Soviet 152 mm howitzer D-1 is one of the most successful artillery systems created by Soviet designers. A high-powered weapon capable of firing at the enemy’s closed positions was constructed at the end of 1942, at the height of the Battle of Stalingrad. The reason for the development of such an artillery system was the absence of a high-power howitzer capable of forming the backbone of corps artillery.
History of creation
Work on the creation of a new howitzer was carried out on its own initiative under the guidance of the famous Soviet designer - artilleryman F.F. Petrova. The main design idea of the project was to use a 152 mm howitzer M-10 barrel in combination with a 122 mm M-30 gun. As a result, in a short time, it was possible to create a powerful and mobile large-caliber artillery mounts, which can significantly enhance the fire capabilities of Soviet infantry corps. Six months later, in May 1943, a 152-mm howitzer arr. 1943 was put into service under the symbol GAU - 52-G-536A.
Serial production was carried out at the plant number 9 in Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinburg). Between 1943 and 1949, 2827 guns were fired.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Soviet howitzer D-1
- Calculation - 8 people.
- Combat weight - 3.6 tons.
- Charging separately-sleeve.
- The initial velocity of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 508 m / s.
- The angle of vertical guidance: from -3 to +63.3 degrees, the angle of horizontal guidance - 35 degrees.
- Rate of fire: 3-4 shots / min.
- The maximum firing range is 12,400 m.
- The main types of ammunition: high-explosive, cumulative, concrete-breaking shells, shrapnel.
- The weight of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 40 kg.
- Transfer time from traveling to combat: 3-4 min.
- Mode of transportation: transported by I-12 tractors, tractors of various modifications.
The howitzer D-1 of the 1943 model participated in the battles of the last, final stage of the Great Patriotic War. In the post-war period, the gun was in service with artillery regiments of the Soviet Army, delivered to the regimes friendly to the Soviet Union and took part in various armed conflicts of the 20th century.
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