76mm anti-aircraft gun M1931 (3-K)
The 76-mm anti-aircraft guns M1931 is a Soviet anti-aircraft gun of caliber mm 76th The Soviet name is 76-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1931 г. and means 76mm anti-aircraft gun M1931 . The designation 3-K is the work index of work no.8, in which the weapon was developed for series production, the letter K stands for the manufacturer's work and the number 3 for the serial number of the development in this work. The GRAU index is 52-P-361 (52-П-361). The weapon goes back to a development by the German company Rheinmetall and was the first anti-aircraft gun that was produced in the Soviet Union and used in large numbers by the Red Army . With the industrialization of the Soviet Union, the technological prerequisites for the production of modern weapons had been created, but the Soviet designers had no experience in developing modern artillery weapons. Therefore one made do with the license production of guns.
development
The anti-aircraft guns used by the Red Army at the end of the 1920s were based on the 76-mm anti-aircraft gun M1914 or the 76-mm anti-aircraft gun M1915 developed during the First World War . The weapons were outdated, only available in small numbers and did not meet the requirements of modern combat.
In Germany, Rheinmetall had developed an anti-aircraft gun with a caliber of 75 mm. In August 1930 such a weapon was tested by the Reichswehr . Another cannon with a longer barrel (60 instead of 55 caliber lengths) was tested by the company. On August 28, 1930, the Bureau of Technical Work and Research (Бюро для технических работ и изучений (БЮТАСТ)) signed a contract for the delivery of four 7.5 cm anti-aircraft guns and the associated manufacturing technology. The office was founded in 1929 to handle armaments deals for the Rheinmetall company in the Soviet Union. The weapons were supplied in the 76.2 mm caliber customary in the Soviet Union. On June 7, 1931, the guns arrived on the polygon NIAP (Научно-исследовательский зенитный полигон, НИАП) in Rzhevsk (Ржевский полигон) near Leningrad . A number of other guns were manufactured in Plant No. 9 based on the example of the weapons supplied. State testing began in February 1932 and was initially interrupted in April, then continued from June 8 to July 17, 1932. As a result, the gun was included in the armament of the Red Army under the designation 76-mm Flak M1931 ( 76– мм зенитная пушка обр. 1931 г. ).
Serial production
The series production took place in Plant No. 8 in Kaliningrad near Moscow (today Koroljow). It was supposed to be started in 1932, but as a result of the tests 44 changes had to be made to the weapon, so that production could not begin until 1934. In 1940, production was phased out in favor of the successor models. On June 22, 1941, there were 3821 pieces of artillery in the Red Army.
construction
gun
The gun was largely conventional. The barrel with a length of 55 calibers had no muzzle brake . Various tube types, including one-piece and multi-piece, were manufactured for the weapon. The hydraulic pipe brake and the pneumatic-hydraulic pipe retractor were arranged below and above the pipe. The return pipe was variable and was limited with increasing pipe elevation. A vertically running, semi-automatic drop block lock was used as the lock , with a spring helping to open the lock. The shutter had to be closed manually. Manual opening was only required before the first shot was fired, after which the semi-automatic lock opened after the shot was fired, ejected the cartridge case, inserted the grenade cartridge from the loading cradle into the chamber and locked again. Behind the bolt was the short charging cradle into which the grenade cartridges to be fired were inserted. Cartridged ammunition was fired. The design allowed a practical rate of fire of up to 20 rounds per minute. The weapon was aimed purely mechanically in terms of height and side, electrical directional drives were not available.
Mount
The gun was placed on a cross-shaped mount . The mount was given the designation ZU-29 (ЗУ-29). This enabled a lateral directional range of 360 °. In the event of a battle, the side bars were swiveled out, the support plates under the bars manually extended and the wheels lifted from the ground until the carriage was horizontal. In exceptional cases it was also possible to fire directly from the marching position, i.e. without folding down the spars and extending the support plates, but the probability of hits was lower. The carriage was single-axle, the large wheels had hard rubber tires. A time of 3 to 5 minutes was required for the transition from march to combat situation.
When used in armored trains , the cannon was placed on a base mount. A few examples were mounted on the heavy JaG-10 truck.
ammunition
Various types of fragmentation grenade UO-361 (УО-361) were used to combat air targets. Various time fuses (T-5 (Т-5), KTM-1 (КТМ-1)) were available for this projectile . Shrapnel with the designation USchtsch-361 (УШ-361) were also used. The grenades had a projectile weight of 6.6 kg and a total weight of about 11.5 kg. With the shrapnel USchtsch-361B (УШ-361Б) the maximum range was 8200 m with a tube elevation of 30 °. The projectile reached a muzzle velocity of 813 m / s .
In the fight against tanks, the UBR-361 (УБР-361) and the 53-BR-361SP (53-БР-361 СП) sub-caliber grenade were used.
| Types of ammunition | |||||
| Type | designation | Bullet weight, kg | Explosive weight, kg | Total weight, kg | Detonator |
| Grenades with time fuses | |||||
| Grenade with time fuse | UO-361 (Russian УО-361) | 6.61 | 0.682 | 11.5 | T-5 (Т-5) |
| UO-361D (Russian УО-361Д) | 0.458 | 11.57 | |||
| UO-361K (Russian УО-361К) | 11.75 | TKTM-1 (КТМ-1) | |||
| Shrapnel | |||||
| shrapnel | USchtsch-361 (Russian УШ-361) | 6.61 | 0.084 | 11.3 | T-ZUG (Т-ЗУГ) |
| USchtsch-361B (Russian УШ-361Б) | 11.75 | TZ (Т-З) | |||
| armor-piercing shells | |||||
| armor piercing grenade | UBR-361 (Russian УБР-361) | 6.6 | 0.119 | 11.3 | MD-5 (МД-5) |
| Bullet | UBR-361SP (Russian УБР-361СП) | - | - | ||
Technical specifications
| 76 mm anti-aircraft gun, model 1931 | |
| General properties | |
| classification | Anti-aircraft cannon |
| Chief designer | |
| Name of the manufacturer | 3-K |
| Manufacturer | Zavod No. 8 (Plant No. 8, Russian Завод № 8) |
| Length with limber in combat position | 5,250 mm |
| Length with limber in marching position | 6.700mmm |
| Width in combat position | 5,260 mm |
| Width in marching position | 2,210 mm |
| height | 5,300 mm |
| Weight in firing position | 3,750 kg |
| Weight in driving position | 4,970 kg |
| Years of construction | 1934-1940 |
| number of pieces | 3821 |
| pipe | |
| caliber | 76.2 mm |
| Pipe length | 4,191 mm (L / 55) |
| Height of the line of fire | 1,305 mm |
| Fire dates | |
| Elevation range | −3 ° to + 82 ° |
| Side straightening area | 360 ° |
| Maximum range | 19,300 m |
| Maximum muzzle velocity | 813 m / s |
| fire rate | 20 rounds / min |
| agility | |
| Top speed in tow | 35 km / h |
commitment
The weapon was used by the Red Army in the Winter War and World War II .
Modifications
The cannon formed the starting point for the development of numerous other Soviet anti-aircraft cannons of caliber 76.2 and 85 mm. The weapon was also used in the Soviet flak tanks 76-mm-Fla-Sfl SU-6 and 76-mm-Fla-Sfl SU-8 as well as the Fla-Sfl 76-mm-Fla-Sfl 29-K . While the first two vehicles did not get beyond the prototype stage, twenty of the Fla-Sfl 29-K were built and used in the air defense of Moscow .
See also
literature
- Александр Широкорад : Отечественные полуавтоматические зенитные пушки. In Техника и вооружение. Issue 07/1998 (Russian)
- П. Б. Траубе: Справочник офицера-зенитчика. Книга 3. Материальная часть зенитной артиллерии. Воениздат МВС СССР, 1946 (Russian)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ see designation system of Soviet drawn artillery systems
- ↑ Russian Arms forum ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ see Schirokorad, p. 41
- ↑ Information according to Schirokorad
- ↑ with pipe elevation + 82 °
- ↑ with pipe elevation + 82 °
- ↑ Stock number on June 22, 1941, production number probably higher
Anti-tank guns: 37 mm PaK 1-K | 37 mm PaK M1944 | 45 mm PaK M1932 | 45 mm PaK 53-K | 45 mm PaK M-42 | 57 mm PaK SiS-2 | 100 mm FK BS-3
Battalion and regiment guns : 45 mm howitzer M1929 | 76 mm cannon M1927 | 76mm cannon M1943
Mountain guns: 76 mm M1938 cannon
Division guns : 76 mm cannon M1902 / 30 | 76 mm cannon M1933 | 76 mm F-22 cannon | 76 mm cannon USW | 76 mm gun SiS-3 | 85 mm cannon D-44 | 107 mm cannon M-60 | 122 mm howitzer M1909 / 37 | 122 mm howitzer M1910 / 30 | 122 mm howitzer M-30 | 152 mm mortar NM
Corps and army guns: 107 mm cannon M1910 / 30 | 122 mm cannon M1931 (A-19) | 122 mm cannon M1931 / 37 (A-19) | 152 mm howitzer M1909 / 30 | 152 mm howitzer M1910 / 37 | 152 mm howitzer M-10 | 152 mm howitzer D-1 | 152 mm cannon M1910 / 30 | 152 mm cannon M1910 / 34 | 152 mm howitzer ML-20 | 160 mm grenade launcher M1943
Heaviest guns: 152 mm Br-2 | 203 mm howitzer M1929 | 203 mm howitzer B-4 | 210 mm gun Br-17 | 280 mm mortar Br-5 | 305 mm howitzer M1915 | 305 mm howitzer Br-18
Anti- aircraft guns: 25 mm anti-aircraft gun 72-K | 37-mm anti-aircraft gun 61-K | 76 mm anti-aircraft gun M1931 | 76 mm anti-aircraft gun M1938 | 85 mm anti-aircraft gun M1939 | M1944 85mm anti-aircraft gun