The Soviet 152-mm howitzer cannon ML-20 of 1937 is the main artillery system of high power, which is in service with the Soviet corps during World War II. The gun was designed to deliver a crushing fire strike at the enemy’s closed positions in the front line. The use of this weapon in large quantities in a limited area of the front created the necessary strike force for the advancing troops.
Development, creation and serial production of 152 mm howitzer guns ML-20
The idea of creating a new and powerful weapon capable of firing fire and shooting at a gentle trajectory arose from the command of the Red Army in the mid 30s. To this end, the GAU commissioned a team of Soviet designers under the leadership of F.F. Petrov develop a powerful howitzer cannon of a new type, using technical developments for a 152 mm cannon of 1910/34. The main work was carried out in the design bureau of plant No. 172, located in the city of Motovilikha, Perm Region By 1936, the new gun was basically ready. The main features of the design have become a long barrel with a semi-automatic shutter, a powerful and stable carriage with a double wheelbase.
After successful ground shooting and towing tests, a new weapon was put into service. It went into series in 1937 under the name of the 152 mm howitzer cannon ML-20 of the 1937 type.
The product was manufactured only in one enterprise at a number factory in the town of Motovilikha. During the years of manufacture from 1937 to 1946, 6,884 guns left the assembly line.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Soviet howitzer gun ML-20
- Calculation - 9 people.
- Combat weight - 7.27 tons.
- Charging separately-sleeve.
- The initial velocity of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 655 m / s.
- The angle of vertical guidance: from - 3 to +65 degrees, the angle of horizontal guidance - 58 degrees.
- Rate of fire: 3-4 shots / min.
- The maximum firing range - 17230 m.
- The main types of ammunition: high-explosive, cumulative, concrete-breaking, howitzer shells, shrapnel.
- The weight of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 43.6 kg.
- Transfer time from traveling to combat: 8-10 min.
- Mode of transportation: transported by I-12 tractors, tractors of various modifications.
The howitzer cannon ML-20 of 1937 was massively used during the armed conflict on the r. Halkin-Gol, in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-40 and throughout the entire period of the Great Patriotic War. The ML-20 artillery table was used in 1942-44 for attaching a new gun mount to Soviet self-propelled guns, which were built to fight medium and heavy German tanks.
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