Кеңес әскерінің 152 мм қаруы: M1943 қаруының жасалу тарихы

In 1941 the Soviet Union decided to cease production of the 152 mm howitzer M1938 (M 10). One of the reasons was the disbanding of the Rifle Corps between August and September 1941 and the consequent removal of the corps artillery. Moreover, all 152 mm howitzers were excluded from divisional artillery. As a result, there was no series production of 152 mm howitzers during 1942. However, the rifle corps were re established in late 1942 and the previous organization of artillery at the corps level was reintroduced. As a result of the halting of 152 mm howitzer production, the Red Army corps artillery lacked a weapon more mobile than the heavy 152 mm howitzer gun M1937 (ML 20) (typically employed by army level and Reserve of the Main Command artillery units), but more powerful than the 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M 30).

In 1942, trying to solve the problem of lack of a suitable mobile 152 mm howitzer, the design bureau headed by F. F. Petrov started to work privately on a new howitzer, based on the carriage of the M 30 and the barrel of the M 10 (which was fitted with a muzzle brake in order to reduce the recoil and thus prevent damage to the lighter carriage). The approach allowed production to begin on the new howitzer almost immediately from the stockpile of parts for both earlier guns. Given the war situation and shortages of artillery, this solution was both elegant and expedient. Early in 1943 Petrov notified the People's Commissar of Armaments Dmitriy Ustinov about the new project. On 13 April Ustinov informed Petrov that the State Committee of Defence had requested for five of the new guns to be sent to the testing grounds on 1 May. On 5 May, two pieces were received for trials; two days later, on 7 May the gun was recommended for adoption, and on 8 August 1943 it was officially adopted as the 152 mm howitzer M1943. One and a half months later, the first series production D 1 howitzers were delivered to the Red Army representatives.

From a technical and tactical point of view, the D 1 project provided the Red Army (RKKA) corps artillery with a modern 152 mm howitzer, which combined both good mobility and firepower. When compared with a typical contemporary howitzer of similar caliber, the D 1 had shorter range, but was much lighter. For example, the German 15 cm sFH 18 had a range of 13,325 meters – about one kilometer longer than that of the D 1 – but also weighed almost two tons more (5,510 kilograms in traveling position). The same can be said of the US 155 mm howitzer M1 (14,600 meters, 5,800 kilograms) or the 149 mm howitzer manufactured by the Italian Ansaldo (14,250 meters, 5,500 kilograms). A German howitzer with characteristics similar to those of the D 1 – the 15 cm sFH 36 – did not reach mass production. Compared with older pieces such as the French Schneider model 1917 (11,200 meters, 4,300 kg), the D 1 had the advantage in both weight and range.

The D 1 was employed by corps artillery and the reserve of the main command units. In 1944, the rifle corps of the Red Army had one artillery regiment each. Those regiments consisted of five batteries (totaling 20 guns), equipped with the D 1 along with various other 152 mm howitzers, 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A 19), 152 mm howitzer gun M1937 (ML 20) or 107 mm gun M1910/30. Reserve of the Main Command included howitzer regiments (48 pieces) and heavy howitzer brigades (32 pieces). Those could be merged to form artillery divisions. Surviving D 1 howitzers can be seen in various military museums and war memorials, e. g. in the Museum of Artillery and Engineering Forces, Saint Petersburg, Russia; in the Museum of Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol on Sapun Mountain, Sevastopol and in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, Kyiv, Ukraine; in Fort Winiary, Poznań, Poland and in Polatsk, Belarus, as a memorial piece.

In addition to the towed howitzer, Petrov's team developed a vehicle mounted variant of the D 1. Red Army offensive operations in the summer and fall of 1943 reawakened interest in the idea of a heavy "artillery" tank similar to the KV 2, that could provide close fire support to rifle and tank units and would be capable of demolishing heavy fortifications. Probable causes for the development of such a vehicle were the cessation of mass production of the SU 122 medium assault gun and diversion of SU 152 heavy assault guns for anti tank actions. The tank variant of the D 1 was originally intended for mounting in a variant of the KV 1s heavy tank. It utilized the mount of the 85 mm D 5, leading to the unofficial name D 1 5 and eventually to the official designation of D 15. Only one example was built. There is no information about the gun being mounted in the KV tank. By October 1943 Soviet authorities were anticipating the start of mass production of the powerful IS 2 heavy tank; as a result the idea of a specialized artillery tank based on the obsolete KV chassis was dropped. Another project combining the T 34 tank chassis with the D 15 gun was also considered. Designated SU D15, the medium assault gun was intended as a replacement for the SU 122. Although the project received a lot of support from the authorities it never entered production, both because of its shortcomings (the heavy gun put too much strain on the suspension and ammunition stowage was too limited) and because it was made redundant by the ISU 152. However lessons learned mounting a powerful gun in the T 34 allowed for rapid development of the SU 100 tank destroyer.

The D 1 had a large variety of ammunition, including high explosive, armor piercing, HEAT, shrapnel, illumination, and chemical. The D 1 used separate loading ammunition, with eight different charges. The charges included the "full charge" Zh 536 and smaller charges ranging from the "first" to "sixth", which was the smallest. A "special charge" was used with the BP 540 HEAT projectile. Propellant charges were produced in "full" and "third" variants in munitions factories. All other charges were derived from them by removing small gunpowder bags from the charge cartridge. For flash suppression there was a special chemical mixture which was to be inserted into a cartridge before night firing. Available ammunition Type Model Weight, kg HE weight, kg Muzzle velocity, m/s Range, m Armor piercing shells Naval semi AP model 1915/28 51.07 3.2 HEAT BP 540 27.44 560 3,000 Anti concrete shells Anti concrete shell G 530 / G 530Sh 40.0 5.1 508 12,400 High explosive and fragmentation shells HE Fragmentation, steel OF 530 40.0 5.47 6.86 508 12,400 HE Fragmentation, steely iron OF 530A 40.0 5.66 508 12,400 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 15 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 Chemical howitzer shell HS 530 38.8 Chemical howitzer shell HN 530 39.1 Chemical (post war) ZHZ