In many films about the war, on various posters dedicated to that difficult time, you can see the image of the famous 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30. After defeating Nazi Germany many experts recognized it as not only the best among howitzers, but also unparalleled among all cannon artillery of the Second World War.
The gun did not lose its relevance after the Second World War, remaining in demand in many countries. It can be found in all corners of the world, is this not a recognition of its perfection?
From prerequisites to creation
Even before the First World War, Russia purchased 48-line howitzers for the army - guns designed for mounted firing with heavy high-explosive shells. This kind of guns was specially designed to fight the enemy fortifications.
For infantry sheltered 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 corresponds to 4.8 inches or 121.92 mm, reduced to the usual 122 mm, this caliber is still considered optimal for light field howitzers.
The howitzers of the 1909-1910 model, developed by the Krupp concern and the French company Schneider, respectively, did an excellent job with the duties 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 was morally and physically obsolete.
The upgrades carried out in 1930 by Kruppovsky, and in 1937 - by French howitzers could not meet all the requirements for modern artillery. The policy pursued by the government for mechanization in the army visibly 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 the 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 the publication, on August 11, 1929, the terms of reference for its development were issued. It was decided to make the caliber within the limits of 107-122 mm, based on the performance characteristics of English and German howitzers with a similar purpose.
In addition, the gun had to be adapted for towing by mechanized means.
A separate point was the possibility of maneuvering the gun on the battlefield by calculation forces.
The theme of creating a new gun was called "Lubok". There were not enough developers Civil War severely crippled competent engineering personnel. I had to entrust the work on Lubka 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 capacities. There were difficulties even with machine operators.
The result of the work was a 122 mm howitzer on a single-bar carriage. The sprung metal wheels made it possible to reach speeds of up to 10 km / h, because. tires were not included. The vertical aiming angle of the barrel (length 23 caliber) did not exceed + 50 °, and horizontal - 7 °. In the stowed position, the system weighed 2.8 tons, in combat - 2.25 tons. At that time, a pretty good result.
However, the material and technical capabilities of the plants were not taken into account. Released only 11 copies of the howitzer. The coming of the Nazis to power in Germany led to the liquidation of KB-2. In 1936, the project was closed because the requirements for modern guns had changed.
The artillery department demanded the creation of a howitzer with rubber wheels for the Red Army.
The carriage must be designed with sliding beds. The rubber running and suspension made it possible to increase the speed of towing the gun, the sliding beds, in turn, made the structure heavier, but gave the gun greater fire maneuverability.
Again, calibers 107 and 122 mm were considered, but with the requirements to increase all aiming angles. It was assumed that even a howitzer cannon could be made. The caliber of 122 mm won, although the manufacture of 107 mm guns would have been much cheaper.
The fact is that the arsenals accumulated a large stock of shells for 122 mm guns, in addition, unlike the 107 mm shell, which had to be developed and created practically from scratch, for the production of 122 mm shells and charges, there were ready-made and operating production lines.
These guns 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, commissioning and production of the M-30
Three groups of designers received the task for development at once:
- F.F. Petrov, with the design team of the Motovilikha plant in Perm, this team had rich experience in designing heavy artillery systems. Until 1917, the plant was engaged in the production of guns for the tsarist army. The project received an index - M-30.
- Plant No. 92, under the leadership of the talented and young at that time designer Grabin V.G. Initiative development for the competition. Internal index of the plant F-25.
- Plant No. 9, known as the Ural heavy engineering plant with the U-2 howitzer (the gun, by the way, turned out to be quite successful). Attempts were made to equip them with tanks and heavy self-propelled guns.
In a tough competition, the M-30 project won. U-2 failed the tests (deformation of the beds) and dropped out of further participation in the competition. Despite some 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 according to Lubko, in addition, a muzzle brake was used, the shutter was of a horizontal type, wedge. 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 the brainchild of F. F. Petrov:
- a barrel without a muzzle brake (unmasks less and improves the working conditions of the calculation);
- many well-developed units (piston valve, 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).
According to the results of the competition and testing, a howitzer designed by F.F. Petrov.
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 - No. 92 in the mountains. Gorky and No. 9, known as the Ural Heavy Engineering Plant.
The Gorky residents produced the M-30 for only one year and produced 500 pieces, in 1941-1942, the factory mastered the manufacture of the M-30S, a variant of the howitzer for installation in the SU-122, but after the cessation of its production, the gun was no longer produced. UZTM continued to produce until 1955.
Design features and changes during production
Like most guns of the classical type, the divisional howitzer mod. 1938 consists of the following elements:
- Barrel, metal monoblock tube, no muzzle brake. There are 36 grooves in the bore.
- The breech, with a piston lock. The barrel is screwed into a massive breech. It also installs a mounting system to the gun carriage.
- Carriage (M-30S - pedestal)
Components of the gun carriage:
- cradle;
- anti-recoil devices;
- upper machine;
- aiming mechanisms;
- balancing mechanism;
- lower machine with sliding beds, there are fastenings for entrenching tools and spare parts;
- undercarriage, wheels with stamped discs and solid rubber bandage;
- leaf springs;
- sights;
- shield cover, from several elements.
The cradle with pins is placed in special sockets of the upper machine. The socket of the lower machine includes a pin of the upper one, made with shock absorbers that hang the upper machine and make it easier to turn. Rotary (left) and lifting (right) mechanisms are mounted on the upper machine.
The 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 nest of an independent (two arrows) sight, through which direct fire is fired and from closed firing positions.
For the entire time of release, the howitzer underwent minor changes.
This is reflected in the 1948 Service Manual, but without issue numbers or dates. The changes were introduced in order to simplify and reduce the cost of production as much as possible. So around 1945, riveting on the beds was replaced by welding. The breech after modernization was increased in size and increased its strength.
The trigger stowage stop and the loading assistance mechanism were removed. The oilers of the cradle rollers and the oil seals of the recoil and knurler brakes have undergone a change.
After the start of production of 152 mm D-1, the carriage was unified for two systems. The design of sights and panoramas changed.
Combat use and performance characteristics of the M-30
Tactical and technical characteristics:
| Caliber | 121.92 mm |
| Total Issued | 19 266 |
| Payment | 8 people |
| rate of fire | 5 - 6 rounds / min |
| Permissible highway speed | 50 km/h |
| Line of fire height | 1200 mm |
| barrel length | 2800 mm \ 22.7 cal. |
| bore length | 2278 mm \ 18.7 cal. |
| Mass in the stowed position, | 2900 - 3100 kg |
| Weight in combat position | 2360-2500 kg |
| Length | 5900 mm (with limber 8600) |
| Width | 1975mm |
| Height | 1820 mm |
| Clearance | 330-357 mm |
| Elevation angle | -3 to +63.3° |
| Angle of horizontal aiming | 49° |
Types of ammunition:
| Index shot | Index projectile | Weight projectile (kg) | Mass of explosives / explosives (kg) | Fuse brand | The initial velocity of the projectile, (m/s) | Maximum firing range, (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative | ||||||
| 53-VBP-463 | 53-VBP-463 | 14,83 | 2,18 | STB | 570 | 4 |
| 53-VBP-463A | 53-BP-460A | 13,34 | B-229 | 335 | 2 | |
| 3VBK1 | 53-BK-463(M)(U) (UM) | 21,26 | 2,15 | GPV-1, GPV-2, GKN | 500 | |
| 3VBK11 | 53-BK-463U (M) | 21,26 | 2,15 | SAP-2 | 515 | |
| fragmentation | ||||||
| 53-VO-462A | 53-O-462A | 21,76 | 3,0 | D-1, RGM(-2), RG-6, GVZM | 380 | 9,34 |
| 53-VO-463A | 53-O-460A | 21,76 | D-1-U, RGM-2, MGNS-2 | 458 | 10,77 | |
| 53-VO-463AM | 53-O-462A | 21,76 | 3,0 | D-1, RGM(-2), RG-6, GVZM | 458 | 10,77 |
| High-explosive fragmentation | ||||||
| 53-VOF-462 | 53-OF-462(W) | 21,76 | 3,67 | D-1, RGM(-2), RG-6, GVZM | 380 | 9,34 |
| 53-VOF-463 | 53-OF-462(W) | 21,76 | 3,67 | D-1, RGM(-2), RG-6, GVZM | 515 | 11,8 |
| 53-VOF-463M | 53-OF-462(W) | 21,76 | 3,67 | D-1-U, RGM-2(M), V-90, AR-5 | 515 | 11,8 |
| 3VOF7 | 3OF7/3OF8 | 21,76 | 2,98 | AR-30 | 515 | 11,8 |
| 3VOF31 | 3OF24(W) | 21,76 | 3,97 | RGM-2(M), V-90, AR-5 | 515 | 11,8 |
| 3VOF46 | 53-OF-462(W) | 21,76 | 3,67 | RGM-2(M), V-90, AR-5 | 515 | 11,8 |
| 3VOF80 | 3OF56(-1) | 21,76 | 4,31 | RGM-2(M), V-90, AR-5 | 515 | 11,8 |
| Shrapnel | ||||||
| 3VSh1 | 3VSh1 | 21,76 | 2,075 | DTM-75 | 515 | |
| Chemical | ||||||
| 53-ХН-462 | 3,1 | |||||
| 53-XC-462U | 1,9 | |||||
| 53-XSO-462 | 1,9 | |||||
| 53-XSO-462D | 23,1 | 3,3 | ||||
| 53-XSO-463B | 22,2 | 1,325 | ||||
| Smoke | ||||||
| 3-VD-462 | 53-D-462 | 22,55 | 3,6 | KT(M)-2 | 380 | 9,34 |
| 53-VD-463 | 53-D-462 | 22,55 | 3,6 | KT(M)-2 | 515 | 11,8 |
| 53-VD-463A | 53-D-462A | 22,77 | 3,6 | RGM-2(M) | 458 | 10,77 |
| 53-VD-463M | 53-D-462S | 22,55 | 3,6 | KTM-2, RGM-2(M) | 515 | 11,8 |
| 3VD1 | 3D4(M) | 21,76 | 3,6 | RGM-2(M) | 515 | 11,8 |
| Lighting | ||||||
| 53-VS-462 | 53-VS-462 | 22,3 | 0,02 | T-6 | 361 | 7,12 |
| 53-VS-463 | 53-VS-462 | 22,3 | 0,02 | T-6 | 479 | 8,5 |
| 53-VS-463M | 53-S-463(W) | 22,0 | 0,02 | T-7 | 515 | 11,0 |
| 3BC10 | 3С4(W) | 21,8 | - | T-90 | 515 | |
| Campaign | ||||||
| 53-BA-462 | 53-A-462 | 21,5 | - | T-6 | 366 | 7,2 |
| 53-BA-463 | 53-A-462 | 21,5 | - | T-6 | 431 | 8,0 |
| 3BA1 | 3А1(D)(W)(J) | 21,5 | - | T-7 | 515 | |
According to the requirements of artillery science, the following tasks were assigned to divisional howitzers:
- destruction of fortifications of the field type;
- combating enemy firepower;
- counter-battery shooting;
- destruction of enemy manpower and means of its delivery to the front line.
In case of emergency, divisional reinforcements could also work on direct fire. In this case, the shells of 122 mm howitzers simply broke through the armor of the enemy’s medium tanks, the lungs turned over and overturned from close gaps.
In the future, to combat heavily armored enemy vehicles, cumulative projectiles were also introduced into the M-30S ammunition, and subsequently towed versions of the gun.
During the Second World War, they just didn’t tow a three-ton howitzer. Horses, and all kinds of trucks, tractors "Stalinets" STZ-5 or I-12. In combat, 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 sFH396 (r) were actively used both on the eastern front and and in France. Even the 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 put our guns on captured French armored vehicles.
41 guns were left to the Finns during the battles, the Finnish army, which did not have its own artillery production, creatively and fully used all the trophies. Renaming them 122 H/38, the guns were used against the Red Army, and in 1944, gun barrels turned against Germany.
As a reserve, the Finns kept until the 80s of the last century.
Chinese howitzer type 54, almost completely repeats the M-30 device. The changes are minor and concern only the standardization of production.
In the post-war period, the howitzer was supplied to more than thirty countries of the world. Most of them continue to be in service today.
A whole era in the history of artillery can be called the legendary 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model M-30. Having taken part in almost all wars, starting with the Second World War, she proved her reliability and unpretentiousness, having received the highest rating from Marshal of Artillery G.F. Odintsov: “Nothing can be better than her.”
Video
The D-30 is a Soviet 122mm howitzer developed in the early 1960s. It was one of the most massive artillery systems in the Soviet army and was actively exported. Currently, the D-30 is in service with several dozen armies of the world. In 1978, the D-30 howitzer was upgraded.
In addition to the USSR, the D-30 122-mm howitzer was produced in Egypt, Iraq, China and Yugoslavia. In Russia, the production of this weapon ceased in 1994.
The D-30 has participated (and is participating) in dozens of military conflicts, while demonstrating high reliability and efficiency. Without exaggeration, this howitzer can be called the most famous Soviet artillery piece. The D-30 is distinguished by excellent accuracy of fire, as well as excellent loading speed and maneuverability. Today in service different countries world (excluding the CIS) there are about 3600 units of this artillery gun.
On the basis of the D-30, several self-propelled guns, both domestic and foreign, were created. The most famous of these is the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount.
It is the D-30 howitzer that is used in St. Petersburg for a daily shot at noon.
History of the D-30 howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece designed to fire at a hinged trajectory from covered positions out of direct line of sight of the enemy. The first samples of such weapons appeared in Europe in the XIV century. Initially, they were not very popular, the gunners of that time preferred to shoot at the enemy with direct fire.
The heyday of howitzers began around the 17th century with the advent of various types of explosive ammunition. Especially often howitzer artillery was used during the assault or siege of enemy fortresses.
The "finest hour" for howitzers was the First World War. The positional nature of the fighting was the best suited for the use of such artillery. They were massively used by all parties to the conflict. In the First World War, the number of deaths from enemy shells far exceeds the losses from small arms or poison gases.
The Soviet army had high quality and numerous artillery. She played a crucial role in the defeat of the Nazi invaders. The most famous howitzer of the Great Patriotic War was M-30 caliber 122 mm.
However, after the end of the war, the situation changed somewhat. The nuclear and rocket age began.
Khrushchev, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, believed that the outcome of a modern war could be decided with the help of rockets, he considered artillery an anachronism. In a thermonuclear war, guns generally seemed superfluous to him. This point of view turned out to be clearly erroneous, but it slowed down the development of domestic barreled artillery for decades. It was not until the early 1960s that the development of new systems for self-propelled and towed artillery was initiated.
It was during this period that the development of a new divisional howitzer of 122 mm caliber began. It was supposed to replace the legendary M-30, which was designed before the start of the war by the talented designer Fedor Petrov.
The development of the new D-30 howitzer was also entrusted to Petrov, at that time he headed the Design Bureau of Plant No. 9. The M-30 had some shortcomings that the designers had to take into account when working on a new artillery system. These included insufficient accuracy of fire and the inability to conduct circular fire.
The main feature of the new howitzer was an unusual gun carriage, the design of which was different from any other guns adopted by the Soviet army earlier. The D-30 howitzer had a carriage consisting of three frames, which allowed the gun to conduct circular fire. The method of towing the gun was also unusual: the pivot beam for the hook was attached to the howitzer's muzzle brake.
In 1963, the 122 mm D-30 howitzer was put into service. In 1978, the guns were modernized, but it was insignificant. The pivot beam, for which the howitzer was hooked during transportation, received a rigid structure, and the muzzle brake was also changed. If earlier he had five pairs of large slots and one pair of small ones, now a muzzle brake with two chambers was installed on the gun.
Turn signals and position lights were installed on the armor plate for greater convenience of transporting the howitzer in a column. The new modification of the gun received the designation D-30A.
Serial production of the D-30 was launched at the plant number 9. The release of the gun was discontinued in the early 90s. Talk about removing the howitzer from service Russian army have been conducted since the beginning of the 2000s, but such a decision was made only a few years ago. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that D-30s were sent to storage bases as early as 2013. They are planned to be replaced by a 152-mm Msta-B towed howitzer and Akatsiya self-propelled guns.
They plan to leave the D-30 only in the Airborne Forces and airborne assault units. The military explains this decision by the fact that the howitzers available to the troops are badly worn out and in need of serious repairs. It is much easier to send them to storage bases and switch to a single 152 mm caliber, which is also more powerful.
D-30 howitzer device
The 122-mm howitzer D-30 is designed to destroy enemy manpower located open area or in field-type shelters, suppressing fire weapons, including self-propelled and towed artillery, destroying enemy fortifications and making passages in obstacles and minefields.
The D-30 howitzer consists of a carriage, a barrel, recoil devices and sights. Loading guns - separate-sleeve. The supply of shells is carried out manually. Combat crew - 6 people.
The barrel of the gun consists of a pipe, a breech, a muzzle brake, two fastening hooks and a bolt. The muzzle brake is removable.
D-30 recoil devices - knurler and brake.
The design of the carriage includes a cradle, a balancing mechanism, an upper and lower machine, pickup drives (vertical and horizontal), wheels, suspension mechanisms, mounting the gun in the stowed position.
Sights D-30 - telescopic and panoramic sights.
The howitzer can be divided into oscillating, rotating and stationary parts. The composition of the swing includes a cradle, barrel, recoil devices and sights. This part of the gun moves relative to the axis of the trunnions and provides vertical aiming of the howitzer. The swinging part, together with the wheels and the shield, forms a rotating part that moves around the combat pin of the upper machine and provides horizontal aiming of the gun.
The lower machine with beds and a hydraulic jack is the fixed part of the howitzer.
The D-30 has a wedge-shaped semi-automatic breech, which provides a high rate of fire (about 8 rounds per minute). The layout of the barrel with the brake and knurler located on top significantly reduces the line of fire of the gun (up to 900 mm), which reduces the size of the howitzer and makes it less noticeable. In addition, a small line of fire allows the D-30 to be used in anti-tank defense.
Transferring the howitzer to combat position takes only two to three minutes. One bed remains motionless, the other two are moved apart by 120 degrees. Such a carriage arrangement allows all-round fire without moving the gun.
The standard traction vehicle for the D-30 howitzer is the Ural-4320 vehicle. On paved roads (asphalt, concrete), the permissible speed for transporting the implement is 80 km/h. To move the howitzer through the snow, a ski mount is used - however, it is impossible to fire from it. The small size and weight characteristics of the gun can be attributed to one of the main advantages of the D-30. It is they who allow the howitzer to be parachuted or transported by helicopter.
For firing, the D-30 can use a wide range of ammunition. The most common is a high-explosive fragmentation projectile, the maximum firing range is 16 kilometers. In addition, the gun can fire anti-tank cumulative projectiles, fragmentation, smoke, lighting and special chemical munitions. The D-30 howitzer can also use active rockets, in which case the firing range is increased to 22 km.
D-30 gun modifications
D-30. Basic modification adopted in 1963
D-30A. Howitzer variant after modernization in 1978. The gun was equipped with a new two-chamber muzzle brake, brake lights and parking lights were installed on the shield
DA18M-1. Modification with rammer
D-30J. Modification developed in Yugoslavia
Saddam. Version of the gun made in Iraq
Type-96. Chinese howitzer modification
Khalifa. Sudanese modification
Semser. Modification developed in Israel for the army of Kazakhstan. It is a self-propelled gun based on KAMAZ-63502 with a D-30 gun
Khalifa-1. Modification developed in Sudan: self-propelled guns on the KAMAZ-43118 chassis with the D-30 gun
The use of the D-30 howitzer
D-30 is one of the most successful examples of Soviet artillery weapons. Its main advantages are simplicity, reliability, good accuracy of fire, sufficient range of fire, high speed of movement and mobility.
The howitzer is great for highly mobile formations. For the Soviet landing, a method was developed for dropping the D-30 by parachute, preparing a weapon for landing takes only a few minutes. The D-30 can be transported on the external sling of a Mi-8 helicopter.
The howitzer has been used in dozens of different conflicts in many parts of the world. It has been actively used Soviet troops in Afghanistan, the federal forces used the D-30 during the first and second Chechen campaign, today the howitzer is used in the Syrian conflict, Ukrainian troops use it in the anti-terrorist operation in the east of the country.
Characteristics of the D-30 howitzer
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Completely equipped artillery shot of separate-sleeve loading for a 122-mm howitzer
arr. 1938 consists of a projectile with a fuse or a remote tube, a propellant charge from the main package and several equilibrium beams of two types with smokeless pyroxylin powder in a metal sleeve with a primer sleeve. A flash suppressor is provided as an optional component of the shot. Let us consider in more detail the components of artillery rounds for the 122 mm M-30 howitzer used in the Great Patriotic War.
The main purpose shells for the system were high-explosive fragmentation and fragmentation grenades 462 family. In 1942, the "armor-burning" (cumulative) projectile BP-460A was added to them.
The OF-462 high-explosive fragmentation long-range steel grenade was developed at the Artillery Research Institute (ANII) in the mid-1930s. Her constituent parts are the case, the leading belt and the bursting charge of trinitrotoluene (TNT) weighing 3675 g. Other explosives were also used for the latter, most often ammotol. The body has an aerodynamically advantageous pointed (ogival) shape with a zapoyaskovy cone fairing, as well as two polished centering bulges for better alignment of the projectile axis with the axis of the channel during firing and increasing the accuracy of the battle as a result. The grenade was equipped with fuses of the RG-6, RGM or RGM-2 types, which could be set to instantaneous (fragmentation) action, low deceleration and high-explosive action. When installed on a fragmentation action, a grenade with an RGM type fuse had an advantage over a grenade with an RG-6 fuse. Since 1942, it could be used together with the D-1 remote fuse or the GVMZ fuse. In after war time the ammunition received an iron-ceramic leading belt instead of a copper one and, accordingly, a new postfix in the name - OF-462Zh.
The installation of the OF-462 grenade fuse for fragmentation action is used to fire at openly located enemy manpower, at its firing points and artillery, as well as at tanks from closed positions. In this case, after the rupture, about 1000 fragments of various masses and shapes are formed. Of these, 400-500 are lethal, flying at speeds up to 1 km / s. The area of the actual defeat (the probability of a fragment hitting a growth figure is 50%) was indicated as 60 m along the front and 20 m
in depth. The area of a continuous lesion (the probability of hitting a growth figure is 90%) was estimated as a rectangular area of 18 × 8 m. For simplicity, approximate characteristics of a fragmentation lesion were later given - 40 × 8 m. Individual fragments retain their lethal effect at distances up to 250-300 m. When firing with the use of "small deceleration" the ammunition has time to go deeper into the barrier. This property is taken into account when shooting at field-type fortifications, including dugouts and bunkers, at solid wooden buildings, as well as at direct fire at tanks, if there are no HEAT shells. When an OF-462 grenade ruptures into medium-density soil with this fuse installation, a funnel is formed up to 1 m deep, up to 2.8-3 m in diameter and 2.0-2.25 m3 in volume. Setting the fuse to a delayed high-explosive action, when the projectile goes even deeper into the obstacle, is used when destroying more durable field shelters, stone and brick buildings, as well as for firing on ricochets.
The O-462A steel-cast iron fragmentation grenade was also developed by the ARI in 1930-1935 as a more technologically advanced and cheaper version of the OF-462 steel grenade already put into production. Until 1941, it was also considered high-explosive fragmentation and had the designation OF-462A. The external forms of these shells are identical, but they differ in wall thickness and body material. As the name implies, the O-462A grenade was made by casting from steel cast iron; its walls are much thicker compared to OF-462, and the explosive charge is reduced in weight to 3 kg. When broken, it gives fragments of a slightly different shape than a steel grenade, and smaller, but in larger quantities. Shooting with an O-462A grenade is allowed on the first or less powerful charges. The fuses were the same as in the case of the OF-462, but when firing at hard ground, they cannot be set to delayed action. Due to the lower strength of the hull compared to the O-462A steel projectile, it will simply crack without
explosion. The main-purpose shells (in today's sense; during the Great Patriotic War they meant only grenades) also included the "armor-burning" (cumulative) projectile BP-460A with a B-229 instantaneous fuse. It was developed in 1942. When a projectile hits the target, the detonation of an explosive charge from explosive with a recess of a conical shape leads to the formation of a high-speed (up to 10-12 km / s in the head part, about 2 km / s in the tail) and high-temperature jet (gases - up to 3500 ° С, metal - up to 600 ° C), which has a significant penetrating ability - up to 120 mm of armor when it hits along the normal.
In addition, the BP-460A projectile was distinguished by its effective fragmentation action, and the strong shock wave formed during its rupture could flow through open hatches, loopholes or other
openings with a large area inside a combat vehicle or fortification, inflicting additional barotraumatic damage to the crew or garrison. However, the 122-mm howitzer mod. 1938 does not look the best as an anti-tank gun due to the low muzzle velocity of the HEAT projectile itself (problems with fuse sensitivity forced it to fire only on the fourth charge) and the lack of a specialized sight for direct fire. To this we can add a fairly high dispersion of projectiles and the need for high training of the gunner in order to take into account the curvature of his trajectory and the necessary lead. The cross in the field of view of the panorama of howitzers of early releases could not help in this, but with the introduction of aiming marks-corners, the task
became somewhat easier. A good illustration of this is the test firing from the M-30 at a stationary trophy tank from a distance of 500 m, carried out in 1943. Of the fifteen released
None of the projectiles hit the target. On the other hand, in battles, the successful use of the BP-460A HEAT projectile by crews of towed M-30s and self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) SU-122 against enemy armored vehicles was also recorded. It is also worth noting that even without cumulative shells, hitting an ordinary high-explosive fragmentation grenade into an enemy light or medium tank was in most cases fatal, and heavy tank at the same time, he had a significant chance of receiving serious damage, up to the loss of combat capability. As an example, we can mention an episode in the summer of 1943, when the 80-mm turret side armor of the turret, which came under fire from several SU-122s, was broken.
shells special purpose for 122 mm howitzer mod. 1938 included campaign, smoke and lighting ammunition.
Steel smoke projectile D-462 (developed by the ARI until 1935 as a subspecies of chemical munitions) had
a case with a screw head and a fuse of the KTM-2 type, which had to be installed necessarily for instantaneous action (the cap was removed). When hitting an obstacle, a small bursting charge of pressed TNT blocks opens the body of the projectile in its head part and sprays into environment 3580 g of smoke composition (white phosphorus). Burning in atmospheric oxygen, phosphorus gives a dense low opaque cloud of white smoke 10-15 m high and 6-8 m wide. Depending on the strength and direction of the wind, it lasts 5-10 minutes, and then dissipates. The effectiveness of the destruction of enemy manpower by hull fragments and burning smoke composition, as well as the incendiary effect of the D-462 projectile, were low. The consumption of 122-mm smoke shells for placing a smoke screen on a front about 500 m wide, held for 5 minutes, was, depending on the direction and strength of the wind, from 15 to 100 pieces. Later, the D-462 solid-hull version and the D-462A cast iron smoke projectile were adopted. The latter could not be fired at full charge due to the increased fragility of its body. During the Great Patriotic War, smoke ammunition for 122-mm howitzers was also equipped with KT-2 fuses.
In terms of their design, the A-462 campaign projectile and the C-462 illuminating parachute projectile were similar. They were developed at the very end of the 1930s, had a short-range form, and the first of them could not be fired at full charge. Under the action of a small expelling charge ignited by a T-6 remote tube, either a torch with a parachute or campaign material, most often leaflets, is thrown out of their case from behind. Accordingly, the A-462 shells had access to their chamber through a bottom detachable from the body for laying leaflets before firing. The installations for firing the C-462 lighting projectile were calculated in such a way that the tube fired at a height of about 500 m. Its torch gives 400,000 candela of light for 45 s. For agitation ammunition, the triggering of the tube is set at a height of 100-150 m and in the absence of wind, precipitation and rising air currents, leaflets are scattered in a strip from 15 to 50 m wide
and lengths from 300 to 600 m. Chemical projectiles stand apart in the family of 122-mm howitzer ammunition. For reasons of secrecy, information about them was not given in the service manuals and firing tables, however, they were made so that their ballistic properties did not differ much from standard high-explosive fragmentation grenades or smoke shells. With the latest chemical projectiles were similar in design, since they had a common purpose - the release of smoke formulations or poisonous substances (OS) into the environment.
122 mm howitzer mod. 1938 could fire chemical projectiles of the KhS-462 and KhN-462 types (ballistically equivalent to the long-range OF-462 grenade) and chemical fragmentation projectiles OX-462. The letters "C" and "H" in the nomenclature correspond to persistent and unstable agents. Chemical artillery ammunition with the XH index of the interwar period was equipped with phosgene, a suffocating agent, with the XC index, with lewisite, related to skin blistering and general poisonous agents. One 122-mm howitzer projectile could hold up to 3.3 kg of OM. Persistence of phosgene infection in winter - up to several hours, in summer - up to an hour. As follows from the classification, this parameter is much higher in lewisite, and special measures must be taken to degas the area contaminated by it, even days and weeks after use.
According to the AU instructions adopted in 1938, all grenades and shells were painted gray, with the exception of shrapnel and propaganda shells. The first had a yellow body, and the second - red. The type of projectile was indicated by colored stripes on the ogival part. In wartime, it was envisaged that there was no coloring of ammunition at all, and their protection against corrosion was supposed to be done with grease from cannon fat.
However, during the Great Patriotic War, coloring was introduced in an intermediate color between dark gray and protective for all shells and the designation of a number of their types with colored stripes on the cylindrical part of the hull. For example, steel-cast iron grenades were marked with a black stripe, and lighting projectiles were marked with white. Having completed the review of shells for the M-30, we will briefly mention the types of fuses used in them. Until 1939, the OF-462 and O-462A grenades were equipped with head fuses of the safety type RG-6, RGM and the obsolete UGT-2. The first two provided instantaneous action, as well as operation with small and large deceleration (selection by installing a valve and screwing the cap), the latter - instantaneous or "ordinary" action (cap removed or put on). During the Great Patriotic War, they were supplemented by the RGM-2 fuse of the same type with similar modes of action, the D-1 fuse for remote and impact action, as well as the GVMZ type fuse, which were supposed to fire without a cap (i.e., installation only on fragmentation action). With smoke shells, fuses of the semi-safety type KT-2 and KTM-2 were used, for which, like for the GVMZ, it was necessary to unscrew the caps before firing them. Agitation and lighting ammunition was completed with a double-action T-6 tube (operation after a certain time and on impact), the main purpose of which was to complete shrapnel shots that were not provided for the M-30. For the cumulative projectile, a highly sensitive instantaneous head fuse V-229 was developed. Let us dwell in more detail on the device and characteristics of propellant charges for the 122-mm howitzer mod. 1938. They were placed in a brass or steel sleeve (GAU index G-463) with an internal diameter of 127.5 mm. The solid-drawn brass sleeve was lacquered from the inside to protect against corrosion, and in the absence of cracks after use and subsequent re-compression in dies, it could be reused several times. The steel sleeve was rolled up, and it was also allowed to reuse it, but a smaller number of times compared to brass. An igniter was installed in the sleeve - capsule sleeve No. 4, which can withstand pressure up to 3100 kgf / cm2.
It could be used up to two times after restoration, but the pressure in the bore in this case was allowed no more than 2350 kgf / cm2. The propellant charge (GAU index - Zh-463) was made from smokeless pyroxylin gunpowder, which was a tube from a gelatinized mass obtained after pyroxylin was treated with an alcohol-ether mixture. The tubes could have one or more channels along their axis and different thicknesses of simultaneously burning surface layers (i.e., the next layer ignited only after the previous one burned out). The thickness of the layer and the number of channels were indicated in the brand of gunpowder in the form of a fraction - in the numerator the first parameter in tenths of a millimeter, in the denominator - the second. For example, gunpowder from grains in the form of a tube with one channel along the axis and a thickness of the burning layer of 0.4 mm had a grade of 4/1, and from grains in the form of a cylinder with seven channels along the axis and a thickness of the burning
layer 0.7 mm - brand 7/7. During the operation of the system, it was necessary to strictly observe the temperature
and humidity conditions for storing ammunition, since due to the volatilization of the remnants of the alcohol-ether mixture from gunpowder or its dampening, the tabular muzzle velocity of the projectile was not achieved. As a standard measure to solve this problem, it was envisaged to seal the cartridge case with a cardboard reinforced lid filled with paraffin, as well as screwing in a lacquered primer sleeve. In 1938, for the same purpose, a special rubber cap was introduced to cover the sleeve. The design of the propellant charge included the following inserted into the sleeve:
. the main package with gunpowder grade 4/1 weighing 355 g and an igniter from smoky gunpowder weighing 30 g;
. four lower equilibrium beams with gunpowder brand 9/7 weighing 115 g each;
. four upper equilibrium beams with gunpowder brand 9/7 weighing 325 g each;
. decopper - lead skein
wire weighing 20 g;
. normal and reinforced covers.
All together they constituted a "full" charge. By sequentially removing from it, first the upper and then the lower equilibrium beams, the charges from the first to the eighth were obtained. There was an optional possibility of using flame retardant additives, which were inert salts (on-
an example is potassium chloride) in caps in the form of rings, which increase the ignition temperature of powder gases when fired.
As a result, there was no light flash when they flowed out of the barrel
after the shot. It was forbidden to use flame arresters during the day, because they gave increased smoke and unmasked the gun. In addition, when used, they heavily polluted the barrel, and it was necessary to ban it more often than usual. When conducting flameless shooting
on charges from full to six, it was required to take into account a decrease in the initial speed by 0.5%.
The least powerful seventh and eighth charges were intended for fragmentation and high-explosive fragmentation grenades of the 462 family with fuses of the RG-6 type, the production of which was discontinued after the end of World War II. These types of ammunition are still in the course of
military operations began to be equipped with less sensitive fuses of the RGM and D-1 types, and in the post-war period - with their improved versions of the RGM-2 and D-1-U. When firing on the seventh and eighth charges, the pressure of the powder gases did not ensure the cocking of the fuses of the RGM and D-1 families, which led to the absence of gaps when the shells hit the target or obstacle. In addition, there is a mention in the firing tables that these fuses could not work when fired even on the sixth charge. Therefore, after the war, the re-indexation of the Zh-463M charge was introduced to show the absence of charges No. 7 and 8 in it. However, they were physically in the configuration, since the two lower equilibrium beams were simply sewn to the main package. This was corrected in the charge of the new Zh11 device for the M-30 howitzer (introduced in the 1960s), which had four upper equilibrium beams, two lower equilibrium beams and a main igniter package. The grades of gunpowder remained unchanged compared to the charge of the Zh-463 composition. Thus, the charge Zh11 excluded the intentional composition of the seventh and eighth charges. The pressure of powder gases in the bore when firing the OF-462 grenade varied from 2350 kgf/cm2 (full charge) to 530 kgf/cm2 (charge No. 8). Instructions for calculations and command personnel prescribed, in order to save the resource of the howitzer barrel, to use the smallest possible charge in terms of power to solve a combat mission. When firing with a full charge, the barrel can withstand about 7,500 shots, when firing on charge No. 3, wear drops by 3.2 times, and on charge No. 6 - by 8.4 times.
These values are quite high, since they have passed the entire Great
The M-30 howitzers gave the Patriotic War an average of 5,500 to 8,000 rounds per gun.
The shots were packed two by two in a complete capping in the form of a wooden box with a lid and partitions. Ammunition depots completed shots with the fourth (for the BP-460A cumulative projectile), the first (for grenades and cast iron shells) and full charges.
It was possible to fire with shots from a 122-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 with charges of composition Zh-462. All the information necessary for this was given in the full firing tables with the index 146/140, while the full charge of the Zh-462 composition corresponded to charge No. 2 of the Zh-463 composition.
However, it was allowed to do this only in exceptional cases, because due to the shorter cartridge case for the 122-mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 there was a height of the M-30 chamber not far from the zapoyaskovy part of the projectile. During subsequent shooting, because of this, the sleeve of the regular
a shot for the M-30 was tightly extracted: it was simply pressed into the recesses formed in the front of the chamber.
Shots from 122-mm howitzers mod. 1938 were used only with them, but the OF-462 high-explosive fragmentation grenade could be fired from field, tank and self-propelled guns with the ballistics of a 122-mm gun mod. 1931. The cartridge case and propellant of such a cannon shot with a howitzer shell were completely incompatible with the M-30. In the post-war period, the improvement of ammunition for
122 mm howitzer mod. 1938 - a new O-460A steel-cast iron fragmentation projectile, an S-463 long-range illuminating projectile and a BP1 HEAT projectile with increased armor penetration were adopted.
All these shells were allowed to fire at full charge. With the development of new types of shots for the successor to the M-30 - the 122-mm howitzer D-30 (2A18) - the USSR did not forget to make their options for the honored veteran. For example, in the 1980s 122 mm howitzer mod. 1938, it gained the ability to fire a high-explosive fragmentation projectile of increased power 3OF24 with new types of fuses and a projectile with 3Sh1 swept ready striking elements.
The 122-mm M-30 howitzer was developed in 1938 by the Motovilikhinskiye Zavody Design Bureau (Perm) under the leadership of Fedor Fedorovich Petrov.
Serial production of the 122 mm M-30 howitzer began in 1939.
The 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model was produced in large quantities and was widely used during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
The 122 mm M-30 howitzer as a whole has a classic design: a reliable, durable two-bed carriage, a shield with a raised central plate that is rigidly fixed, and a 23-caliber barrel without a muzzle brake.
In the stowed position, the barrel was fixed without disconnecting from the rods of the recoil devices and without pulling.
The M-30 was equipped with the same carriage as the 152mm D-1 howitzer.
Wheels with a large diameter are equipped with one-piece slopes, which are filled with sponge rubber.
The combat wheels were for the first time equipped with an automobile-type marching brake.
Each implement has two types of coulters - for hard and soft soil.
The transition of the 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model from traveling to combat took no more than 1-1.5 minutes.
When the beds were extended, the springs were automatically turned off, and the beds themselves were automatically fixed in the extended position.
The M-30 howitzer at one time was the main armament of the SU-122 self-propelled guns, which was created on the basis of the chassis of the T-34 medium tank.
The main type of M-30 ammunition is a highly effective fragmentation projectile, weighing 21.76 kilograms, with a range of up to 11.8 thousand meters.
To combat armored targets, the BP-463 HEAT armor-piercing projectile can theoretically be used, which can penetrate 200 mm armor at the maximum direct shot distance (630 meters), but such ammunition is currently practically not used.
The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed that the M-30 brilliantly performed all the tasks that were assigned to it.
She destroyed and suppressed enemy manpower both in open areas and in field-type shelters, destroyed and suppressed infantry firepower, destroyed field-type structures and fought enemy artillery and mortars.
A curious fact testifies to the great survivability of the 122-mm howitzer of the 1938 model.
Once, during the Great Patriotic War, it became known at the plant that the troops had a gun that fired 18,000 shots. The factory offered to exchange this copy for a new one.
And after a thorough factory inspection, it turned out that the howitzer had not lost its qualities and was suitable for further combat use.
This conclusion was unexpectedly confirmed: during the formation of the next echelon, as a sin, a shortage of one gun was discovered.
And with the consent of the military acceptance, the unique howitzer again went to the front as a newly made gun.
The M-30 howitzer was a successful weapon. A group of developers led by Fedor Fedorovich Petrov managed to harmoniously combine in one model of artillery weapons the reliability and ease of use by personnel, characteristic of the old howitzers of the First World War era, and new design solutions designed to improve the mobility and fire capabilities of the gun.
As a result, the Soviet divisional artillery received a modern and powerful howitzer capable of successfully operating as part of highly mobile tank, mechanized and motorized units of the Red Army.
The widespread use of the M-30 howitzer in the armies of many countries of the world and the excellent reviews of the artillerymen who worked with it serve as additional confirmation of this.
According to the results combat use M-30 howitzers, Marshal of Artillery Georgy Fedrovich Odintsov gave her the following emotional assessment: “Nothing can be better than her.”
The M-30 howitzer was a divisional weapon. According to the state of 1939, the rifle division had two artillery regiments - light (76-mm gun battalion and two mixed battalions of two batteries of 122-mm howitzers and one battery of 76-mm guns each) and howitzer (battalion of 122-mm howitzers and a division 152 mm howitzers), a total of 28 pieces of 122 mm howitzers.
In July 1941, after suffering losses and the need to bring the states to the real presence of artillery systems, the howitzer regiment was excluded, the number of howitzers was reduced to 8 pieces.
In March 1942, a third mixed division (of two batteries) was added to the artillery regiment of rifle divisions, and the number of 122 mm howitzers increased to 12, and the number of 76 mm divisional guns to 20 pieces.
In this state, Soviet rifle divisions went through the rest of the war.
Since December 1942, the guards rifle divisions had 3 divisions with 2 batteries of 76-mm guns and one battery of 122-mm howitzers each, a total of 12 howitzers and 24 guns.
Since December 1944, the guards rifle divisions had a howitzer artillery regiment (two divisions, 5 batteries, 20 122-mm howitzers) and a light artillery regiment (two divisions, 5 batteries, 20 divisional 76-mm guns).
From June 1945, the rest of the rifle divisions were transferred to this state.
DATA FOR 2012 (standard replenishment)M-30 - M1938
122 mm howitzer. Developed in 1938 by the Motovilikha Plants Design Bureau (Perm) under the leadership of Fedor Fedorovich Petrov. Serial production of howitzers began in 1939 at three factories at once - incl. at the Motovilikhinskiye Zavody (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 16887 guns / 19266 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-bed carriage and a rigidly fixed shield with a raised central sheet. Rifle barrel without muzzle brake. The carriage is identical to that of the 152 mm howitzer. Large diameter wheels are equipped with one-piece ramps filled with sponge rubber. Coulters on the beds of two types - for hard and soft soil.
TTX guns:
Calculation - 8 people
Caliber - 121.9 mm
The length of the gun in the stowed position - 5900 mm
Barrel length - 2800 mm (22.7 caliber)
The width of the gun in the stowed position - 1975 mm
Height - 1820 mm
Vertical pointing angles - from -3 to + 63.5 degrees
Horizontal pointing angles - sector 49 degrees
Traveling maximum 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 (BCS BP-463)
Initial projectile speed - 508 / 515 m / s
Rate of fire - 5-6 rds / min
Highway towing speed - 50 km / h
Gun resource - 18000 rds. (according to the experience of one of the serial samples)
Ammunition:
- fragmentation projectile (OS) - the main type of howitzer ammunition.
Armor-piercing cumulative projectile (BCS) BP-463 can be used from a howitzer. Practically used very 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 unit on the T-34 chassis with the M-30 howitzer as a weapon. It was mass-produced during the Great Patriotic War.
Status: USSR / Russia
- 2012 - possibly still used for training purposes and 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 names 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 in the first half of the 1990s, self-propelled guns with the Type 54-1 howitzer were mass-produced on the chassis of the Type 531 armored personnel carrier.
Lebanon:
- 1992 - is in service with 90 guns of all cannon field artillery; it is also part of the Army of South Lebanon (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". To the opening of the Museum of the 9th Artillery Plant. Website http://www.otvaga2004.narod.ru, 2012
O "Mally T.J. Modern artillery: guns, MLRS, mortars. M., EKSMO-Press, 2000
Yurchin V. Armed Forces of Lebanon. // Foreign Military Review. No. 5 / 1993
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