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EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS No. 6/2008, pp. 36-42

120-MM TOWED BREATCH-LOADING MORTAR “NONA-M1”

Semyon Fedoseev

Ending. For the beginning, see “TiV” No. 5/2008.

The material was prepared with the assistance of the 25th Department named after. A-G. Novozhilova FSUE "TSNIITOCHMASH"

Photos used

FSUE "TSNIITOCHMASH"

and from the editorial archive

The 120-mm towed rifled semi-automatic breech-loading mortar 2B-23 is intended for arming motorized rifle units of the Ground Forces (mortar batteries of motorized rifle battalions) and parachute units of the Airborne Forces. The mortar is towed by army vehicles with crews and ammunition, and is dropped by parachute on standard airborne parachute platforms.

The mortar ensures the destruction of various targets: enemy manpower (including personal armor protection); its fire weapons, located openly and located in uncovered field-type shelters, on steep reverse slopes of heights, in deep ravines, in gorges, forests; openly located light-weight armored objects (infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled missile systems); command and observation posts of motorized infantry (infantry) units; squads (platoons) of 81-120 mm towed and self-propelled mortars; destruction of trenches, trenches, communication passages and light wood-earth structures.

2B-23 can fire from closed firing positions, both prepared and unprepared, with different types of soil (including swampy and soft soils with appropriate equipment for firing positions), at any time of the year and day.

In the Ground Forces battalions, the new mortar should replace the old, well-deserved 120-mm mortar PM-38 (regimental mortar model 1938 and its modifications). The paratroopers are currently planning to use the 2B-23 mortar to train crews of Nona-S self-propelled guns. However, the transfer of a mortar by a transport helicopter along with a tractor, ammunition and crew can ensure the combat use of the Nona-M1 in the Airborne Forces. Combined with the ability to be towed by light vehicles and select a position on rough terrain, this makes the mortar interesting for mountain motorized rifle units.

It is curious that the 2B-23 mortar was also of interest to the Ministry of Emergency Situations: a relatively light weapon, delivered by helicopter, firing at high elevation angles with fairly good shooting accuracy and the power of the ammunition, can be very useful in the fight against avalanches and ice jams.

Mortar device

The mortar is made according to a rigid design with the recoil force absorbed by the soil through the base plate. The mortar consists of five parts: a barrel, a frame with a breech, a two-legged carriage with wheels, a base plate, and an MPM-44M sight.

The barrel part consists of a barrel, a clip, a stopper, a bolt, a retainer, and a pivot foot. The barrel is a pipe with a rifled channel; in the breech it has a cylindrical chamber and an obturating slope. The rifled part of the barrel has 40 grooves of constant steepness. The beginning of the rifling in the breech has bevels in the form of bevels on the side edges of the rifling fields - these starts make it easier to insert the protrusions on the leading flange of the projectile into the rifling during loading. A pin claw is attached to the muzzle of the barrel for coupling the mortar with the car and for the convenience of rolling the mortar by crew forces, and on the breech there is a clip that serves to connect the barrel to the breech, as well as to attach the bolt and retainer. The stopper serves to secure the bolt to the holder, ensure rotation of the bolt when closing and opening it, as well as fixing it in the open position. The barrel part is hingedly connected to the frame with the breech and, together with it, is installed by a ball joint in the base plate.

The bolt in the Nona family of guns is perhaps the most original unit. In interaction with the frame and the breech, it ensures the final delivery of the shot into the barrel, closing and locking the barrel and firing the shot. The bolt consists of a rolling pin, a frame with a shutter, a striker, a striker return mechanism and a striker locking mechanism. An elastic-plastic seal of the Banja type consists of a cushion (a wire-reinforced asbestos shell filled with a rubber mass and compressed into a disc-shaped shape), front and rear split rings, two central rings, six small rings and six bushings. The position of the striker in the bolt, unlike the early Nona guns, depends little on the condition of the seal, or more precisely, on temperature changes in the size of the seal pad. This makes it easier for the crew to adjust and maintain the gun (mortar). However, for reliable obturation of powder gases during a shot, the seal pad must fit tightly to the obturator slope of the barrel. Such a tight fit is ensured by selecting seal discs of various thicknesses from a group set of spare parts.

Mortar 2B-23 in the firing position on wheels (at a high elevation angle).

The muzzle of a mortar barrel with a pivot foot. The rifling in the bore is clearly visible.

The frame with the breech combines into a single whole the barrel part, the base plate and the two-legged carriage with wheel travel and consists of the following parts: a stock in which the barrel is attached and which is connected to the frame by axles; frames with a stopper and a bar attached to it; pusher; a swivel with a sight bracket mounted on it; the breech, to which the plate stop, pedal, trigger lever, bracket and stop are attached.

The barrel mounted in the stock rotates in a vertical plane for loading. To reduce the impact of recoil forces when firing on the two-legged carriage and the sight, spring shock absorbers are installed on the frame with the breech. The opening mechanism includes a firing plate with a protrusion to lock the barrel in the locked position. The firing plate contains a striking mechanism designed to strike the firing pin and includes a firing pin and a mainspring. The trigger mechanism is activated by a rotating lever.

The two-legged carriage with torsion bar wheel suspension is connected to the frame with a quick-release coupling. On the axis of the two-legged carriage there are guidance mechanisms that ensure that the barrel part is given the specified vertical and horizontal guidance angles. The guidance mechanism has the ability to move along the axis as a result of the interaction of the gear (receiving rotation from the handle through a worm drive) with a rack cut into one of the axis splines. There is also a leveling mechanism. The screw lifting mechanism with a double screw is mounted on the carriage of a two-legged carriage. Two rods are inserted inside the axle, at the ends of which openers are fixed, and axles with balancers are inserted into the rods, on which the wheels are fixed. The balancers are connected to torsion bars.

A two-legged carriage with the mortar in position for firing with support on the openers: on the left - with the wheels on, on the right - with the wheels removed (with an increased track width).

Mortar 2B-23 in loading position:

1 - barrel part; 2 - two-legged carriage with wheels; 3 - sight stand; 4 - sight MPM-44M; 5- sight bracket; 6 - key; 7 - frame with breech; 8 - rod; 9 - handle; 10 - shutter; 11 - cable; 12 - cord with carabiner; 13 - bracket; 14 - base plate; /5 - emphasis; 16-18 - handles; A- emphasis.

The significant features of the two-legged carriage include variable travel width: due to the horizontal movement of the rods, it is possible to change the track width and thereby adapt the mortar to towing by various vehicles. The mortar can be fired with the wheels on or off. The last type of shooting is considered the main one, in which the wheel drive axis is rotated so that the coulter supports rest on the ground.

The welded base plate, as in any mortar, is designed to transmit the recoil effect of a shot to the ground and ensure the stability of the mortar when firing. The base plate currently used is a plate for the 2S12 (Sani) mortar complex with three openers and an additional ring welded onto it. The rotating insert provides horizontal guidance of the mortar within 360° (with rearrangement of the two-legged carriage). The stove has six carrying handles.

Mortar base plate lowered to the ground.

2B-23 is equipped with removable electrical equipment. When towing a mortar, it serves to transmit signals from the vehicle to the mortar's side lights, turn and brake indicators.

In total, the design of the 2B-23 mortar includes 343 parts. The mass of the mortar in the combat position is about 420 kg, in the stowed position - 514 kg. For comparison: 120-mm regimental mortars mod. 1938 and arr. 1943 had a mass in combat position of about 275 kg, and in stowed position - 560 kg.

The MPM-44M optical mortar sight is a modification of a standard mortar sight that has long been familiar to military artillerymen. It consists of a sighting device and a guidance mechanism (goniometer mechanism and elevation angle mechanism), mounted on a sight bracket or on a sight stand. The sight has a magnification factor of 2.55x, a field of view of 9°, a range of angles measured with it (in thousandths) in horizontal plane- 60-00, in the vertical plane - from 6-50 to 15-00. The scale division price of the protractor and elevation angle mechanism (in thousandths): rough - 1-00, fine - 0-01. In addition to the crosshair, the sight reticle includes a collimator scale. It is used when the sight is used in conjunction with a K-1 gun collimator (when there are no remote and good visible points tips).

For rough aiming of the sight at the aiming point or target, the front sight and the slot on the left side of the sight sight body can be used. The LUCH-PM2M device is used to illuminate the reticle, coarse and fine aiming scales, levels of the MPM-44M sight, and K-1 collimator.

To control the fire of 2B-23 mortar batteries, standard ground artillery fire control equipment is used. Similar application will also receive promising developments. One might even say that efficient use capabilities of the 2B-23 mortars (increased firing range and better accuracy than smooth-bore mortars, the ability to quickly open fire and a wide range of ammunition used) requires modernization of the complex of reconnaissance and control equipment.

For operation, maintenance and repair, spare parts kits are provided: single - for each mortar, group - for six mortars, repair - for 18 mortars.

Operation of parts and mechanisms of the 2B-23 mortar

The process of loading a mortar is as follows. To open the bolt for the first time, you need to press the pedal at the bottom of the mortar all the way with your foot, while the combat tile moves back and the barrel part is released. To bring the barrel into the loading position, it must be pulled by the handle. The rotation of the barrel part relative to the frame with the breech is facilitated by a spring-loaded rod acting on the stock boss in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the barrel bore, as well as the position of the center of mass of the barrel part in front of and above the axis of the trunnions. When the barrel part is rotated, a rod with a rod connected to the bolt rolling pin moves the bolt back, while the stopper roller, interacting with the figured groove, turns the bolt to the left and down in the process of longitudinal movement of the bolt. At the end of the rotation, the shutter is locked. As a result, the barrel is in the loading position, the loading line is free, and the retainer is lowered. When the bolt is open, by the way, the retainer can be manually locked in the raised position - for example, so as not to break it with a banner when cleaning the barrel.

Before loading, ammunition is prepared in the same way as the 2S9 Nona-S gun. The assembled shot is manually inserted from the breech into the barrel using a retainer. When the protrusion on the shell of the projectile rests on the entry of the barrel rifling, the loader turns the projectile slightly until the protrusions coincide with the rifling. When chambering, the ogival part of the projectile or mine lifts the retainer, which lets the shot through and, after chambering the shot, falls down and keeps the shot in the barrel from falling out. After this, the crew energetically lowers the barrel part by the handles down, while the rod pulls the bolt forward by the rolling pin, and the bolt, due to the interaction of the roller with the figured groove, turns to the firing line and, continuing to move forward, finally sends the shot into the barrel.

At the end of the movement, the bolt, with its ring and shutter, raises the retainer. At the end of the rotation of the barrel part, the bolt recesses the firing plate, which, in the lowest position, locks the barrel in the locked position. The mortar is ready to fire.

The shot is fired using a trigger cord passed through the hole in the bracket and attached to the trigger lever. When the cord is pulled, the cocking lever rotates, the firing pin moves back and, together with the pipe moving forward, compresses the mainspring. With further rotation of the lever, the trigger mechanism is lowered, the firing pin with the tip under the action of the mainspring moves forward, strikes the firing pin, which pierces the primer of the ignition charge of the shot. After the primer is punctured, the firing pin, under the action of the spring and the pressure of the powder gases, returns back to its original position. Under the influence of recoil, the mortar rolls back, transmitting most energy return to the base plate.

At the end of the shot, after the projectile (mine) has left the barrel, the barrel part, along with the frame and breech, rolls forward under the action of the elastic forces of the plate and soil. In this case, the combat tile, under the influence of its own inertia, tends to remain in place and, thus, moves backward relative to the breech. This movement is used to release the barrel.

At the end of the roll, the forward movement of the barrel, the position of its center of mass (and without a shot in the breech, it, as already mentioned, is in front and above the trunnions) and the force of the spring-loaded rod move the barrel out of place and rotate it to the loading position. This is the work of the “semi-automatic” mortar. Further operation of the mechanisms and parts occurs in the same way as when the shutter was first opened. If for some reason (for example, compaction of the soil under the base plate and, as a consequence, the absence of its elastic action and rolling forward), the barrel part does not move to the loading position after firing, it must be moved to this position manually, as described for first loading.

Mortar 2B-23 in firing position at low elevation angle.

Mortar 2B-23 disassembled for transport (the wheels from the two-legged carriage have not yet been separated).

The crew of the 2B-23 mortar includes five people: commander, gunner, lock, loader, installer. To this we can add the driver of the car, with the only amendment that the towed 2B-23 mortar and its towing vehicle are not “tied” tightly to each other. That is, the mortar towing vehicle, if necessary, can be used to solve other problems, and if the vehicle is hit, the mortar can be hooked up to another one.

When towed by a car, the mortar is hooked to the hook of the car with a pivot foot on the barrel and secured with a chain of the muzzle cover. If it is impossible to tow (for example, on sharply rough terrain), the mortar can be disassembled into six parts without the use of tools, each of which weighs no more than 100 kg. For comparison: the weight of the barrel of the French MO-120-RT-61 mortar is 114 kg, the wheel carriage is 257 kg, and the base plate is 190 kg.

To disassemble the mortar into large parts, the crew transfers it to the firing position, after which the barrel part is separated from the frame with the breech, then the frame with the breech is separated from the two-legged carriage and the base plate. When assembling in position, first the frame with the breech is inserted into the plate, then a two-legged carriage with a wheel drive is attached, the barrel part is connected to the frame with the breech. Of course, with such a size and mass of parts, the crew can only transport a disassembled mortar over short distances and in several “walks”, or with the involvement of fighters from the supported unit (especially taking into account the need to carry ammunition). The calculation can also resort to disassembling the mortar (fortunately, it is done quickly) in the case of a large penetration of the base plate into the ground. Then, after disassembly, the slab remaining in the ground is removed by the cable using a car.

For mountain units, as well as for airborne units, it is important to be able to transport a mortar with crew and ammunition by a combat transport helicopter and land on a small area. True, mountain troops even today must rely on such a proven means of transport as pack horses, and parts of a disassembled mortar are “at the limit of the carrying capacity” of a horse for transportation in packs in the mountains.

A little about ammunition

To fire from the 2B-23 (Nona-M1) mortar, 120-mm rounds of guns of the Nona family with high-explosive fragmentation shells with ready-made rifling on the leading belt and with feathered mines from the ammunition load of 120-mm mortars can be used. This list includes shots:

ZVOF54 with high-explosive fragmentation projectile ZOF49;

ZVOF55 with active-reactive high-explosive fragmentation projectile ZOF50;

ZVOF54-1 with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile ZOF49 with an AR-5 fuse;

53-VOF-843B and ZVOF79 with high-explosive fragmentation mine OF-843B;

ZVOF57 and ZVOF69 with high-explosive fragmentation mine ZOF36;

53-VD-843 with smoke mine D-843;

ZVS24 with ZS9 illumination mine;

ZV34 with incendiary mine;

ZVD16 and ZVD17 with smoke-smoking mine ZD14.

Foreign-made finned mines can also be used for 120 mm mortars.

New ammunition has also been developed for the Nona family guns. To increase the efficiency of fragmentation action, one of the new projectiles features a more uniform fragmentation of the body and an increased speed of fragmentation to 2500 m/s. Shots with new shells can also be included in the Nona-M1 ammunition load.

It is possible to use “Nona-M1” in combination with a controlled 120-mm mine similar to the mine of the “Gran” complex. But so far, modifications to the mine for firing from a rifled mortar and experiments with such firing, as far as is known, have not been carried out.

Shots for guns of the Nona family, including the 2B-23 mortar (shown with a mine

and shells in inert ammunition).

About other systems

The 120-mm mortar has long been loved by our army. 120-mm regimental mortar mod. 1938, developed under the leadership of B.I. Shavyrin, became one of the best examples during the Second World War. Its modernized model remained in service after the war. In 1955, the created B.I. was adopted for service. Shavyrin 120-mm mortar M-120, the firing range of which was increased from 5.7 to 7.17 km due to the use of a long-range charge.

At the end of the 1960s. 120 mm mortars in Soviet army were transferred from the regimental level to the battalion level. This significantly increased the fire capabilities of the battalions, but at the same time required greater mobility from the 120-mm mortars.

At the Burevestnik Central Research Institute, a lightweight 120-mm Sani mortar system was developed for the M-120 ammunition, which was put into service in 1979 under the designation 2S12. The complex includes a 2B11 mortar, a 2L81 wheel drive and a 2F510 transport vehicle based on the GAZ-66-05 vehicle. The mortar is muzzle-loading, made according to the diagram of an imaginary triangle, with a detachable wheel drive. The mass of the mortar in the traveling position is 300 kg, in the firing position - 210 kg. The weight of the 2B11 mortar barrel is 74 kg, the two-legged carriage is 55 kg, and the base plate is 82 kg. Sighting devices include the MPM-44-04 sight, the K-1 gun collimator and the LUCH-PM2M device.

The “portable” nature of the mortar allows it to achieve high marching speeds - up to 90 km/h. But this requires a specially equipped vehicle (a winch, two ramps, and mounting devices for a mortar in the body). Taking into account the transportation of a mortar in the back of a vehicle, a crew of 5 people, and a single set of spare parts, only a small part of the ammunition can be placed on the same vehicle. So a separate vehicle is required to transport ammunition. The speed of towing behind a car on the highway is 60 km/h (for a distance of no more than 30 km), and on rough terrain when changing firing positions in the hitch behind a tractor - no more than 20 km/h (for a distance of up to 5-10 km).

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At the dawn of the 20th century, a time of change came in the organization of military operations. While the warring parties dug in, dug multi-way trenches and fenced themselves off with wire barriers, all the power from the use of firearms, from rifles to machine guns, and the powerful fire of the guns could not inflict much damage on the fighters.

The wire barriers are demolished by artillery fire, which was brought up by the enemy army. The fortifications are also being destroyed, but the enemy infantry units took cover behind deep trenches and, for the most part, did not suffer losses. What to do?
The appearance of mortars on the battlefields dramatically changed the balance of power. Also, the maximum firing range of a mortar became a decisive factor for changing tactics not only on the battlefield, but also in urban combat conditions.

The first Russian mortar

Historically, the first mention of the use of a weapon for throwing projectiles on the principle of a mortar is mentioned in the times Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905

There were many naval pole mines in the warehouses of Port Arthur. They were a conical iron projectile on a long 15-meter pole. The execution of the idea of firing such “shells” was entrusted to Captain L.N. Gobyato. For this, it was decided to use a 47 mm single-barreled Gochinks gun, which was mounted on a primitive carriage, which helped increase the elevation angle from 45° to 65°.
Before shooting, a pole with a mine was placed in the barrel (the pole was shortened) and a wad, which simultaneously served as a buffer during the shot. A cartridge case with a charge was placed behind it.

To stabilize the mine in flight, it was equipped with a four-leaf stabilizer. The mortar's firing range ranged from 40 to 400 meters, and the mine caused significant destruction during the explosion. And this is not at all surprising, since the ship mine and combat charge weighed 6.2 kg!

Mortar from the Patriotic War

In August 1941, the Defense Committee Soviet Union a decision was made to increase the production of 120 mm mortars. It was a smooth-bore rigid system with an imaginary triangle diagram. The mortar was loaded from the muzzle side.

The firing range of the 120 mm mortar was at different firing angles from 460 m to 5700 m (firing angles from 45° to 80°).

Among other things, the mortars were equipped with twin shock absorbers and an oscillating sight, which improved combat performance.

Mortars 1955

The experience of using the 120-mm gun of the 1943 model in combat was taken into account when creating the regimental mortar in 1955. The development of mortars of this modification was carried out under the direction of B.I. Shavyrina. With the same mass, the firing range of the 120 mm mortar was increased and amounted to 7.1 km.

Firing accuracy was:

average lateral deviation 12.8 m;
median range slope

The mortar could be deployed into combat position in 1.5 minutes.

Self-propelled mortar "Tundzha"

The development of this self-propelled unit began in 1965. The MT-LB special gun tractor is used as the chassis. The M-120 (2B11) mortar was located in the vehicle body. The deployment of the mortar into a military position was arranged in such a way that the base plate rested on the ground, while the barrel protruded beyond the dimensions of the vehicle.

Ammunition weighing 16 kg, 120 mm mines type:

0-843A;
3-843A;
0-843, etc.

Mortar firing range 120 mm, m:

480-7100.

Pointing angles:

vertical 45°-80°;
horizontal ± 5 ^26).

Rate of fire in combat conditions, rds/min:

to 10.

Ammunition, min:

Mortar complex "Sani"

In 1979, the 120 mm "Sani" complex was adopted. It includes:

mortar 2F510;
pneumatic wheel travel 2L81 (detachable);
transport vehicle 2F510 (GAZ-66-05 base).

Accurate firing range of 120 mm mortar:

from 480 to 7100 m.

Rate of fire:

15 rounds per minute.

The mortar is equipped with sighting devices:

sight MPM-44M;
gun collimator K2-1;
lighting device LUCH-P2M.

The exact firing range of a mortar controlled by the KM-8 arsenal:

9.0 kilometers.

Installation "Nona-S"

The current trend in the development of mortar weapons comes down to the merging of 120 mm mortars and cannon breech-loading artillery howitzers. The self-propelled gun called 2S9 "NONA-S", which entered service in 1976, has the ability to fire both rifled projectiles and mines with fins, which affects the increased firing range of the 120 mm gun.

The capabilities of "NONA-S" have been significantly expanded and make it possible to use it not only to suppress the enemy's numbers, but also to destroy defensive structures and conduct a successful fight against tanks.

For use in mountainous conditions, "NONA-S" is especially indispensable, since the barrel raised to the zenith solves problems of suppressing manpower that are inaccessible to howitzers or cannons.

An important feature is the extremely short firing range of the 120 mm mortar:

for a projectile - 1700 m;
for mines - 400 m.

Therefore, the ammunition includes 120 mm mines:

high-explosive fragmentation;
lighting;
smoke;
incendiary.

The practical firing range reaches 7.1 km.

The rate of fire of the mode (7-8 shots) per minute is ensured by an automatic hammer. After the shot, the gun barrel is purged under pressure with compressed air to remove powder gases.

"Vein"

In 1995, the 2S31 Vena self-propelled gun was created, in which the firing range of a 120 mm mortar reaches up to 14,000 meters.

The installation's ammunition contains:

OF - 49 and OF - 54;
OF50 active-missile projectiles;
All types of 120 mm caliber mortar ammunition can be used, in addition to domestic and foreign ones;
guided missiles "Kitolov - 2M".

The guidance angle in the vertical plane ranges from -4° to +80°. Aim recovery is automatic after each shot.

The gun's ammunition capacity is 70 rounds in ammunition racks, and it is also possible to supply ammunition from the ground through a special hatch in the starboard side with an armored cover.
The firing range of modern mortars is constantly increasing and the use of such self-propelled guns of the "Vena" type is becoming especially relevant.

"Hosta"

A thoroughly modernized 120 mm howitzer with a firing range of 13 km, the Khosta received a new circular rotation turret. And also components and innovations from 2S31 "Vena", 2S23 "NONA" SVK were installed. At the same time, the chassis is also modernized BS MT-DB.

The main difference is the improved 2A80-1 cannon, which was equipped with which made it possible to increase the rate of fire by 2 times and fire absolutely all types of 120 mm caliber projectiles:

high-explosive fragmentation;
mine;
modern shells 3FOF112 "Kitolov-2".

In the new 2S34 Khosta mortar system, firing can be carried out without preparing positions, not only by direct fire, but is also capable of hitting targets on reverse slopes.

Its targeted rate of fire was increased from 4 to 9 rounds per minute.

Towed mortar

Along with the Sani-type self-propelled guns, the Russian Army also received towed ones:

2B16 "Nona - K";
2B23 "Nona M1".

At the same time, they did not lose their fighting qualities, like the SAO.

Such a need arose to supply air assault brigades with its own artillery. During the development of the "Nona K" 2B16 mortar gun. The experience of combat operations in Afghanistan was taken into account. For service this type mortars was adopted in 1986.

Already in 2007 Russian army adopted the 120 mm 2B23 "NONA - M1" for service. The weapon was accepted for destruction as personnel enemy and lightly armored vehicles.

The mortar batteries of the ground forces were also equipped with the 2B23 mortar. For use there was the possibility of landing from an aircraft on specially equipped platforms. The ammunition capacity of this mortar includes all types of 120 mm min.

These mortars have been combat tested in many local conflicts.

Modern weapons with a 120 mm mortar firing range of 400 to 7000 meters cannot always rely on timely delivery of ammunition. Therefore, the tendency to use such weapons during combat operations involves the use of 120 mm charges from mortars of the armies of other countries. The use of this formula allows for fire support of friendly forces on enemy territory.

Artillery of Russia and the world, guns photos, videos, pictures watch online, along with other states, introduced the most significant innovations - the transformation of a smooth-bore gun, loaded from the muzzle, into a rifled gun, loaded from the breech (lock). The use of streamlined projectiles and various types fuses with adjustable operation time settings; more powerful propellants such as cordite, which appeared in Britain before the First World War; the development of rolling systems, which made it possible to increase the rate of fire and relieved the gun crew from the hard work of rolling into the firing position after each shot; connection in one assembly of a projectile, propellant charge and fuse; the use of shrapnel shells, which, after the explosion, scatter small steel particles in all directions.

Russian artillery, capable of firing large shells, acutely highlighted the problem of weapon durability. In 1854, during the Crimean War, Sir William Armstrong, a British hydraulic engineer, proposed a method of scooping wrought iron gun barrels by first twisting iron rods and then welding them together using a forging method. The gun barrel was additionally reinforced with wrought iron rings. Armstrong created a company where they made guns of several sizes. One of the most famous was his 12-pounder rifled gun with a 7.6 cm (3 in) barrel and a screw lock mechanism.

The artillery of the Second World War (WWII), in particular the Soviet Union, probably had the largest potential among European armies. At the same time, the Red Army experienced the purges of Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin and endured the difficult Winter War with Finland at the end of the decade. During this period, Soviet design bureaus adhered to a conservative approach to technology.
The first modernization efforts came with the improvement of the 76.2 mm M00/02 field gun in 1930, which included improved ammunition and replacement barrels on parts of the gun fleet. new version the guns were called M02/30. Six years later, the 76.2 mm M1936 field gun appeared, with a carriage from the 107 mm.

Heavy artilleryall armies, and quite rare materials from the time of Hitler’s blitzkrieg, whose army crossed the Polish border smoothly and without delay. German army was the most modern and best equipped army in the world. The Wehrmacht artillery operated in close cooperation with the infantry and aviation, trying to quickly occupy territory and deprive the Polish army of communication routes. The world shuddered upon learning of a new armed conflict in Europe.

The artillery of the USSR in the positional conduct of combat operations on the Western Front in the last war and the horror in the trenches of the military leaders of some countries created new priorities in the tactics of using artillery. They believed that in the second global conflict of the 20th century, mobile firepower and precision fire would be the decisive factors.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Each rifle regiment of the Red Army had a mortar battery armed with four 120-mm mortars mod. 1938. These same mortars were in service with separate mortar battalions (48 mortars in each battalion).

The 120-mm mortar was widely used to destroy enemy personnel and firepower. The greater steepness of the mines' flight path made it possible to destroy hidden targets that were not hit by small arms fire and artillery fire.

This mortar was developed in the design bureau under the leadership of B.I. Shavyrin and was a smooth-bore rigid system (without recoil devices) with an imaginary triangle diagram.

The main elements of its design are a table, a two-legged carriage, a base plate and sighting devices.

The mortar barrel consists of a pipe, a breech with a firing device, an obturating ring that prevents the breakthrough of powder gases at the junction of the pipe with the breech, as well as a clamp with supports for laying and fastening the legs of the biped in a marching manner. The pipe channel is smooth and polished. In the muzzle, the channel has a conical chamfer to ensure ease of loading (the direction of the mine stabilizer when lowering it into the barrel).

The two-legged carriage supports the barrel and gives it the necessary vertical and horizontal aiming angles. It contains lifting, rotating, leveling mechanisms and sighting devices. To prevent the biped with sighting devices from receiving sharp blows when fired, the mortar has a shock absorber, the spring of which softens hard shocks to the biped.

The elevation angles of the mortar (vertical aiming) are ensured by a specific installation of the two-legged carriage and a lifting mechanism.

Horizontal aiming is carried out using a rotating mechanism and rearranging the two-legged carriage.

Unlike the 82mm mortar, the base plate of the 120mm mortar is an arched structure. Its top sheet is made by deep stamping and rests on stiffening ribs welded to it.

120-mm mortars mod. 1938 were equipped with MP-41 or MP-42 collimator sights and stands used to build a parallel fan.

Firing from a mortar can be carried out either by self-impaling the primer of the tail cartridge onto the firing pin, or using a firing mechanism. When shooting with a self-impaler, a maximum rate of fire of up to 15 rounds per minute is ensured; shooting with a shooting device is usually used to ensure the safety of the crew when handling a powerful shot.

A 120mm mortar round consists of a mine, a fuse, a tail cartridge and additional charges.

The main charge is located in the tail cartridge. Additional charges serve to impart additional velocities to the mine depending on the required range and are balanced beams of gunpowder in rectangular fabric caps. They are put on the mine stabilizer tube and secured to it with a loop.

The mortar ammunition includes the following mines:

high-explosive fragmentation steel mine OF-843;
high-explosive fragmentation cast iron mine OF-843A;
high-explosive steel mine F-843;
smoke cast iron mine D-843A;
incendiary cast iron mine "TR" 3-843A.

In addition, captured German mines “12 cm Wgr.” were often used for mortar firing. 42".

The longest firing range of the OF-843A high-explosive cast iron mine weighing 15.9 kg is 5700 m.

To transport the mortar, a wheeled drive was developed, which was attached to the limber with ammunition. The wheels of this type have split metal rims and tires filled with sponge rubber. Transportation was carried out by a four-horse team.

The wheeled mortar could also be transported in a trailer behind a vehicle at a speed not exceeding 18 km/h when driving on a cobblestone road, and at a speed of up to 35 km/h when driving on an asphalt highway. Transportation behind a vehicle at higher speeds was not allowed, since due to the lack of suspension during travel, damage to the travel was possible.

In addition, a wheeled mortar without a front end could be loaded into the body of a vehicle. At the same time, it was transported at the speed allowed by the vehicle. The same vehicle was used to transport crews and mines placed in park boxes.

At close range, the wheeled mortar can also be moved manually using crew efforts.

On June 1, 1941, the Red Army had about three thousand 120-mm mortars of the 1938 model. After the start of the war, the production of this mortar, as well as its simplified version, was deployed in unusually large volumes. Some factories handed over 500 mortars per month to military acceptance.

Technical data of the 120 mm mortar mod. 1938:

Caliber - 120 mm
Initial mine speed - 272 m/s
Weight in combat position - 275 kg
Combat rate of fire - 15 rounds/min.
Firing range - 5700 m
Mine weight - 15.90 kg