“Artillery is the god of war, ” JV Stalin once said, speaking of one of the most significant branches of the army. With these words, he tried to emphasize the enormous importance that this weapon had during the Second World War. And this expression is true, since the merits of artillery can hardly be overestimated. Its power allowed the Soviet troops mercilessly smash enemies and bring such a coveted Great Victory.
Further in this article, the artillery of the Second World War, which was then in service with Nazi Germany and the USSR, starting with light anti-tank guns and ending with super-heavy monster guns, will be considered.
Anti-tank guns
As the history of the Second World War showed, light guns by and large turned out to be practically useless against armored vehicles. The fact is that they were usually developed in the interwar years and could only withstand the weak protection of the first armored vehicles. But before World War II, technology began to rapidly modernize. The armor of the tanks became much thicker, so many types of guns were hopelessly outdated.
The advent of heavy equipment was far ahead of the development of a fundamentally new generation of guns. The gun crews that were deployed on the battlefield, to their surprise, noted that their precision-guided projectiles no longer hit tanks. Artillery was powerless to do anything. The shells simply bounced off the hulls of the armored vehicles, without causing them any harm.
The firing range of light anti-tank guns was small, so gun crews had to let the enemy get too close to hit them for sure. In the end, this artillery of World War II was pushed into the background and began to be used as fire support in the onset of infantry.
Field artillery
The initial speed, as well as the maximum range of field artillery shells of that time, had a great influence both on the preparation of offensive operations and on the effectiveness of defensive measures. Cannon fire impeded the free movement of the enemy and could completely destroy all supply lines. At especially important moments of the battle, field artillery (photos you can see in the article) often saved their troops and helped to win the victory. For example, during the hostilities in France in 1940, Germany used its 105-millimeter leFH 18 guns. It is worth noting that the Germans quite often came out victorious in artillery duels with enemy batteries.
The field guns that were in service with the Red Army were represented by a 76.2-mm cannon of 1942. She had a rather high initial velocity of the projectile, which made it relatively easy to penetrate the defense of German armored vehicles. In addition, Soviet guns of this class had a sufficient range in order to fire at objects at a distance favorable to them. Judge for yourselves: the distance the projectile could fly away often exceeded 12 km! This allowed the Soviet commanders from remote defensive positions to prevent the advance of the enemy.
An interesting fact is that the guns of the 1942 model for the whole time of the Second World War released much more than the rest of the weapons of the same type. Surprisingly, some of its instances are still in service with the Russian army.
Mortars
Perhaps the most affordable and effective infantry support weapons were mortars. They perfectly combined properties such as range and firepower, so their use could turn the tide of the entire enemy offensive.
German troops most often used the 80-millimeter Granatverfer-34. These weapons earned gloomy fame among the Allied forces for their high speed and extreme accuracy of firing. In addition, his firing range was 2400 m.
The Red Army used the 120 mm M1938, which entered service in 1939, for the fire support of its infantrymen. He was the very first of the mortars with such a caliber that has ever been produced and applied in world practice. When German troops collided with this weapon on the battlefield, they appreciated its power, after which they launched a copy into production and designated it as "Granatwerfer-42." M1932 weighed 285 kg and was the heaviest type of mortar that infantry had to carry with them. To do this, it was either disassembled into several parts, or pulled on a special trolley. Its firing range was 400 m less than that of the German Granatverfer-34.
Self-propelled units
In the very first weeks of the war, it became clear that the infantry urgently needed reliable fire support. The German armed forces came across a barrier in the form of well-fortified positions and a large concentration of enemy troops. Then they decided to strengthen their mobile fire support with a 105 mm Vespe artillery self-propelled gun mounted on a PzKpfw II tank chassis. Another similar weapon, Hummel, has been part of motorized and tank divisions since 1942.
In the same period, the Red Army was armed with a self-propelled gun SU-76 with a 76.2 mm gun. It was mounted on a modified chassis of the T-70 light tank. Initially, the SU-76 was supposed to be used as a tank destroyer, but in the course of its application it was understood that it had too little firepower for this.
In the spring of 1943, Soviet troops received a new car - ISU-152. It was equipped with a 152.4-mm howitzer and was intended both for the extermination of tanks and mobile artillery, and for supporting infantry with fire. First, the gun was mounted on the KV-1 tank chassis, and then on the IS. In battle, these weapons proved to be so effective that they remained in service with the Soviet Army, as well as the Warsaw Treaty countries until the 70s of the last century.
Soviet heavy artillery
This type of guns was of great importance during the conduct of hostilities throughout the Second World War. The heaviest artillery available then, which was in service with the Red Army, was the M1931 B-4 howitzer with a caliber of 203 mm. When Soviet troops began to slow down the rapid advance of the German invaders on their territory and the war on the Eastern Front became more static, heavy artillery was, as they say, in its place.
But the developers were always looking for the best option. Their task was to create a tool in which, as far as possible, harmoniously merged such characteristics as low weight, good firing range and the heaviest shells. And such a weapon was created. They became the 152-mm howitzer ML-20. A little later, a more modernized M1943 gun with the same caliber, but with a heavier barrel and a large muzzle brake, came into service with the Soviet troops.
The defense enterprises of the Soviet Union then produced huge batches of such howitzers that fired massive fire at the enemy. Artillery literally devastated German positions and thereby frustrated enemy offensive plans. An example of this is Operation Hurricane, which was successfully carried out in 1942. Its result was the encirclement of the 6th German army near Stalingrad. For its implementation, more than 13 thousand guns of various types were used. Unprecedented power artillery preparation preceded this attack. It was she who greatly contributed to the rapid advance of Soviet tank troops and infantry.
German heavy weapons
According to the Treaty of Versailles, after the First World War, Germany was banned from having guns having a caliber of 150 mm or more. Therefore, the specialists of the Krupp company, who were developing the new gun, had to create a heavy field howitzer sFH 18 with a 149.1-mm barrel consisting of a pipe, breech and casing.
At the beginning of the war, the German heavy howitzer moved with horse drawn traction. But later, its upgraded version was already dragged by a half-track tractor, which made it much more mobile. The German army successfully used it on the Eastern Front. Towards the end of the war, sFH 18 howitzers were mounted on the tank chassis. Thus, the Hummel self-propelled artillery mount was obtained.
Soviet Katyusha
Missile forces and artillery - this is one of the units of the ground forces. The use of missiles during the Second World War was mainly associated with large-scale hostilities on the Eastern Front. Powerful rockets covered large areas with their fire, thereby compensating for some inaccuracy of these unguided guns. Compared to conventional shells, the cost of missiles was much less, besides they were produced very quickly. Another advantage was the relative simplicity of their operation.
Soviet rocket artillery used 132 mm M-13 shells during the war. They were created in the 1930s, and by the time fascist Germany attacked the USSR, there were very small numbers. These missiles are perhaps the most famous of all such shells used during the Second World War. Gradually, their production was established, and by the end of 1941, the M-13 was used in battles against the Nazis.
It must be said that the missile forces and artillery of the Red Army plunged the Germans into a real shock, which was caused by the unprecedented power and deadly action of the new weapons. BM-13-16 launchers were placed on trucks and had rails for 16 shells. Later, these missile systems will be known as Katyusha. Over time, they were modernized several times and were in service with the Soviet army until the 80s of the last century. With the advent of rocket launchers, the expression "Artillery is the god of war" began to be perceived as true.
German rocket launchers
A new type of weapon made it possible to deliver explosive warheads both over large and short distances. So, short-range projectiles concentrated their firepower on targets located on the front line, while long-range missiles launched strikes at targets located in the enemy rear.
The Germans also had their own rocket artillery. "Wurframen-40" - a German rocket launcher, which was located on the Sd.Kfz.251 semi-tracked vehicle. The missile was aimed at the target by turning the machine itself. Sometimes these systems were introduced into battle as towed artillery.
Most often, the Germans used the Nebelwerfer-41 rocket launcher, which had a honeycomb design. It consisted of six tubular guides and was mounted on a two-wheeled carriage. But during the battle, this weapon was extremely dangerous not only for the enemy, but also for his own calculation because of the bursting flame burst from the pipes.
The weight of rockets with rocket engines had a huge impact on their range. Therefore, the army, whose artillery could hit targets located far beyond the enemy’s line, had a significant military advantage. Heavy German rockets were useful only for mounted fire, when it was necessary to destroy well-fortified objects, for example, bunkers, armored vehicles or various defensive structures.
It is worth noting that the shooting of the German artillery was much inferior in range to the Katyusha rocket launcher due to the excessive weight of the shells.
Heavy guns
Artillery played a very important role in the Nazi armed forces. This is all the more surprising because it was almost the most important element of the fascist military machine, and modern scholars for some reason prefer to focus on studying the history of the Luftwaffe (air force).
Even at the end of the war, German engineers continued to work on a new grandiose armored vehicle - the prototype of a huge tank, in comparison with which all the rest of the military equipment would seem dwarf. Project P1500 "Monster" did not have time to implement. It is only known that the tank was supposed to weigh 1.5 tons. It was planned that he would be armed with an 80-cm gun "Gustav" company "Krupp". It is worth noting that its developers have always thought large-scale, and artillery was no exception. This weapon entered service with the Nazi army during the siege of the city of Sevastopol. The gun made only 48 shots, after which its barrel wore out.
The K-12 railway guns were in service with the 701st artillery battery deployed on the English Channel. According to some reports, their shells, and they weighed 107.5 kg, hit several targets in southern England. These artillery monsters had their own sections of T-shaped caterpillars necessary for installation and guidance on the target.
