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Model 1943 (D-1)

1943 COLD WAR MODERN WORLD WAR 2

History

As barrel rifles and efficient recoil and breech devices became widely accepted, militaries began to develop and adopt 35mm and larger artillery systems - anti-tank guns, field guns and howitzers. The Russian Empire reborn as the Soviet Union after the Bolshevik uprising and political, social and military victories during and after World War I was no exception. Several designs were stockpiled in the years between the two world wars until the necessity of World War II - due to the German invasion of the Soviet Union - spurred the rapid development of new, more powerful field weapons .

Although the warnings were relayed to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, they were ignored until June 1941 when his country was occupied by the German-led Axis powers in Operation Barbarossa. Soviet troops were killed in battle, retreating or surrendering in droves, and in most cases ill-equipped and ill-prepared for an Axis attack.

It was just that the supply lines were too long, Soviet resolve in some key areas, and the arrival of the Russian winter slowed the advance beyond Moscow. The lull of the fighting allowed the Soviets to reallocate and retake resources and personnel to the front, while rebuilding their strong industrial base in the east.

In order to provide the Red Army artillery with a powerful long-range weapon and considerable firepower, F. F. Petrov led the design work (initially a private company to support the limitations of modern Red Army motorized artillery) a new howitzer based on the 152 mm M1938 (M-10 ) to the barrel assembly of the 122mm M1938 (M-30) wheel carrier. The end result was the 152mm M1943 (D-1), which was tested in mid-1943 after attracting the attention of Soviet officials, and was quickly adopted into front-line service and used extensively throughout the conflict. The use of existing components allows the weapon to be mass-produced at a fairly rapid rate, eliminating the lengthy and expensive development cycles common to "all-new" artillery designs.

Production was managed by Plant 9 (Uralmash) in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with a total of 2,827 units, with several hundred in circulation by the end of the war (peaked in 1945 with only 715 units produced - wartime production was 1,057 units) . Production continued until 1949, with operators including many countries and states allied with the Soviet Union. Surprisingly, today (2012) the D-1 continues to serve with several ground forces.

The design of the D-1 is traditional and is essentially a heavy barrel assembly attached to the bracket of a two-wheeled frame unit. The barrel had an overall length of 13.9 feet, a specific caliber of 152.4 mm (6 inches) (usually rounded to "152 mm" in publications), and was closed by a large muzzle brake with double baffles. The mounting system features a limited angle guard for point defense of the rifle group, as well as the necessary recoil devices identified above and below the barrel base.

As expected, the shooting action is very violent, and this damper is needed for obvious reasons. The carriage is of the "Split Trail" type, with trailing arms that can be opened and lowered to act as "legs" to aid ground placement and further counteract recoil. The wheels are solid steel, lined with rubber tires, giving it good off-road performance. Transportation is usually carried out by any vehicle available - military-grade heavy duty trucks will suffice, and artillery tractors will suffice.

The breech mechanism consisted of an interrupted bolt with a hinge that opened to the right, allowing the insertion of the projectile into the now exposed breech. The recoil system is hydropneumatic in nature and is ideal for this role. Mounting to accommodate the barrel allows elevation angles from -3 to +64 degrees, and traverse is limited to +/- 17 degrees. 5 degrees. A well-trained rifle crewpreferably composed of eight people, each responsible for a specific role in the firing processcan fire 3 to 4 rounds at a muzzle velocity of 1,600 feet per second for a range of 7.7 miles.

This provides excellent range when engaging all types of targets, especially digging in enemy troop positions and fortifications. The total weight of the system is 8,000 pounds, indicating the need for multiple crews and vehicles to transport the weapon.

The D-1 was approved to fire a primary high-explosive (HE) projectile weighing approximately 88 pounds. Various HE payloads were developed, including HE-FRAG for use against steel targets and time-lapse shrapnel (using up to 700 steel metal balls to smash exposed troops). There was also a flare to light up the night sky during a low-light attack, and several deadly chemical grenades were added to the inventory.

Fortifications can be handled by using anti-concrete projectiles with a range of up to 12,400 meters. HEAT (High Explosive, Anti-Tank) projectiles can be used against armored targets at long distances, while the navalized armor-piercing (AP) variant completes the available ammunition options.

In practice, Russian ingenuity prevailed, as the D-1 series dealt a severe blow to the Axis forces in the ensuing Soviet counteroffensive. The entire D-1 weapons battery pack will be dropped in front of the main force before a mass maneuver, after which the crew can move into a support role. Whenever and wherever, the D-1 artillery was used on many fronts developed by the division of the Axis and Soviet armies. Soviet artillerymen considered the gun to be a very reliable system, with range accuracy as good as the artillery itself, because the gun in no way hindered their success.

As such, the D-1 remained in extensive service until the end of the war and was used in skirmishes during the Cold War following the events of 1945.

Due to the Soviet sphere of influence, the D-1 found a home in many countries allied with the Soviet Union, mainly in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. It saw the Arab-Israeli war that began in 1948 and more localized exchanges after the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991.

It is also a core solution for the modern armies of China, Syria and Vietnam such as Albania, Cuba and Hungary.