We are already accustomed to talking about pre-war artillery systems in excellent tones. Every system is a masterpiece of design thought. But today we are talking about a howitzer, which does not cause such admiration. Howitzer, which came to the Red Army from the distant 1909. But, nevertheless, she passed all military tests with honor from Lake Hassan to the defeat of Japan.
152 mm howitzer mod. 1909/30 The most numerous system of the Red Army at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. A system that controlled any pillboxes and other enemy fortifications. A system that could drive enemy infantry deep into the ground with several volleys and thereby ensure the offensive of its own troops.
It sounds strange, but such a well-deserved weapon remains quite unknown to this day. Even near the few museum exhibits, visitors do not particularly linger. Even the "daughter" of this howitzer, the field 152-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 (KM) is more interesting. Maybe because it looks more imposing, modern (for that time)?
Or maybe because only one copy of this howitzer is currently known (in the Finnish city of Hämeenlinna). Serial number 34. But in the museum it is exhibited under the Finnish designation: 152 N / 30. For the manufacturing plant, these were all just experimental systems, released in a small series just for testing.
But back to the described system. Moreover, the history of the appearance of this weapon is "consonant" with the history of another honored veteran already described by us: 122-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 The "culprit" of the appearance of 152-mm howitzers in the imperial army was the Russo-Japanese war in the same way.
It became clear to the command of the Russian army that the troops needed a completely new type of guns. In addition to field guns, the army must have a system that could destroy capital engineering structures. From bunkers to capital brick buildings, in which the enemy's firing points are located.
It was then that a competition was announced for a powerful system of the traditional for Russia 6-inch (152.4 mm) gun. The question is about the caliber. Why is it so tough? The answer is simple. In Russia, the gun of the 1877 model of the year of this particular caliber was already in service. Ammunition compatibility was and remains an important factor today. At the end of 1908 - beginning of 1909. Tests were carried out on heavy howitzers of the firms "Skoda", "Krupp", "Rheinmetall", "Bofors" and "Schneider". Alas, Russian designers in this segment could not provide anything.
According to the test results, the best design was the howitzer of the French company "Schneider". Here it is necessary to deviate slightly from the main topic. The fact is that the controversy about these tests still does not subside. Some sources directly speak of their falsification.
You can argue about this. But why? The French gunsmiths of the time were indeed "trendsetters". And the further history of the operation of the gun showed the correct choice of the system. Although, it is also stupid to deny the presence of a strong French lobby in the Russian General Staff.
The French system was adopted by the Russian army under the name “6-inch fortress howitzer of the Schneider system mod. 1909 . This howitzer was produced at the Putilov plant.
In parallel, the Perm (Motovilikhinsky) plant began to develop a field version of this howitzer. The serf system was heavy. This system was created in 1910. 6-inch field howitzer system Schneider mod. 1910 of the year, although it was unified with a fortress howitzer in the front end and ammunition, otherwise it was more of an independent weapon. And the ballistics of the fortress howitzer lagged behind the field "daughter".
And again it is necessary to move a little away from the topic. Two factories were unable to provide the required number of such howitzers for the needs of the army. And the tsarist government solved the problem traditionally. Purchased the missing guns from the Entente. So another 6-inch howitzer of the Vickers system appeared in our army.
The 1910 model howitzer did not take root in the army. Therefore, its production was stopped, and from the 1920s the Perm plant began to produce guns of the 1909 model.
What caused the need to modernize the howitzer in the 1920s and 1930s? Here again the analogy with the 122-mm howitzer arr. 1910. The army demanded new systems. Mobile, long-range …
The Soviet government has done a lot to create such systems. However, realizing that it is unrealistic to provide a sufficient number of systems in the context of the collapse of industry and post-war devastation, it was decided to follow the proven path. Upgrade ammunition.
As a result, in 1930, the artillery research institute (ANII) received a task to develop long-range shells, including a six-inch caliber, and the design bureau of the Motovilikhinsky (Perm) plant took up the issue of adapting the 152-mm howitzer mod. 1909 for this ammunition and increasing its muzzle velocity.
The design bureau of the enterprise at that time was headed by V. N. Sidorenko, with his active participation, a number of technical solutions were proposed to increase the range of existing guns.
According to information from the St. Petersburg Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps, the project for improving the former 6-inch fortress howitzer was carried out by engineer Yakovlev.
The new high-explosive fragmentation grenade required new solutions. The fact is that when firing at full and first charges, detonation occurred in the barrel. The volume of the chamber was clearly not enough. The problem was solved in the same way as before on the 122-mm howitzer. By boring chambers up to 340 mm. At the same time, the appearance of the barrel has not changed. Therefore, the modernized gun was marked on the breech cut and the barrel casing on top with the inscriptions "Elongated chamber".
To adapt the recoil devices to the increased recoil, a new moderator was introduced in the recoil brake, and the improvement of the carriage in 1930 was limited only by the rule of a different device, without a screw. Sights were also updated: the system received a "normalized" sight mod. 1930 with a cylindrical distance drum and a new scale cut.
Rule, that is, a device that guides the barrel of a gun.
And one more innovation: to strengthen the chassis, the wooden wheels were replaced with wheelsets from the GAZ-AA truck.
It was in this form that the howitzer was put into service under the name of the 152-mm howitzer of the 1909/30 model.
TTX system:
Caliber, mm: 152, 4
Weight, kg, combat: 2725
stowed: 3050
Length (on the march), mm: 6785 (5785)
Width, mm: 1525
Height, mm: 1880 (1920)
Sighting range, m: 9850
Projectile weight, kg: 40-41, 25
The initial velocity of the projectile, m / s: 391
Transfer time from traveling position
in combat, min: 1-1, 5
Number of horses during transportation
(horse-drawn), pcs: 8
Transportation speed, km / h: 6-8
Calculation, people: 8
As a result of a single developer and the creation of a 152-mm howitzer mod. 1909/30 was very similar in design to the 122-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 Indeed, the authors have repeatedly come across this point of view among museum visitors.
122 mm howitzer 1910/30
Indeed, both guns can be viewed as a whole as scaled versions of each other, but in some particulars, French engineers applied design solutions unique to each system. These solutions were preserved in the modernized version of the guns.
The gunners who served in the units where these howitzers were operated remember the system with pride and respect. And they themselves are more suitable for grenadier units than for artillery. Strongmen! Why did this system require just such soldiers?
The first thing that comes to mind is the mass of the projectile itself. 40-odd kilograms and at a good pace not everyone can do. But, as it turned out, this is not the main thing. The main thing in the very design of the howitzer. In the peculiarities of its operation.
Many have noticed in newsreels that when fired, soldiers run away from the gun behind the shell boxes, and sometimes even hide in dugouts. And the shot itself is carried out using a rather long cord.
The fact is that a single-bar carriage on soft ground does not hold the howitzer in place. The gun rolls back a meter or two. The coulter is "buried" in the ground only then fixes the position of the system.
And then physical strength is needed! Shot. The coulter has "buried" harder. Vertical guidance is required. Next shot. The same story. Ultimately, the opener will "burrow" so that the calculation will not be able to pull it out. And the wheels too. And it will not be in 10-20 shots, but in 2-5. That is why the soldiers "rolled" the not light howitzer forward after a couple of shots.
But that's not all. It is also necessary to dig up the soil on the side of the opener. To provide a coarse pickup. And to carry the carriage with the whole "brigade". Are there good prospects for the calculation to work? But these actions are done almost after every shot!
And the howitzers are great … galloping! At low elevation angles, the gun jumped 10-20 cm when fired!
By the way, now it has probably become clear to everyone why the transition to carriages with sliding beds is not a whim of designers, but a necessity.
But back to the dugouts, where the soldiers were hiding during the shot. To do this, it is necessary to study the order of the People's Commissar of Defense No. 39 of 1936. When firing practice with single and salvo shots, the crew must be covered in dugouts or ditches. Long cords must be used for triggering.
Now comes the fun part! In the event of a premature rupture of the shell in the barrel, it is necessary to fill out a special questionnaire (in the form) and immediately report the incident to the People's Commissariat of Defense!
Given that no such order existed for other systems, it can be concluded that such a problem existed. The truth is, it is difficult to find the "guilty". Perhaps the structure could not stand it. Or maybe the grenades themselves were not finalized.
The baptism of fire of 152-mm howitzers Model 1909/30 was received on Lake Khasan in the summer of 1938. In a number of units and formations, these weapons were in service. In the 40th and 32nd rifle divisions, for example. Despite the problems with ammunition, the system played an important role in the defeat of the Japanese forces.
A year later, 152-mm howitzers took part in the battles on Khalkhin Gol. Moreover, a lot of barrels were involved, judging by the data of the People's Commissariat of Defense on the use of ammunition. Howitzers not only helped to destroy Japanese engineering structures and fortifications, but also successfully suppressed enemy artillery batteries. During the conflict, only 6 howitzers were disabled. All of them were subsequently restored.
The Soviet-Finnish war also could not do without these systems. The Soviet units and formations included more than 500 guns.
The 152-mm howitzers were most effective when opening the Mannerheim line. The bunkers were destroyed by two or four shots. And when pillboxes were found, when a thick layer of concrete could not be pierced by a 152-mm projectile, the target was transferred to 203-mm guns.
Alas, this war also brought the first irrecoverable losses of systems. Moreover, the Finns captured several guns and later used them in their own army.
At the beginning of World War II, 152-mm howitzers mod. 1909/30 were the most common systems of this caliber and class in the Red Army - there were 2,611 units.
For comparison: the number of available 152-mm howitzers mod. 1910/37 consisted of 99 guns, 152-mm howitzers mod. 1931 g.(NG) - 53, 152-mm Vickers howitzers - 92, and the new M-10 - 1058 units. In the western military districts there were 1162 arr. 1909/30 and 773 M-10.
In 1941, Soviet 152-mm howitzers suffered heavy losses - 2,583 units, which is about two-thirds of the number of their gun park before the start of the war. Later, due to the fact that guns of this type were not produced, the number of systems of the 1909/30 model only decreased.
However, the final stage of the war suddenly made these howitzers popular. Paradox? 1945 and … the revitalization of the use of outdated systems? And the answer lies in the changed tactics of the Soviet troops.
The army was advancing. But the closer we got to Berlin, the more and more often we came across serious engineering structures of the Germans. The new howitzers coped with this. But in battles in urban development, heavy guns could not be attached to assault groups.
And the good old howitzer of the 1909/30 model was easily rolled manually by the forces of the group. Its power was enough to suppress and even destroy enemy firing points in houses. The gun in these cases fired from a minimum distance. Almost direct fire.
The combat path of 152-mm howitzers model 1909/30 g ended like a real soldier in the Far East. With the Japanese, the guns began a combat biography, and with the Japanese, they finished. The guns were finally removed from service in 1946.
The paradox of our time. The system, which deservedly bears the title of the most numerous system of the Red Army (only the D-1 was released more, and even then, taking into account the post-war release) has hardly survived to our time. Honored Veteran Hard to See …
