Artillery of the First World War. Three-inch

The largest historical project in Kaliningrad region- this is how they dubbed the three-dimensional panorama “Konigsberg-45” that opened today at the Kaliningrad Regional Historical and Art Museum. The final assault."

The authors of the project - members of the St. Petersburg team "Nevsky Battalist" - recreated one of the episodes of the assault on Koenigsberg in April 1945. The grand opening of the exhibition was attended by representatives of regional authorities and veterans of the Great Patriotic War, among whom were participants in the battle.

The ceremony was also attended by the acting governor of the region, Anton Alikhanov: according to him, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of such a large-scale historical project for the region and Kaliningrad in a situation where neighboring states “forget” about the feat of Soviet soldiers who, at the cost of their lives, “won independence for them” .

These days, when, unfortunately, the memory of some is becoming cloudy, our task is to never forget that feat, to tell and show the truth about what happened in those years, TASS quotes Alikhanov.

According to the acting head of the region, the capture of the fascist stronghold in East Prussia is one of the heroic and difficult pages in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

The blood of Soviet soldiers and officers, which soaked this land, made this land ours. We are immensely grateful to you for your feat, for your heroism and confidence in your strengths, your rightness, thank you for the victory, Alikhanov addressed the veterans.

The 3D panorama allows viewers to immerse themselves in the action thanks to a two-level system. The complex combines a wide-format image of the area, a landscape with an all-round view and a subject plan with originals, dummies and models of objects related to the history of the assault, life-size figures of Red Army and Wehrmacht soldiers. The exhibition is complemented by sound and light effects that enhance the sense of presence.

“Nevsky Battalist” has produced several three-dimensional historical and artistic panoramas dedicated to the Great Patriotic War: “Breakthrough”, “Battle for Berlin. The feat of the standard bearers", "Battle for Moscow. Borodino, 1941", "Moscow, forty-first. Counterattack", "Landing on Shumshu. The last island of war" and "Assault on the Koton fortified area. Liberation of Southern Sakhalin".

A three-dimensional panorama “Koenigsberg-45. The final assault." Made by craftsmen from the St. Petersburg Nevsky Battalist team with the support of the museum and the regional government, the exhibition shows the decisive moment of the fighting in the center of Königsberg in April 1945. Correspondents from New Kaliningrad.Ru attended the opening of the panorama along with the storming participants.

It is impossible to imagine the scale and impression of the panorama without getting inside the “hall within a hall” - one of the museum premises on the second floor was almost completely rebuilt. Moreover, the exhibition of the Historical and Art Museum already had one similar panorama, and it evoked rather sad feelings. Behind the glass stood a wooden model of a tank, at the supposed foot of the stairs of the Königsberg stock exchange on the bank of the Pregel lay the corpse of a fascist, the rest was painted on the wall.

The new panorama made by the masters of the historical reconstruction group “Nevsky Battle Painter” is something completely different. Although it was built directly opposite the old panorama. But now visitors do not look at the exhibition - they find themselves inside, which creates a strong effect of presence. Adding to the realism are exhibits provided by the museum, real street signs, and the opportunity to touch part of the panorama with your hands. Everything is done wisely: the most valuable objects are located so that it is impossible to reach them. And the fragments of bricks, walls riddled with bullets and paving stones - please touch them as much as you want.

The exhibition consists of two halls; you can view them in any order. One is a model of the basement of a house, apparently somewhere on Kneiphof. A half-collapsed ceiling, all sorts of junk, a fascist eagle in the corner and boxes with something similar to amber - a slight allusion to the theme of the Amber Room that disappeared during the assault. Through a hole in the wall, a German is aiming a machine gun at the attacking Red Army soldiers, another is supplying cartridges, and in the depths of the basement, next to the broken barrels of Rhine wine, an old Volkssturm fighter realizes the inevitable end.

The second hall is Königsberg street. A half-timbered house, some ruins, a six-barreled mortar abandoned by the Nazis, German corpses and the Red Army soldiers who had just crossed the Pregel. One of them (a lot of time and effort was clearly invested in this work) is gray-haired, almost an old man, in a well-worn padded jacket with the wound site marked with red cloth. This is exactly what, according to the head of “Nevsky Battalist” Dmitry Poshtarenko, experienced fighters did in reality seven decades ago. “It’s very difficult to create the feeling that a soldier has been wearing the same gymnasium for three years,” says Poshtarenko.

In the center of the hall is a real hero: junior sergeant Anton Salamakha is preparing to throw a grenade into the enemy embrasure. During the assault, 25-year-old Salamakha threw grenades at the Nazi fortifications, broke into the building, killed several soldiers and captured a dozen more. He became one of 216 Red Army soldiers who received the title of Hero for the storming of Königsberg Soviet Union.

Among the honored guests of the panorama opening ceremony is the one who stormed the fortified city together with Anton Salamakha, reconnaissance artilleryman Ivan Tikhonov. Today he is 92 years old, but he behaves quite cheerfully and talks about the events of April 1945 as if they happened just recently. “Before Pregel, we moved on tanks, and then we found ladders, put them together with boards, closed the holes in the bridge and ran across to the other side,” he recalls. - On the evening of April 9, the country saluted in honor of the capture of Königsberg with the same salvo that later celebrated the capture of Berlin. In 4 days we crushed such an impregnable fortress!”

The Germans, despite the large-scale destruction during the bombing by British aircraft, expected to hold out much longer. In the panorama room, showing a dilapidated basement, there is an inscription on the wall: “The weak Russian fortress of Sevastopol held out for 250 days, and Königsberg will never be surrendered.” The heroism of the Soviet soldiers was unexpected even for the Nazi troops, who by that time had suffered defeat after defeat.

“Maybe I’m running there too,” Ivan Tikhonov grins when the Yunarmets and Acting Governor Anton Alikhanov lead him to the panorama of the crossing of Pregel. Alikhanov walks with the veteran under TV cameras not even one, but two circles around the panorama and comes out under the white paint on brick wall in German with the desperate slogan “Victory or Siberia?” The event takes on a political context in light of the upcoming elections.

According to the acting governor, the creators of the panorama managed to achieve “one hundred percent realism,” including thanks to the opportunity to touch the exhibition with their hands, which is provided to visitors. Alikhanov insists: schoolchildren in the region must be given the opportunity to view the creation of the “Nevsky Battalist” for free, and in the near future the Ministry of Education will organize excursions together with schools.

The interim governor can’t do without a dig at the neighboring states with which he has Russian Federation Now there is a protracted conflict, including the theme of the Great Patriotic War (for us) and the Second World War (for them). “The neighboring countries, for whom we have won the right to live, are trying to forget about this feat. These days, when the memory of some people becomes cloudy, our task is to remind them of the feat,” says Anton Alikhanov.

Journalists, deputies, members of the Youth Army scatter around the hall - assessing, touching, shaking their heads in impression. Through the window on the stairs you can see like a history buff native land, the head of the Kaliningrad City Council Andrei Kropotkin examines another three-dimensional panorama - excavations of the foundations of destroyed buildings in Koenigsberg at the site of the future construction of another residential complex on the shores of the Lower Lake.

Twisted paving slabs and warped paving stones on the site in front of the historical and art museum add to the already strong effect of being in a war zone. The panorama is open to the public from 10 am to 6 pm every day except Monday.

Text - Alexey Milovanov, photo - Vitaly Nevar, “New Kaliningrad.Ru”.

A few hours ago, an unusual exhibition opened at the Kaliningrad Regional History and Art Museum. The three-dimensional panorama “Koenigsberg - 45. The Last Assault” is dedicated to the capture of the capital of East Prussia, present-day Kaliningrad. The authors, a team of enthusiasts from St. Petersburg, recreated the picture of real battles. All models and figures of soldiers are made in life size; inside you can not only see the exhibits, but also feel your involvement in the events.

This is what the streets of Königsberg looked like in April 1945. The hall depicts a frozen second of one of the battles for the city. The three-dimensional picture is complemented by sound and light effects.

Dmitry Poshtarenko, author of the three-dimensional panorama “Koenigsberg - 45. The Last Assault”:
— Why are they three-dimensional? Not because they were made on a computer. And here everything is done by artists. War is all around us. And we are transported to that very moment.

For Dmitry Poshtarenko’s team, this is already the tenth diorama. A similar exhibition “The Battle of Berlin” in Moscow was visited by hundreds of thousands of people. We worked on the 3D exhibition in Kaliningrad for two and a half months. Veterans were invited to the opening. Ivan Dmitrievich Tikhonov himself took part in the assault on Koenigsberg.

Ivan Tikhonov, veteran of the Great Patriotic War:
— I watched a lot of panoramas. In Moscow too. And, imagine, I liked it, between us, even better than some. Our guys learned how to make panoramas. And not in one room, but in several rooms, and so everything is true.

The models of the guns are life-size; this is a German rocket-propelled mortar. The exhibition even has its own heroes, both specific individuals and collective images of Red Army soldiers.

Alexey Ankudinov, correspondent:
— The figures of some soldiers haveportrait likeness. For example, this is Anton Mikhailovich Salamakha, hero of the Soviet Union. On April 8, 1945, he threw grenades at a fortified building in which the Germans were located. Then he burst inside, destroyed several Nazis, and captured 12 more Nazis.

The panorama was created using authentic photographs and documents. In some places you can still see German bricks handed over by archaeologists from excavations.

Anton Alikhanov, head of the Kaliningrad region:
“It’s very important for us, you know, not just to remember this on some holidays: April 9 or May 9. And remember this all the time and remind to the younger generation about this feat, at what price this land and this city were conquered.

Before the start of the school year, regional authorities plan to show the panorama to Kaliningrad schoolchildren. Special excursions are organized here for them.

Alexey Ankudinov. Evgenia Chirochkina. Stanislav Berdnikov. Igor Fominov.

By 1914, most armies assumed that the coming war would be fleeting. Accordingly, the nature of the future war was qualified as maneuverable, and the artillery of the warring armies, first of all, had to have such a quality as tactical mobility. In maneuverable combat, the main target of artillery is the enemy’s manpower, while there are no serious fortified positions. That is why the core of the field artillery was represented by light field guns of 75-77 mm caliber. And the main ammunition is shrapnel. It was believed that the field cannon, with its significant, both among the French and, especially among the Russians, initial projectile speed, would fulfill all the tasks assigned to artillery in field battles.

French 75 mm gun. Photo: Pataj S. Artyleria ladowa 1881-1970. W-wa, 1975.

In the conditions of a fleeting maneuver war, the French 75-mm cannon of the 1897 model in its own tactical and technical characteristics took first place. Although the initial speed of its projectile was inferior to the Russian three-inch, this was compensated by a more advantageous projectile, which spent its speed more economically in flight. In addition, the gun had greater stability (that is, aiming resistance) after a shot, and therefore a higher rate of fire. The design of the French gun carriage allowed it to automatically fire from the side horizontally, which from a distance of 2.5-3 thousand meters made it possible to fire at a 400-500-meter front within a minute.

For a Russian three-inch gun, the same thing was possible only by five or six turns of the entire battery, spending at least five minutes of time. But during a flank shelling, in just a minute and a half, a Russian light battery, firing with shrapnel, covered with its fire an area up to 800 m deep and more than 100 m wide.

Russian 76 mm field gun in position

In the struggle to destroy manpower, the French and Russian field guns had no equal.
As a result, the 32-battalion Russian army corps was equipped with 108 guns - including 96 76-mm (three-inch) field guns and 12 light 122-mm (48-line) howitzers. There was no heavy artillery in the corps. True, before the war there was a tendency towards the creation of heavy field artillery, but heavy field three-battery divisions (2 batteries of 152-mm (six-inch) howitzers and one 107-mm (42-linear) guns) existed as if as an exception and organic connection with did not have buildings.
The situation was little better in France, which had 120 75-mm field guns for a 24-battalion army corps. Heavy artillery was absent from the divisions and corps and was located only in the armies - with a total of only 308 guns (120 mm long and short guns, 155 mm howitzers and the newest 105 mm long Schneider gun of the 1913 model).

Russian 122-mm field howitzer model 1910 in position

The organization of artillery in Russia and France was, first of all, a consequence of underestimating the power of rifle and machine-gun fire, as well as the enemy’s fortification reinforcement. The regulations of these powers at the beginning of the war did not require artillery to prepare, but only to support an infantry attack.

Britain entered the First World War also possessing very few heavy guns. In service with the British army were: since 1907. - 15-lb (76.2 mm) BLC field guns; 4.5 in (114 mm) QF howitzer, adopted in 1910; 60-lb (127 mm) Mk1 gun 1905 model; 6-dm (152-mm) howitzer BL model 1896. New heavy guns began to arrive to British troops as the war progressed.

In contrast to its opponents, the organization of German artillery was based on a correct prediction of the nature of the coming military conflict. For the 24-battalion army corps, the Germans had 108 light 77-mm cannons, 36 light 105-mm field howitzers (divisional artillery) and 16 heavy 150-mm field howitzers (corps artillery). Accordingly, already in 1914 heavy artillery was present at the corps level. With the beginning of the positional war, the Germans also created divisional heavy artillery, equipping each division with two howitzer and one heavy cannon batteries.

German field 77 mm gun in position

From this ratio it is clear that the Germans saw the main means for achieving tactical success even in field maneuver battles in the power of their artillery (almost a third of all available guns were howitzers). In addition, the Germans reasonably took into account the increased initial velocity of the projectile, which was not always necessary for flat shooting (in this regard, their 77-mm cannon was inferior to the French and Russian cannons) and adopted a caliber for a light field howitzer that was not 122-120 mm, like theirs opponents, and 105 mm is the optimal (in combination of relative power and mobility) caliber. If the 77-mm German, 75-mm French, 76-mm Russian light field guns roughly corresponded to each other (as well as the 105-107-mm heavy field guns of the enemy), then the analogues of the German 105-mm divisional howitzer the Russian and French armies did not have.

Thus, by the beginning of the World War, the basis for the organization of artillery weapons of the leading military powers was the task of supporting the advance of their infantry on the battlefield. The main qualities required for field guns are mobility in conditions of maneuver warfare. This trend also determined the organization of the artillery of the largest powers, its quantitative relationship with the infantry, as well as the proportionality of light and heavy artillery in relation to each other.

German 150 mm howitzer

By the beginning of the war, Russia had about 6.9 thousand light guns and howitzers and 240 heavy guns (that is, the ratio of heavy to light artillery was 1 to 29); France possessed almost 8 thousand light and 308 heavy guns (ratio 1 to 24); Germany had 6.5 thousand light guns and howitzers and almost 2 thousand heavy guns (ratio 1 to 3.75).

These figures clearly illustrate both the views on the use of artillery in 1914 and the resources with which each great power entered into world war. World War I was the first large-scale war in which most combat casualties were caused by artillery. According to experts, three out of five died from exploding shells. It is obvious that the German armed forces were closest to the requirements of the First World War even before it began.

Sources:
Oleynikov A. "Artillery 1914."

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76.2 mm. cannon (Russia)

In 1900, based on the works of V.S. Baranovsky, a 3-inch gun was developed in Russia. Production began at Putilov's factories.
In 1902, engineers of the Putilov plant under the leadership of N.A. Zabudsky developed an improved version of the three-inch gun.
They shot with landmines and shrapnel. For firing shrapnel, the 3-inch gun received the nickname “Death Scythe” from soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies.
The gun was equipped with guidance devices, which made it possible to fire from cover.
In 1906, the gun was equipped with a shield and an optical sight.
It was produced virtually unchanged until 1930. The 3-inch barrel was used as the basis for the creation of new 76-mm divisional guns. This is how the F-22 cannon of the 1936 model, the USV of the 1939 model, and the ZIS-3 of the 1942 model were developed.
Weight: 1092 kg
Caliber: 76.2 mm.
Rate of fire - 10-12 rounds per minute.
Elevation angle: -6 + 17 degrees
Projectile weight: 6.5 kg
Initial projectile speed: 588 m/s
Firing range: 8530 m

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6-inch siege gun 1904 (Russia)

6-inch siege gun Model 1904 - heavy siege gun artillery piece caliber 152.4 mm. The first official name was "6-inch long gun". Developed on the basis of a 6-inch 190-pound gun of the 1877 model. Barrel design old cannon 190 pounds did not allow increasing the initial velocity of the projectile when switching to smokeless powder.
At the end of 1895, an order was placed with the Obukhov plant for a new 6-inch gun. In 1897, an order was issued to the St. Petersburg Arsenal to convert one carriage of the 1878 model into a 6-inch long cannon of 200 pounds. By the beginning of 1900, a 6-inch long gun was already firing at the Main Artillery Range. On December 19, 1904, by artillery order No. 190, a 6-inch 200-pound cannon with its carriage was introduced into the siege and fortress artillery, in accordance with the Highest Order of November 3, 1904.
Produced by the Perm Ordnance Plant. In 1904, the Obukhov plant received an order for the production of 1 copy. The Obukhov plant handed over its cannon to the Main Artillery Directorate in 1906. The Perm Ordnance Plant began deliveries after 1907. By 1913, 152 guns were manufactured and finally accepted. Another 48 copies were manufactured, but not tested by fire.
The gun was mounted on a carriage of the Durlyakher system and a rigid carriage designed by Markevich on the basis of a siege carriage of the 1878 model. From 1908 to 1911, the Kiev Arsenal and the Perm Plant supplied 200 carriages of the Markevich system.
After the Civil War, the gun was left in service with the Red Army (Red Army). At the end of the 20s, most of the 6-inch 200-pound guns were mounted on tractor-type metal wheels. In 1933, the GAROZ plant modernized the Markevich carriage.
In the early 1930s. The gun began to be replaced with 152-mm guns of the 1910/30 and 1910/34 models. As of January 1, 1933, there were 49 units in service. 6-inch guns, 200 pounds. After the 152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model (ML-20) was adopted into service, the guns of the 1904 model were removed from service with the Red Army. A number of 6-inch guns took part in the Soviet-Finnish War on the side of Finland.
Caliber: 152.4 mm.
Weight in combat position: 5437 kg.
The weight of the gun barrel is 200 pounds (3200 kg).
Rate of fire 1 shot per min.
Maximum firing range: 14.2 km.
Initial projectile speed: 623 m/s
Elevation angle: -3.5 + 40.5 degrees

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107 mm gun model 1910 (Russia)

In 1907 Russian army ordered a long-range gun from the French company Schneider. 107 mm was developed. gun, called M/1910. The gun was produced under license at the Putilov plant. Official name"42-line heavy field gun model 1910."
With minor changes, it was produced in France under the name “Canon de 105 L, Modele 1913 TR”. Until the end of World War I, France produced 1,340 guns. About 1000 of them took part in.
The gun was also produced in Italy by Ansaldo under the name da 105/28.
The gun had an elevation angle of 37 degrees - the maximum angle for guns developed before the start of the First World War. During the war, it was used both to support infantry and for long-range shelling of enemy positions.
107 mm. used in Civil War. In 1930 it was modernized and produced under the name "107-mm gun model 1910/30". The firing range increased to 16-18 km.
By June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 863 units in service. 107 mm gun mod. 1910/30
Caliber: 107 mm
Firing range: 12500 m.
Horizontal aiming angle: 6 degrees
Barrel angle: -5 +37 degrees
Weight: 2486 kg
Initial projectile speed: 579 m/s
Rate of fire: 5 shots per minute.
Projectile weight: 21.7 kg.

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37 mm. Obukhov (Russia)

37 mm. Obukhov gun. Produced in St. Petersburg at the Obukhov plant. Began production not long before the start of the First World War. A small number of guns were produced. The guns were supplied to Chernoye and Baltic seas. At least one cannon was installed on Grigorovich's M.9 flying boat.
In addition to the Obukhov air cannon, the Russian army used the 37 mm Hotchkiss M1885. At the beginning of 1914, a naval 37 mm. they tried to install the cannon on Ilya Muromets. The gun was installed under the fuselage of the aircraft. Intended for attacks on ground targets. After testing, the gun was found to be ineffective and was removed from the aircraft. Also during the war, 76 mm and 75 mm aircraft guns were tested.
The photo shows 37 mm. Obukhov on the Grigorovich M.9 flying boat, Orlitsa aircraft, Baltic Sea.
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