152 mm gun M1910/34

152-mm gun model 1910/34

152-mm gun M1910/34 in the Artillery Museum, St Petersburg, Russia.
Type field gun
Place of origin USSR
Production history
Number built 275
Specifications
Weight Combat: 7,100 kg
(15,653 lbs)
Travel: 7,820 kg
(17,240 lbs) (with limber)
Length 8.10 m (26 ft 7 in)
Barrel length Bore: 4.24 m (13 ft 11 in) L/27.9
Overall: 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) L/29 (without muzzle brake)
Width 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in)
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Crew 9
Caliber 152.4 mm (6 in)
Breech interrupted screw
Recoil hydro-pneumatic
Carriage split trail
Elevation -4° to +45°
Traverse 56°
Rate of fire 3-4 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity 665 m/s (2,180 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 17,265 m (18,881 yd)

152-mm gun model 1910/34 (Russian: 152-мм пушка образца 1910/34 годов) was a Soviet 152.4 mm (6 inch) heavy gun, a modernization of the 152-mm gun M1910/30, which in turn was based on 152-mm siege gun M1910.

Description

M1910/34 combined a barrel of the M1910/30 with a carriage of the 122-mm gun M1931. The barrel was of built-up construction; it was equipped with interrupted screw breechblock and recoil system consisting of hydraulic buffer and hydropneumatic recuperator. The split-trail carriage had leaf spring suspension and wheels with solid rubber tires.

Development and production history

The first upgrade of the 152-mm siege gun M1910 resulted in a weapon with improved characteristics, but didn't address some significant shortcomings, namely insufficient mobility (due to unsprung carriage and separate transportation of barrel) and limited traverse. The new modernization was an attempt to solve these problems by using a modern split trail carriage of the 122-mm gun M1931. A prototype went through ground trials starting 16 May 1934. The trials lasted until 16 January 1935, then the gun was given to the army for testing. The responses were mostly positive and the gun was officially adopted as 152-mm gun model 1910/34. Because of its maximum elevation angle of 45°, it was sometimes referred to as howitzer. In fact, even the developers initially called the piece 152-mm howitzer model 1932 and later 152-mm howitzer model 1934. The latter name can also be seen in some official documentation.

Production at the Perm plant started in 1934 and continued until 1937, with a total of 275 pieces built.

Organization and employment

According to RKKA organization, 152-mm guns were employed by corps artillery and by the Reserve of the Main Command, typically instead of 152-mm gun-howitzer M1937 (ML-20). Heavy gun regiments of Reserve of the Main Command had 24 pieces each.

According to different sources, at the outbreak of Great Patriotic War the Red Army possessed either 146 M1910/34s[1] or all 275 pieces.[2] These undoubtfully saw combat in the war, though due to their limited number the details of their service are unknown. A few pieces were captured by Germans which adopted them as 15,2 cm K.433/2(r).

Summary

The second modernization of the M1910 significantly improved mobility and traverse of the gun. The barrel was not transported separately anymore, which meant much faster set up time. Improved elevation led to slightly longer range. However, there were still some problems. The elevation mechanism was combined with equilibrator in a single device - a construction which resulted in slow elevation. The maximum elevation angle of 45° was considered insufficient. Some elements of the gun, mostly of the upper carriage, were hard to produce. As a result, more attempts to improve the design followed, eventually resulting in the 152-mm gun-howitzer M1937 (ML-20).

Ammunition

Available ammunition
Type Model Weight, kg HE weight, kg Muzzle velocity, m/s Range, m
Armor-piercing shells
APHE BR-540 48.8 0.66 600 4,000
APBC (from late 1944) BR-540B 46.5 0.48 600 4,000
Naval semi-AP model 1915/28 51.07 3.2 573 5,000
HEAT BP-540 27.44 680 3,000
Anti-concrete shells
Anti-concrete howitzer shell G-530 / G-530Sh 40.0 5.1
Anti-concrete gun shell G-545 56.0 4.2
High-explosive and fragmentation shells
Gun shells
HE-Fragmentation, steel OF-540 43.6 5.9-6.25
HE-Fragmentation, steel OF-540Zh 43.6 5.9-6.25
HE, old F-542 38.1 5.86
HE, old F-542G 38.52 5.83
HE, old F-542ShG 41.0 5.93
HE, old F-542Sh 40.6 6.06
HE, old F-542ShU 40.86 5.96
HE, old F-542U 38.36 5.77
Howitzer shells
HE-Fragmentation, steel OF-530 40.0 5.47-6.86
HE-Fragmentation, steely iron OF-530A 40.0 5.66
HE, old F-533 40.41 8.0
HE, old F-533K 40.68 7.3
HE, old F-533N 41.0 7.3
HE, old F-533U 40.8 8.8
HE, steely iron, old French F-534F 41.1 3.9
HE for 152-mm mortar model 1931 F-521 41.7 7.7
HE, British, for Vickers 152-mm howitzer F-531 44.91 5.7
Shrapnel shells
Shrapnel with 45 sec. tube Sh-501 41.16-41.83 0.5 (680—690 bullets)
Shrapnel with Т-6 tube Sh-501T 41.16 0.5 (680—690 bullets)
Illumination shells
Illumination, 40 sec. S 1 40.2
Chemical shells
Fragmentation-chemical gun shell OH-540
Chemical howitzer shell HS-530 38.8
Chemical howitzer shell HN-530 39.1
Chemical (post-war) ZHZ
 
Armour penetration table
APHE shell BR-540
Distance, m Meet angle 60°, mm Meet angle 90°, mm
500 105 125
1000 95 115
1500 85 105
2000 75 90
APBC shell BR-540B
Distance, m Meet angle 60°, mm Meet angle 90°, mm
500 105 130
1000 100 120
1500 95 115
2000 85 105
Naval semi-AP model 1915/28
Distance, m Meet angle 60°, mm Meet angle 90°, mm
100 110 136
500 104 128
1000 97 119
1500 91 111
2000 85 105
This data was obtained by Soviet methodics of armour penetration measurement (penetration probability equals 75%).
It is not directly comparable with western data of similar type.

Notes

  1. ↑ Обеспеченность Красной Армии артиллерийскими орудиями на 22 июня 1941 г
  2. ↑ Ivanov A. - Artillery of the USSR in Second World War.

References

External links

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