What was the organization of Russian, German and French artillery by the beginning of the First World War?
By 1914 it was assumed that the upcoming war would be to wear a speed-based character - both Russia and France built the organization of their artillery, based on the principle of the frequency of armed confrontation. Accordingly, the nature of the future war qualifies as maneuverable - and artillery of the warring armies, first of all, should have had such quality as tactical mobility.
In a maneuverable battle, the main target of artillery is the live strength of the enemy, while there are no serious fortified positions. That is why the field artillery core was represented by lightweight cannons of 75-77-mm caliber. And the main ammunition is Shrapnel. It was believed that the field gun with its significant, both among the French and, especially, the Russian, initial speed of the projectile, will perform all the tasks assigned to artillery in the field battle.
Indeed, in the conditions of a stereo maneuverable war, the French 75-mm sample gun of 1897 in its tactical and technical characteristics occupied the first place. Although the initial speed of its projectile and inferior to the Russian three-dimuum, but it was compensated by a more advantageous projectile, economically spent its speed in flight. In addition, the tool had a greater stability (that is, non-velocity of the vendor) after a shot, and, consequently, both rapidity. The device of the French gun boiler allowed her to automatically lead the side horizontal shelling, which from a distance of 2.5-3 thousand meters gave the opportunity for some minute to fire a 400-500-meter front.
Il. 1. French 75-mm gun. Photo: Pataj S. Artyleria Ladowa 1881-1970. W-WA, 1975.
For the Russian three-dimensions, the same was possible only by five and six turns of the entire battery with a cost of at least five minutes of time. But in the flank shelling, in some months and a half minutes a Russian light battery, leading the fire with a shrapnel, covered with its fire with a depth of 800 m and width of more than 100 m.
There were no equal in the struggle to destroy the live strength of the French and Russian field cannons.
As a result, the 32-battalion Russian army building was equipped with 108 guns - including 96 field 76 mm (three-dimensional) guns and 12 light 122-mm (48-linear) haubs. There was no heavy artillery in the corps. True, in front of the war there was a tendency to create a heavy field artillery, but heavy field three-hundredth divisions (2 batteries of 152-mm (six-foam) haubs and one - 107-mm (42-linear) cannons) existed as it were as an exception and organic communication with Housings did not have.
Il. 2. Russian 122-mm Easy field warmness of the sample 1910 g. The catalog of the material part of the domestic artillery. - L., 1961.
Low better was the situation in France, which had 120 75-mm field cannons on a 24-battalion army building. Heavy artillery during divisions and corps was absent and was only under the armies - the total number of only 308 guns (120-mm long and short guns, 155 mm of the Gaubita and the newest 105-mm length of the Sampler sample 1913).
Il. 3. French 120-mm Short field warmness of the sample 1890. Photo: Pataj S. Artyleria Ladowa 1881-1970. W-WA, 1975.
Thus, the organization of artillery of Russia and France was, first of all, the consequence of the underestimation of the power of a rifle and machine-gun fire, as well as the fortification strengthening of the enemy. The statutes of these powers at the beginning of the war required not preparation from artillery, but only support for the infantry attack.
In contrast to his opponents, the organization of German artillery was built on the right foreseen of the character of the upcoming military collision. On the 24-battalion Army Corps, the Germans had 108 lung 77-mm guns, 36 light field 105-mm leads (divisional artillery) and 16 heavy field 150-mm haubs (body artillery). Accordingly, in 1914, heavy artillery was present at the campaign level. With the beginning of the positional war, the Germans have created a divisional heavy artillery, complied with each division with two warm and one cannonal heavy batteries.
From this ratio it is clear that the main means to achieve tactical success even in the field maneuverable battle, the Germans saw in the power of their artillery (almost a third of all the guns - the Gaubitsa). In addition, the Germans reasonably did not always take into account the increased initial speed of the projectile (in this regard, their 77-mm gun inferior to the French and Russian cannons) and accepted as a caliber for a light field warmness not 122-120 mm, like their own opponents, and 105 mm - that is, the optimal (combined relative power and mobility) caliber.
If 77-mm German, 75-mm French, 76 mm Russian lightweight field guns approximately corresponded to each other (as well as 105-107-mm heavy field guns of opponents), then the analogues of the German 105-mm division gaubice Russian and French army have had.
Thus, by the beginning of World War, the organization of artillery funds of leading military powers was the task of supporting the onset of their infantry on the battlefield. The main qualities imposed on the field tools are mobility in the conditions of the maneuverable war. This trend was determined by the organization of the artillery of the largest powers, its quantitative relationship with infantry, as well as the proportionality of light and heavy artillery in relation to each other.
Thus, the ratio of the amount of artillery included in the composition of the military units was expressed by the next number of guns per thousand bayonets: for Russia - about 3.5, for France - 5 and for Germany - 6.5.
The ratio of the number of guns is heavy to the right artillery toilets looked as follows: By the beginning of the war, Russia had about 6.9 thousand light guns and warm guns and only 240 heavy guns (that is, the ratio of severe artillery - 1 to 29); France possessed almost 8 thousand light and 308 heavy guns (ratio of 1 to 24); Germany had 6.5 thousand light guns and warm guns and almost 2 thousand heavy guns (ratio of 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. Obviously, the closest to the requirements of the First World War, before it began, the German armed forces were located.
During World War I, artillery played one of the key roles on the battlefields. Military actions continued for four years, although many believed that they would be as fast as possible. First of all, it was due to the fact that Russia built the organization of its artillery on the principle of the feature of armed confrontation. Therefore, the war was supposed to be a maneuverable character. One of the main qualities of artillery has become tactical mobility.
purpose
The main goal of artillery in the First World War is the defeat of the alive force of the enemy. It was especially effective, since there was no serious fortified position at that time. The core of artillery worked in the field was light guns, the main ammunition for which was Shrapnel. Then military tactics believed that due to the high speed of the projectile it is possible to perform all the tasks that are assigned to artillery.
In this regard, the French sample gun was highlighted in 1897, which, according to its technical and tactical characteristics, was among the leaders on the battlefield. At the same time, at its initial speed, it has been significantly inferior to the Russian three-dimuum, but compensated for this at the expense of profitable shells that were economically spent during the battle. Moreover, the tool had high stability, which led to significant rapidity.
In Russian artillery in the first world war, a three-dimuum was allocated, which was particularly effective during the flank shelling. It could cover the area to 800 meters with a width of about 100 meters.
Many military experts noted that there were no equal in the struggle for the destruction of Russian and French field cannons.
Equipment of the Russian corps
The field artillery of the First World War was allocated among other armies with its powerful equipment. True, if the light guns were predominantly used before the war, then during the battles began to felt the lack of heavy artillery.
Basically, the organization of Russian artillery troops was due to the underestimation of machine-gun and rifle fire with opponents. From artillery, it was necessary primarily to support the infantry attack, and not conduct independent art preparation.
Organization of German artillery
German artillery in the first world war was organized in principle differently. Here everything was built on an attempt to foresee the nature of the upcoming battle. The Germans were in service with a cam and divisional artillery. Therefore, by 1914, when the positional war was actively used, the Germans began to complete with the Gaubes and heavy guns every division.
This led to the fact that the main means to achieve tactical success was the field maneuvering, besides in artillery power german army Exceeded many of their opponents. It was important that the Germans took into account the increased initial speed of the shells.
Position during the war
Thus, during the First World War, artillery became the leading means of conducting battle for many powers. The main qualities that began to impose on the field tools are mobility in the conditions of a maneuverable war. Such a tendency began to determine the organization of the battle, the quantitative ratio of troops, the proportional ratio of severe and light artillery.
So, at the very beginning of the war, Russian troops were about three and a half guns per thousand bayonets, the Germans had about 6.5 of them. At the same time, Russia had almost 7 thousand light guns and only about 240 heavy guns. The Germans have 6.5 thousand light guns, but heavy guns are almost 2 thousand.
These indicators clearly illustrate the views of military leaders on the use of artillery in the First World War. Also, it is also possible to make an impression of the resources with which each of the key powers entered into this confrontation. The fact that the German artillery in the First World War is more consistent with the requirements modern maintenance battle.
Bombomet
Russian artillery in the First World War was widely represented by the bombing of the Aazen system. These were special ride mortars, which in 1915 created in France the famous designer Niels Aazen when it became obvious that the available units of military equipment do not allow Russian army Fight along with opponents.
Aazen himself had French citizenship, and by origin was Norwegian. His bombomet was produced in Russia from 1915 to 1916, actively applied russian artillery In the First World War.
Bombeton was very reliable, he had a steel trunk, charged from the treasury on the separation type. By itself, the throwing handle was a sleeve used for obsolete by the time of the rifle of gras. A large number of these rifles was transferred to France by Russian troops. This mortar was a folding shutter, and the boat was a frame type, standing on four supports. The lifting mechanism is thoroughly attached to the back of the trunk. The total weight of the gun was about 25 kilograms.
With the help of the bombing, it was possible to fire a straight entrance, he also had a grenade in its ammunition, a circular shrapnel.
At the same time, he had one, but a very significant disadvantage, because of which the shooting became unsafe for the calculation itself. The whole thing was that with the open-top shutter, the batter was completely accumulated on a small depth. It was necessary to closely to ensure that the sleeve is allowed manually, and not with the help of the shutter. It was especially important when shooting was carried at an angle of about 30 degrees.
If these rules have not been observed, then a premature shot took place when the shutter was not completely closed.
76 mm anti-aircraft gun
One of the most popular guns in the artillery of the Russian army in the First World War was 76-mm for the first time in our country, it was produced for aircraft shooting.
Her project developed a military engineer Mikhail Rosenberg. It was assumed that it would be specially used against airplanes, but as a result, such a proposal was rejected. It was believed that in a special anti-aircraft artillery there is no need.
Only in 1913 the project approved the main rocket and artillery department of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. For the next year, he was handed over to the gun turned out to be semi-automatic, by that time the awareness came that a special artillery for aircraft shooting is necessary.
Since 1915, the Russian artillery in the First World War began to use this tool. For this, a separate battery was equipped, armed with four guns, which were based on armored cars. They also stored spare charges.
During the war, these guns sent to the front in 1915. In the first battle, they were able to repel the attack of 9 German aircraft, while two of them were shot down. It became the first air targets, shot down by Russian artillery.
A part of the guns was empty not on cars, but on railway cars, such batteries began to be formed by 1917.
The gun turned out so successful that it was also used during the Great Patriotic War.
The fortress artillery in the First World War was still used actively, and after its completion, the need for such guns finally sued no. The reason was the fact that the defensive role of fortresses went to the background.
At the same time in Russia there was very branched fortress artillery. By the beginning of the war, there were four artillery fortress shelf, which were combined into the brigades, there were also 52 separate fortress battalion, 15 mouth and 5 so-called salor batteries (in conditions of military time, their quantity increased to 16).
In just the years of the First World War, about 40 artillery systems were used in the Russian army, however, most of them were very obsolete by that time.
After the end of the war, the fortress artillery has almost ceased to be used.
A considerable part of the battles took place at sea. The seal artillery of the First World War played a decisive role.
For example, large-caliber was considered to be the main weapon at the sea. Therefore, according to the total number of heavy guns and the total weight of the fleet, it was possible to determine how strong the fleet of a particular country was determined.
By and large, all heavy tools of that time could be divided into two types. This is English and German. The first category treated the guns developed by Armstrong, and the second - produced by Krupp, which became famous for its steel and during the Second World War.
The English has a barrel, which was covered with a casing from above. In the German artillery of the First World War, special cylinders were used, which were put on each other in such a way that the outer row completely overlap the places of internal junctions and associations.
The German construction was adopted by the majority of countries, including Russia, as it was objectively considered more progressive. British guns extended until the 20s of the 20th century, and after they also moved to German technology.
Such instruments were used on ships for marine battles. They were especially common in the era of dreadnights, differing only with insignificant details, in particular the number of guns in the tower. For example, for the French Linkar called "Normandi" a special four-refined tower was developed, in which two pairs of cannons were immediately.
As already distinguished, the heavy artillery of the First World War determined the outcome of a single battle. It was characterized by the possibility of shooting over long distances, and it was able to effectively affect the enemy from the shelter.
Before World War I, heavy guns were almost always part of the fortress artillery, and the field heavy artillery at that time was just beginning to be formed. At the same time, the urgent need for it was felt during Russian-Japanese war.
The First World War, almost since its very beginning, wore a pronounced position. It became apparent that without heavy guns would not be able to hold a single successful onset of troops. After all, for this it was necessary to effectively destroy the first line of defense of the enemy, and also move on, while remaining in reliable shelter. Field heavy artillery has become one of the main during the war, including siege functions.
In 1916-1917, on the initiative of the Grand Duke Sergey Mikhailovich, who at that time he served as an artillery general inspector, a reserve was formed for the chief command, called heavy artillery of special purpose. It consisted of six artillery brigades.
The formation of this unit was held in conditions of high secrecy in the royal village. In total, during the war, more than five hundred such batteries were created, which included two thousands of guns.
The most famous instrument of artillery in Germany of the Period of World War I was the Mortira "Big Berta", which also called the "Bustbust of Berta".
The project was developed back in 1904, but built it a tool and launched into mass production only in 1914. Works were conducted at the croup factories.
The main creators of the "big berty" became a major German designer Professor Fritz Raushenberger, who worked in the German concern "Krup", as well as his colleague and predecessor by the surname Dreger. It was they who called this 420-mm pot of Berta's bbw, devoting her granddaughter of Alfred Krupp, the "Cannon King" of the beginning of the 20th century, which brought his company to the world leaders, making a company of one of the most successful arms among other manufacturers.
At that time, when this Mortira was launched into industrial production, its actual owner was the granddaughter of the legendary krupp, which and the name of Berta.
Mortira "Big Berta" was actively used in German artillery. In the First World War, it was intended to destroy the most strong fortification structures of that time. At the same time, the tool itself was produced immediately in two versions. The first was semi-stationary and wore cipher "type of gamma", and the towed was indicated as "type M". The mass of the guns was very large - 140 and 42 tons, respectively. Only approximately half of all the produced Mortira was touched, the rest had to be disassembled into three parts to move them from place to place with the help of steam tractors. In order to collect the whole unit in combat readiness, required at least 12 hours.
The rapidity of the gun reached a single shot of 8 minutes. At the same time, its power was so great that the rivals preferred with it not to face the battlefield.
I wonder what for different types The guns used various ammunition. For example, the so-called type M shot powerful and heavy shells, the mass of which exceed 800 kilograms. And the distance of one shot reached almost nine and a half kilometers. For the "type of gamma", lighter shells were used, which could fly by 14 kilometers with a little, and heavier, reaching the goals at a distance of 12.5 kilometers.
The impact strength of the Mortira was achieved and at the expense of a large number of fragments, each of the shells flew about 15 thousand pieces, many of which could be deadly. Among the defenders of fortresses, armor-piercing shells were considered the most terrible, which could not even stop overlapping from steel and concrete with a thickness of about two meters.
The Russian army suffered serious losses from "Big Berti". This is despite the fact that its characteristics were at the disposal of intelligence before the first World War. In many domestic fortresses, work began on the modernization of the old and erection of fundamentally new structures for defense. They were originally designed to hit shells, which was equipped with "Big Berta". The thickness of the overlap for this varied from three and a half to five meters.
When the First World War began, the German troops began to effectively apply "Bert" during the siege of the Belgian and French fortresses. They sought to break the will of the enemy, forcing garrisons to give up one after another. As a rule, only two mortira were required for this, about 350 shells and no more than 24 hours, during which the siege continued. On the Western Front, this mortist was nicknamed even the "killer of forts".
In total, 9 of these legendary tools were produced in Krupp enterprises that participated in the capture of Liege, Siege Verden. To take the fortress, the Ospen was brought immediately 4 "Big Berts", 2 of which were successfully destroyed by defending.
By the way, there is a very common opinion that "Big Bert" used for the siege of Paris in 1918. But in reality it is not. The French capital fired a gun "Colossal". "Big Berta" still remained in the memory of many one of the most powerful artillery guns of the First World War.
Speaking about the artillery of the First World War, briefly should be noted that all states in preparation for the conflict paid special attention to her, given the experience of previous local armed conflicts. In a numerical equivalent, this preparation was expressed as follows: more than 9 thousand different artillery guns in Germany; A little more than 4 thousand - in Austria-Hungary, 7 thousand - in Russia, - 4300 - in France, a little more than a thousand - in the UK, and about 900 - in Belgium.
At the same time, all artillery guns used on the fronts of the I World War, divided into several categories: light and heavy field, mining about siege.
In support of infantry
Light field and mountain artillery in those years were part of infantry divisions. In most armies, they were represented by guns with a caliber of 75 millimeters and 105-mm warmts. The exception was French troops in which the Gaubi was completely absent. The French believed that their cannons are suitable for any conditions of the maneuverable war (before the start of the conflict, no one assumed that it would become a protracted and positional, and not speedless and maneuverable).
The range of guns varied within 7-8 kilometers, although it was used to all close (up to 6 kilometers) through it. It is worth noting that the ammunition of each gun included both grenades and shrapnel. Moreover, the latter used the greatest popularity.
Artillery "heavyweights"
Briefly speaking, the heavy field artillery of the First World War also, as well as the light, consisted of guns and the Gaubitz. Only the caliber they had significantly more. For guns, the most common caliber was 105 mm, but the caliber of the warm shells reached 150 mm. At the same time, such guns were shooting farther further and better infantry lungs. They also included grenades (in Russia called bombs) and Shrapnel.
Despite the fact that the French were made heavy field guns for the Russian army, it did not have a similar weapon.
Best of all was provided with this type of artillery the German army. Moreover, its advantage was both in quantity and as.
Siege (heavy) artillery
For brief review This type of artillery of the First World War should be noted that it was fully disposed of command. Its tools focused in areas where crucial operations were preparing.
The composition of such artillery included guns (guns, musitics and minor) of which the caliber was from 120 to 420 mm. At the same time, almost all countries used the armament of the old sample.
The exception was Germany, which in preparation for war paid a lot of attention to this type of artillery. At the same time, the German command preceded that the quality of the guns is not affected by the amount of the quantity.
The alones of Germany adhered to the same glances to the heavy species of artillery - the Austro-Hungarian command.
France, on the contrary, considered this type of artillery guns almost unnecessary and too burdensome. Russia, in turn, shared the opinion of the French, but at the same time, considering the experience of the Russian-Japanese war, and the German point of view also looked after (the truth is not very bold).
By the way, the starting war showed that the Germans were right here. It is their heavy artillery that contributed to the fact that they are short time They managed to take possession of all border French and Belgian fortresses.
Flak
This type of artillery during the first world was only in its infancy, since before that it was simply not necessary. During the 1914-18 conflict, several prototypes were only tested. At the same time, Germany managed to achieve quite good results.
Methods of artillery shooting
Before the war and during its battles, artillerymen shot, focusing exclusively on visual observations. It was just started to emerge shooting, observation at which was conducted from a tied aerostat. Observation from the aircraft was not performed at all.
At the same time, the army of each country has developed their own rules for the shooting. The least designed they were in the German troops, so the preparation of their shooters was the weakest.
World War II became an era of the heyday of a giant gun. Each member of the armed conflict sought to create his superheavy gun, which would exceed all the parameters of the enemy instrument. The weight of such giants could reach up to 100 tons, and the mass of one projectile exceed 1000 kilograms.
Prehistory
The superheavy artillery is rooted in antique epoch. So, in ancient Greece and Rome, catapults were used to destroy the walls of forts and fortresses. Back in the XIV century, the British and the French began to be used by powder guns, which were shot by huge stone or metal cores. For example, the Russian "Tsar gun" of 1586 had a caliber of 890 mm, and the Scottish siege gun Mons Meg 1449 shot the kernel with a diameter of half the meter.
In the XIX century, artillery began to develop rapidly and apply in all wars. Special artillery units began to form. In the times of the Crimean War (1853 - 1856), Gaubi was used by a caliber of up to 8 inches. In 1859, during the Sardinian war, the French first applied rifle guns (Armstrong's gun), which in many respects exceeded smooth-bore.
The first world war can rightly be called artillery. If in the Russian-Japanese war (1904-1905) from artillery in total, no more than 15% of soldiers died, then this figure was as much as 75%. By the beginning of the war, there was a sharp deficit of heavy long-range guns. So, Austria-Hungary and Germany were in service not a large number of 100-mm and 105-mm Gaubitz, 114-mm and 122-mm guns were among Russia and England. But this caliber was catastrophically not enough to effectively hit the siege of the enemy. That is why all strange gradually began to develop artillery tool Huge caliber.
1. Heavy 420-mm Gaubitz "Skoda", Austria-Hungary
By the beginning of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian plant "Skoda" was the largest manufacturer of super heavy guns. In 1911, it was created by a 305-mm Gaubitz, which meets all the latest European standards. The mass of the gun was about 21 tons, and the length of the trunk exceeded 3 meters. The shell weighing 282 kilograms could hit the target at a distance of 9600 meters. A distinctive feature of the gun was its mobility. If necessary, the design of the gun could be disassembled by three components and transported to a large distance using the tractor.
At the end of 1916, the Skoda concern was created real giant - 420-mm Gaubitz, the total weight of which exceeded 100 tons. Huge CH. Alpan weighing 1100 kilograms flew by 12,700 meters. Any fortress could not resist such an instrument. Nevertheless, the Austro-Hungarian giant had two essential drawbacks. Unlike a smaller copy of the Gaubitz was not mobile and only eight shells could be shot in an hour.
2. "Big Berta", Germany
The legendary German "Big Berta" is considered the most famous German "Big Berta". This 43-ton giant morrtist was called in honor of the then owner of the Krupp concern, which was engaged in the production of super heavy artillery for Germany. In just a period of war, nine copies of "Big Berti" were made. 420-mm Mortira could be transported by railway Or disassembled with five tractors.
Shell weighing 800 kilograms hit the target at an impressive distance of 14 kilometers. The gun could shoot both armor-piernes and fugasic shells, which when the explosion created a funnel with a diameter of 11 meters. "Big Berts" participated in the Sturm of Liege in 1914, in the siege of the Russian fortress Osovo and the Battle of Verden in 1916. ONE ONE OF GIUBIC GAUBICS inspired fear and undermined the morale in enemy soldiers.
3. 380-mm Gaubice BL, United Kingdom
The British responded with a three-way union by creating a whole series of super heavy guns. The largest of them became 380-mm siege Gaubita BL. The tool was created on the basis of the already available 234-mm MK guns. For the first time, BL, BL was used by the Marine Infantry of British Admiralty .. Despite the fact that such guns had a stunning slaughter force, they also had a number of disadvantages, because of which the British refused their development in the future.
Transportation of guns could last several months, and twelve soldiers needed to maintain the Hubitis. Moreover, 630 kilogram shells flew with low accuracy and for a short distance. This led to the fact that at the beginning of the war only 12 copies of BL were created. Later marines Transmitted 380-mm coastal artillery warmness, but they did not manage to find proper use there.
4. 370-mm Mortira "Fillo", France
The French, also aware of the need for heavy artillery, created their own 370-mm morrti, making focus on mobility. The gun was transported across a specially equipped rail to places of battles. Externally, the gun was not bulky, his weight was about 29 tons. Tactical and technical characteristics "Fillo" had much more modest than the German and Austrian guns.
A shot of a heavy shell (416 kilograms) was only 8100 meters, and a fugasal (414 kilograms) - 11 kilometers. Despite its mobility, installing a projectile on the battlefield was an extremely laborious task. In fact, the work of artillery diseases due to the low efficiency of the Mortira was unjustified, but at that time "Fillo" was the only super heavy gun in France.
5. 305 mm Gaubita, Russian Empire
In Russia, during the First World War, the ultrahaous artillery case was somewhat tight. The Empire had to purchase Gaubits from England, since until 1915, a cannon with a maximum caliber in 114-mm were produced in the country. In July 1915, the tests of the first 305-mm warmness in Russia were tested. In total, during the war, the Obukhovsky plant was constructed about 30 copies of the 1915 gender guns. The mass of the tools was 64 tons, and the weight of the projectile is 377 kilograms at a maximum flight range of 13.5 kilometers. The carriage of the Gaubitis on the railway was provided.
German artillery in the First World War.
As already noted, it was the artillery of a large caliber and the perfectly organized management and the organization of its shooting and became a kind of "chopping-grinding" of the German army during the First World War.
Especially important role German artillery large calibers Played on the Eastern Front, against the Russian Army. The Germans made faithful conclusions from the experience of the Russian-Japanese war, to realize what the strongest psychological impact on the combat capability of the enemy has an intensive shelling of his position with fire of heavy artillery.
Siege artillery.
The fact that Germany and Austria-Hungary have a powerful and numerous heavy artillery, the command of the Russian army knew. This is what our general E.I. is written about this. Bumbers:
"... According to information obtained in 1913 from military agents and from other sources, in Germany and in Austria-Hungary in service with artillery consisted of very powerful heavy guns of siege type.
The German 21-cm steel Mortira was adopted to armared by field heavy artillery and was intended to destroy strong fortifications, well operated on earth closures, on brick and even on concrete arches, but, subject to several shells, it was also intended for enemy poisoning Picric gazes of the discontinuous charge of a projectile with an impressive weight of 119 kg.
The German 28-cm (11-d) Mortira was on a wheeled out, was transported by two cars, shot without a platform with a powerful shell weighing 340 kg; Mortira was intended to destroy the concrete vaulted and the newest armored buildings.
There was information that they were tested in the German army more Mortira caliber 32-cm, 34.5-cm and 42-cm (16.5-dm), but detailed data on the properties of these guns were not known.
In Austria-Hungary, it was introduced in 1913 a powerful 30.5-cm warmness, transported on three cars (at one to the gun, on the other - frost, on the third - platform). The shell of this Mortira (Gaubitis) weighing 390 kg had a strong discontinuous charge of 30 kg. Mortira was intended for arming an advanced echelon of a siege park, which immediately followed the field army to support it in a timely manner when attacking strongly fortified positions. Shooting range 30.5-cm Mortira - according to one source for about 7 1/2 km, on others - up to 9 1/2 km (according to later data - up to 11 km).
Austrian 24 cm Mortira was transported, like 30,5-cm, on car trains ... "
Germans led careful analysis combat application His powerful siege tools and, if necessary, produced their upgrades.
"The main shock force of the German fire hammer was the notorious" Big Berts ". These Mortira caliber 420 mm and weighing 42.6 tons produced in 1909, at the beginning of the war were among the largest siege guns. The length of their barrel was 12 caliber, the shooting range is 14 km, the mass of the projectile is 900 kg. " The impressive instrument dimensions The best designers of Kruppi sought to combine with rather high mobility that allowed the Germans to transfer, if necessary, their different sections of the front.
Due to the huge severity of the system, the carriage was carried out on the railroad of a wide range to the position itself, the installation and bringing to the position for the battle was demanded a lot of time, up to 36 hours. In order to facilitate and achieve a more professional readiness for battle, another design of the guns (42-cm Mortira L-12 ") was developed; the length of the tools of the second design of 16 calibers, reaching did not exceed 9,300 m, i.e., decreased by almost 5 km "
All these powerful guns, by the beginning of the First World War, have already been adopted for weapons and entered the troops of opponents. Russian Empire. We had nothing like this and in risen.
The tools of caliber in 42 cm (16.5 DM) did not produce the Russian industry at all (and never could do this for all the years of World War). Tools of caliber 12 DM were produced in extremely limited quantities for the orders of the maritime department. We had a rather numerous fortress guns with a caliber from 9 to 12 dm, but they were all low-lived, they demanded special machines and conditions for making shooting. For firing in the field, most of them were unsuitable.
"In Russian fortresses there were about 1,200 guns of obsolete specimens who came out there from disbanded siege artillery regiments. These guns are 42-lin. (107-mm) Gun guns. 1877, 6-DM. (152-mm) guns in 120 and in 190 PUD. Also arr. 1877, 6-DM. (152-mm) guns in 200 PUD. arr. 1904, as well as some other tools of serfral artillery, for example, 11-dm. (280-mm) Coastal Mortira arr. 1877, - served during the war, for the lack of guns of the newest samples, in a field heavy and in siege artillery "- said General E.I. Badgers.
Of course, most of these tools by 1914 are outdated and morally, and physically. When they were tried (under the influence of the example of the German army) to use in field conditions, it turned out that neither artilleryrs nor the tool themselves were completely prepared for this. It even reached failure to use these guns on the front. This is what E.I wrote Badgers about this:
"Cases of refusal of field heavy batteries armed with 152-mm cannons 120 PUD. And 107-mm guns of 1877, were repeatedly. So, for example, the head of the Western Front asked Native Merch (in April 1916) not to transfer it to the front of the 12th field heavy artillery brigade, since 152-mm cannon 120 powder. And 107-mm guns of 1877, which was armed with this brigade, "have a limited shelling and difficult to replenish the supply of shells, and 152-mm cannon 120 powder. generally unsuitable for offensive actions "
Coast 11-dm. (280-mm) Mortira meant to allocate with a personnel for the siege of the enemy fortresses ...
In order to use 11-dm. Coast Mortira arr. 1877 As a siege member of Artkom, GAU Durlyahov, he developed a special device in the fauthete of this Mortira (11 -DM. Coasted Mortira with the dismanded on the project Durows were applied with a second siege of the mixture).
On the table of weapons of the Russian fortresses, there were 4,998 serf and coastal guns of 16 different newer systems, in which, by February 1913, 2813 guns were ordered, i.e., about 40% of the guns were lacking; If we take into account that from among the ordered guns were far from all were made, by the beginning of the war, the actual lack of serf and coastal guns was expressed in a much larger percentage. "
What state in fact was these fortressing guns, recalled the commandant of the Ivangorod fortress, General A.V. Schwartz:
"" ... war found Ivangorod in the very miserable condition - weapons - 8 fortress guns, four of whom did not shoot ...
In the citadel were two powder cellar, both are concrete, but with very subtle arches. When in 1911 produced disarmament of fortresses Warsaw, Zegrazh
And Dubno, the entire old black powder was ordered to send from there to Ivangorod, where he was immersed in these powder cellar. It was about 20 thousand pounds. "
The fact is that some Russian guns were created even for firing an old black powder. He was absolutely not needed in the conditions of modern war, but his huge reserves were kept in Ivangorod and could, when shelling the enemy, explode.
A. V. Schwartz writes:
"One thing remained: destroy gunpowder. So I did. I ordered to leave in one cellar a small amount needed for engineering works, and everything else drown in the tree. So it was done. Already after the end of hostilities under the Ivangorod, I was requested by the main artillery management, on what basis was the gunpowder? I explained and the case ended. "
Even in the port - Arthur Schwartz noticed how old samples of our fortress artillery are little suitable for the successful defense of the fortress. The reason for this was their complete immobility.
"Then it turned out a huge role of moving fortress artillery, that is, guns that could shoot without platforms, without requiring the construction of special batteries, and easily moving from place to place. After Port Arthur, I, being a professor of the Nikolaev Engineering Academy and an officer artillery school, has greatly promoted this idea.
In 1910, an excellent sample of such guns was developed in the artillery management in the form of 6 dm. The fortress warmness, and by the beginning of the war in the Brest warehouse there were already about sixty of these Gaubitz. That is why I used every effort in Ivangorod to get more of such guns for the fortress. I managed to get them, - 36 pieces. To make them quite mobile, I ordered 9 batteries from them, 4 guns in each, horses for transportation took from the versions of infantry regiments, bought a break, and officers and soldiers appointed from the fortress artillery. "
It is good that in the fortress of Ivangorod during the war, the commandant turned out to be such a highly prepared artillerist as General Schwartz. He managed to "knock out" from the rear Brest of 36 new Gaubitz and organize their effective use in the defense of the fortress.
Alas, it was a positive unit example, against the background of a common deplorable state of affairs with Russian heavy artillery ...
However, this huge lag in the amount and quality of the siege artillery of our commander did not take particularly. It was assumed that the war would be a maneuverable and vehicle. By the end of the Autumn it was supposed to be already in Berlin (which was all the verst 300 on the plain). Many guard officers even took the front uniforms with them to go to the campaign to properly look there, on victorious ceremonies ...
The fact that in front of this parade of the Russian army would inevitably have to besiege and storming powerful German fortresses (Königsberg, Breslau, Popurn and others), our military leaders were not very conceived.
It is not by chance that the 1st Rennencup Army in August 1914 tried to begin towing the Königsberg fortress simply without having no siege artillery in its composition.
The same happened with an attempt by the siege of our 2nd Army Corps with a small German fortress of Letzzen, in Eastern Prussia. August 24 parts of the 26th and 43rd Russians. Divisions were surrounded by Letznes, in which there was a boss detachment in 4, 5 battalions. The Komentant of Fortress is 5 h. 40 m. It was sent a proposal for the surrender of the Fortress of Letzz.
Commandant Fortress Colonel Boss on the offer to surrender replied that it was rejected. The Fortress of Leketzen will only surrender in the form of a pile of ravine ...
The capitulation of Letzen did not take place, as well as the destruction of him who threatened the Russians. The fortress was withstanding the siege, without having any influence on the course of the battle of the 2nd Samsonov army, except for the fact that the Russians were distracted by the blockade of the 43rd pekh. Division. The remaining troops of the 2nd arm. The hulls, mastering the area of \u200b\u200bthe north of the Mazur Lakes and Johannisburg, from August 23, they were attached to the left flank of the 1st Army and from the same number were transferred to the submission of the 1st Army of Gene. Rennencupf. The latter, having received this body to strengthen the army, distributed its decision on it, through which two buildings should have blocked Koenigsberg, and other army troops at this time were to promote the operation for the formation of a fortress at this time.
As a result, these two divisions, during the death of the 2nd Samsonov Army, were engaged in a strange siege of the small German fortress of Letznes, the alleged seizure of which did not have an even account for the outcome of the entire battle. At first, the two full-blooded Russian divisions (32 battalions) were attracted to the blockade of 4.5 German battalions that were in the fortress. Then they left for this purpose only one brigade (8 battalions). However, without having a siege tool, these troops were only a gift losing time on the approaches to the fortress. Neither take it nor destroy our troops and failed.
But how acted german troopsArmed with the latest siege guns when taking powerful Belgian fortresses:
"... Forts of Liege During from the 6th to the 12th of August, they did not stop the shelling of German troops, which were held within the range of shooting from guns (12 cm, 15 cm. Push. And 21 cm. Haub.), But 12 -Ho, at around noon, the attacker began to be severe bombardment to the guns of a large caliber: 30.5 cm. Austrian warmts and 42 cm. New German Mortymists, and those showed explicit intention to master the fortress that prevented the freedom of promotion of the German masses, because Liege covered 10 bridges. For Forts of Liege, built on the BrialMonov type, this bombing made a discrepant effect to which nothing prevented. The artillery of the Germans, the troops surrounding the forts, each separately ... could have been located even against the hydraulic, very poorly armed, fashers and act concentrically and focus. A small number of powerful guns made consistently bombard one forty after another, and only on August 17, the last one fell, the Fort Lonsen, due to the explosion of the powder cellar. Under the ruins of Fort, the entire garrison died: out of 500 people. - 350 were killed, the rest were seriously injured.
Commandant fortress, gene. Lehman, attached by fragments and poisoned by stalking gases, was captured. Within 2 days, the garrison bombardment behaved with selflessness and, despite the losses and suffering from suffocating gases, was ready to reflect the assault, but the specified explosion was cut.
So, the perfect mastering has been lingering demanded from the 5th to the 17th Aug. - only 12 days, however, German sources reduce this period to 6, so. They consider the 12th number already solved the case, and further bombing - in the arrival of the destruction of forts.
In these conditions, the bombardment rather carried the nature of the polygon shooting "(AfonaSenko I.M., Bahurin Yu.A. Fortress Novgeorgievsk during the First World War).
Information about the total number of German heavy artillery is very contradictory and inaccurate (these Russian and French intelligence changes are considerable).
General E.I Bumbsukov noted:
"According to the Russian General Staff, obtained by the beginning of 1914, the German heavy artillery consisted of 381 batteries at 1,396 weapons, including 400 guns of field heavy and 996 gentle-type guns.
According to the headquarters of the former Western Russian front, the German heavy artillery at the mobilization of 1914 consisted, considering the field, reserve, landscaming, spare, landscape and overtext parts, just 815 batteries with 3,260 guns; Including 100 field heavy batteries with 400 heavy 15-cm musters and 36 batteries with 144 heavy mortaries caliber 21-cm (8.2 dm).
According to French sources, the German heavy artillery had a heavy 150-mm warm-up housings on the body and under armies - a different number of groups armed with a part of 210 mm morrti and 150 mm warm-up, part of a long 10-cm and 15-cm guns. In total, by the calculus of the French, approximately 1,000 heavy 150-mm leads, up to 1,000 heavy 210-mm mortar and long guns suitable for the field war, 1,500 light 105-mm warm war, consisted in the beginning of the war in service with the German army. i.e. about 3,500 heavy guns and lightweight haubs. This number exceeds the number of guns according to the Russian General Staff: 1,396 heavy guns and 900 lungs and closer comes to a number of 3,26,000 guns determined by the headquarters of the Western Russian Front.
Moreover, the Germans had a significant number of siege-type heavy guns, mostly outdated.
Meanwhile, only 512 light 122-mm leads were in service with the Russian army to the beginning of the war, i.e., three times less than in the German army, and 240 field heavy guns (guns 107-mm 76 and 152-mm Gaubitz 164), t . e. two or even four times less, and the heavy artillery of the siege type, which could be used in the field war, in the Russian army did not provide for the mobilization schedule of 1910.
After the sensational fall of powerful Belgian fortresses, a large number of reports appeared about the newest German guns and their combat use.
E.I. Bumbers leads such an example:
"... Answer googh about 42-cm guns. Gugsh reports that according to the information received from military agents, in the Germans during the siege of Antwerp was three 42-cm guns and, moreover, 21-cm, 28-cm, 30.5-cm Austrian, total from 200 to 400 tools. The shooting range is 9-12 km, but there was a 28-cm draft tube, put 15 km 200 m. The newest forts were kept no more than 7 to 8 hours. Until complete destruction, but after one successful hitting 42-cm, the projectile were half destroyed.
According to Gugsh, the tactics of the Germans: the simultaneous concentration of the whole fire on one fort; After its destruction, the fire is transferred to another fort. In the first line, 7 forts were destroyed and all the gaps were destroyed and covered with projectiles, so that the wire and the funds did not have any action. In all data, Germans had little infantry, and the fortress taken by one artillery ...
According to reports, German and Austrian batteries were beyond the reach of fire from forts. Forts were destroyed by 28-cm Germanic and 30,5-cm Austrian Gaubins from a distance of 10-12 versts (about 12 km). The main reason for the rapid decline of fortifications is recognized by the device of the German heavy grenade with a slowdown, which is torn only after penetrating the concrete and produces widespread destruction. "
There is an obvious fair nervousness of the compiler of this information and its alleged character. Agree that the data on the fact that the Germans during the siege of Antwerp used "from 200 to 400 tools" is difficult to consider even approximately about their accuracy.
In fact, the fate of Liege - one of the strongest fortresses of Europe - we decided only two 420-millimeter Mortira groups of Krupp and several 305-millimeter guns of the Austrian company Skoda; They appeared under the walls of the fortress on August 12, and on August 16, the last two forts surrendered - Ollon and Flemal.
A year later, in the summer of 1915, for the capture of the most powerful Russian fortress Novgeorgievsk, the Germans were created by the Germans under the command of General Germers.
This siege army had in stock only 84 instruments of heavy artillery - 6,420-millimeters, 9,305 mm, 1 long-life 150 mm cannon, 2,210 mm morty batteries, 11 heavy field haubs batteries, 2 batteries caliber 100 mm and 1 120 and 150 millimeters.
However, even such a power of the art crew did not cause a significant harm to the Nogorgiyevsk fortifications. The fortress was handed over to the Germans because of the treason of her commandant (General Bober) and the general demoralization of the garrison.
Significantly exaggerated in this document and affecting the impact of heavy shells on concrete serfs.
In August 1914, the German army tried to capture the small Russian fortress Osovo, subjected to its bombardment from the guns of large calibers.
"Interestingly, the opinion of one of the officers of the General Staff, who was commaed in September 1914 from the deposit rate to the fortress Osovo to clarify the action of Germanic artillery for fortifications. He came to the following conclusion:
1. 8-DM. (203-mm) and smaller calibers cause insignificant material destruction to serfs.
2. A large moral action of artillery fire in the first days of bombing could be used "only with an energetic" infantry onset. Storming the fortress, with a weak high quality and non-trimmed garrison, under the cover of 6-DM fire. (152-mm) and 8-dm. (203-mm) Gaubitz, has great chances of success. In Osovo, where the German infantry remained in 5 versts from the fortress, on the last 4th day of the bombing, there were already signs of the calm of the garrison, and the shells abandoned by the Germans were disappeared. "
Within 4 days, the Germans bombarded Osovo (16,52-mm Gaubitz, 8 203 mm Mortira and 16,07-mm cannons, only 40 heavy and several field guns) and released, by modest counting, about 20,000 shells.
3. Blinds of two rows of rails and two rows of sand outline logs withstand 152-mm bombs. The four-stranded concrete barracks kept heavy shells without damage. With a direct hit in a concrete of 203 mm, the projectile is only in one place left to the floor ARSHIN (about 36 cm) ...
The small fortress of the Ospen was withstanding twice the bombardment of the German artillery.
With the second bombardment of the OSOVA, the Germans had already 74 heavy guns: 4 Hubits 42-cm, up to 20 guns 275 - 305-mm, 16 guns 203-mm, 34 guns 152-mm and 107-mm. Within 10 days, the Germans have released up to 200,000 shells, but the funnels from hits were in the fortress only about 30,000. As a result of the bombardment, many earth shafts, brick buildings, iron lattices, wire networks, etc. were destroyed; Concrete buildings of a small thickness (no more than 2.5 m for concrete and less than 1.75 m for reinforced concrete) were quite easily destroyed; Large concrete arrays, armor towers and dome resisted well. In general, forts more or less survived. The relative preservation of Fords of the Osovo was explained: a) the insufficient use of the Germans of their siege artillery - only 30 major 42-cm shells were released and only one "central" fortress fortress (mainly in one of its mining barracks); b) leading the enemy by the enemy with interruptions in the dark and night time, using those defending at night (at 1,000 workers) managed to correct almost all the damage caused by the enemy fire for the past day.
The war confirmed the conclusion of the Russian Artillery Commission, which was testing a major caliber shells on Berezan Island in 1912, about insufficient power of 11-dm. and 12-dm. (280-mm and 305-mm) calibers to destroy the fortress structures of that time from concrete and reinforced concrete, as a result of which the Schneider plant in France 16-dm was ordered. (400-mm) Gaubice (see Part I), which was not delivered to Russia. Russian artillery had to limit the 12-dm during the war. (305-mm) caliber. However, she did not have to bombard the German fortresses against which the caliber was needed larger than 305-mm.
The experience of the vertene bombing showed how the Schwart writes as 42 cm caliber does not have the necessary power to destroy modern serf buildings built from special concrete varieties with thickening of reinforced concrete mattes. "
The Germans used tools of large calibers (up to 300 mm) even in a maneuverable war. For the first time, these calibers appeared in the Russian front in the fall of 1914, and then in the spring of 1915, they were widely used by Austro-Germans in Galicia during the occurrence of Muenzen and Russian waste from the Carpathians. The moral effect during flight of 30-cm bombs and a strong fuhasny action (funnel depth to 3 m and a diameter of up to 10 m) produced a very strong impression; But harm from the 30-cm bomb due to the steepness of the walls of the funnel, a small accuracy and germination of shooting (5 - 10 min. per shot), was much smaller than. From 152-mm caliber.
It is about her, the German field artillery of large calibers, then will be speech.
