weight is slightly lower than that of the M-30, but, nevertheless, the F-25 was rejected.

Perhaps the commission was guided by the following advantages of F. F. Petrov’s brainchild:

• barrel without a muzzle brake (less unmasking and improves crew working conditions);
• many well-developed components (piston bolt, barrel bore, recoil brake and front end are similar to the Lubok);
• the possibility of using the carriage for more powerful systems (later it was used for).

Based on the results of the competition and testing, a howitzer designed by F.F. was selected. Petrova.

In 1939, the gun was put into mass production under the name 122 mm divisional howitzer mod. 1938.

Since 1940, the howitzer has been mass-produced by two factories. The first one is No. 92 in the mountains. Gorky and No. 9, known as the Ural Heavy Engineering Plant.

The Gorky people produced the M-30 for only one year and produced 500 pieces; in 1941-1942, the plant mastered the production of the M-30S, a howitzer variant for installation in the SU-122, but after its production ceased, the gun was no longer produced. UZTM continued production until 1955.

Design features and changes during production

Like most classical-type guns, the divisional howitzer mod. 1938 consists of the following elements:

1. The barrel is a metal monoblock pipe, there is no muzzle brake. The barrel has 36 grooves.
2. Breech, with piston lock. The barrel is screwed into a massive breech. A mounting system to the carriage is also installed on it.
3. Carriage (M-30S – stand)

Components of the carriage:

• cradle;
• recoil devices;
• upper machine;
• aiming mechanisms;
• balancing mechanism;
• lower machine with sliding frames, there are also mounts for entrenching tools and spare parts;
• chassis, wheels with stamped discs and solid rubber tires;
• leaf springs;
• sighting devices;
• shield cover, made of several elements.

The frame cradle is placed with trunnions into special sockets of the upper machine. The socket of the lower machine includes a pin from the upper one, made with shock absorbers that hang the upper machine and make it easier to turn. The upper machine has rotating (left) and lifting (right) mechanisms.

Recoil devices consist of a hydraulic recoil brake (under the barrel) and a hydropneumatic knurler (above the barrel).
A Hertz panorama was inserted into a special socket of an independent (two arrows) sight, through which direct fire and indirect fire were fired.

Over the entire production period, the howitzer underwent minor changes.

This is reflected in the 1948 Service Manual, but without issue numbers or dates. Changes were introduced to simplify and reduce the cost of production as much as possible. So around 1945, riveting on frames was replaced by welding. After modernization, the breech was increased in size and its strength was increased.

The trigger travel stop and the loading mechanism were removed. The grease fittings of the cradle rollers and the oil seals of the recoil and retractor brakes have undergone changes.

After the start of production of the 152 mm D-1, the carriage for two systems was unified. The design of sights and panoramas changed.

Combat use and performance characteristics of the M-30

Performance characteristics:

Types of ammunition:

According to the requirements of artillery science, divisional howitzers were assigned the following tasks:

• destruction of field-type fortifications;
• combating enemy fire weapons;
• counter-battery shooting;
• destruction of enemy manpower and means of delivering it to the front line.

If absolutely necessary, divisional reinforcement systems could also operate at direct fire. In this case, 122 mm howitzer shells simply broke through the armor of enemy medium tanks, the lungs turned over and overturned from nearby explosions.

Subsequently, in order to combat heavily armored enemy vehicles, cumulative projectiles were introduced into the ammunition load of the M-30S, and subsequently the towed versions of the gun.

During the Second World War, they towed a three-ton howitzer in a variety of ways. Horses, and all kinds of trucks, tractors “Stalinets” STZ-5 or Y-12. In battle, the gun was simply rolled by hand.

M30 service abroad

The quality of our guns can be judged by the fact that several hundred M-30 howitzers captured by the Germans in 1941 were put into service by them and under the name 12.2 cm s.F.H.396(r) were actively used both in eastern front, and in France. Even mass production of ammunition for them was established in 1943.

In total, German factories produced 12,573,000 shells for the M-30.

According to some reports, the Germans even installed our guns on captured French armored vehicles.

During the battles, 41 guns were left to the Finns; without their own artillery production, the Finnish army creatively and fully used all the trophies. Renamed 122 H/38, the guns were used against the Red Army, and in 1944, the gun barrels were turned against Germany.
As a reserve, the Finns kept it until the 80s of the last century.

The Chinese howitzer type 54 almost completely replicates the M-30 device. The changes are minor and only concern the standardization of production.
In the post-war period, the howitzer was supplied to more than thirty countries around the world. Most of them continue to be in service today.

The legendary 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30 can be called an entire era in the history of artillery. Having taken part in almost all wars, starting with World War II, she proved her reliability and unpretentiousness, receiving the highest praise from Marshal of Artillery G. F. Odintsov: “Nothing can be better than her.”

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