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| ML-20 WWII Howitzer 152mm |
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The 152 mm Howitzer-Gun ML-20 (152-ìì ãàóáèöà-ïóøêà îáð. 1937 ã. ÌË-20):
The ML-20 was officially classified as howitzer-gun (short barrel and the use of relatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent). The howitzer stood between the "gun" (which was characterized by a longer barrel, larger propelling charges, smaller shells, higher velocities and flatter trajectories) and the "mortar" (the ability to fire projectiles at even higher angles of ascent/descent).
The barrels were either monobloc or built-up. To soften a recoil, a large slotted muzzle brake was fitted. The breechblock was of interrupted screw type, with forced extraction of cartridge during opening. A safety lock prevented opening of the breechblock before the shot; if there was a need to remove a shell, the lock had to be disabled. To assist loading when the barrel was set to high elevation angle, the breach was equipped with cartridge holding mechanism. The gun was fired by pulling a trigger cord.
The recoil system consisted of hydraulic buffer and hydropneumatic recuperator. Each held 22 ltrs of liquid.
The carriage was of split trail type, with shield and balancing mechanism. It had leaf spring suspension and steel wheels with rubber tyres. During transportation the barrel would be pulled back. The gun could also be towed with the barrel in its normal position, but in this case the transportation speed was limited, about 4–5 km/h (compared to 20 km/h with barrel pulled back). The gun could be set up for combat in 8–10 minutes.
The ML-20 was originally intended for corps artillery. Together with the 122-mm gun A-19 it formed a so-called "corps duplex". In 1940-41 there were three types of corps artillery regiments:
The ML-20 was mainly used for indirect fire against enemy personnel, fortifications and key objects. Heavy shell fragments were capable of piercing armour up to 20-30 mm thick, spelling danger to thinly armored vehicles and to some extent heavier armoured ones, as the fragments could damage chassis, sights, etc. A direct hit could result in tearing away a tank turret.
The gun was also equipped with armour-piercing shells for direct fire against armoured targets. Although not an ideal anti-tank gun because of its large size, slow traverse and slow rate of fire, in 1943 the ML-20 was one of a few guns effective against new German tanks. Reliability and ease of maintenance, allowed the ML-20 to remain in service with the Soviet Army for a long time after the war.
Hundreds of ML-20 were captured by Wehrmacht. The gun was adopted by Germans as 15.2 cm KH.433/1(r). From February 1943 Germans manufactured an ammunition for the gun.After the war the ML-20 was widely exported to Warsaw Pact allies and to many states in Asia and Africa (in some of those states the gun still remains in service). It was adopted by Egypt and Syria and therefore saw action in Arab-Israeli conflict. ML-20 has also been employed by the Afghan Northern Alliance forces against the Taliban fighters in 2001-2002.
SPECIFICATIONS
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