Since ancient times, the holiday of rocket and artillerymen has been a professional holiday of all the Armed Forces, the entire people. Therefore, the current missile and artillery power of the state was created through the efforts of millions of our compatriots, scientists, designers and workers. Those who had the honor of serving in this oldest branch of the military have been and remain warriors for centuries, faithful to their military cause and military traditions. Today, missile forces and artillery are the main component of the firepower of the Ground Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, which have modern operational-tactical means to solve the most complex combat missions to defeat enemy groups.
In 2004, the “god of war,” as rocket forces and artillery are popularly called, turns 622 years old.
The concept of "artillery weapons"
Artillery weapons, in their own sense, are a type of barreled firearms, the basis of which is artillery systems (artillery pieces with ammunition and firing devices) designed to defeat the enemy on land, sea and in the air.
In a broader sense, based on the order and supply of troops (forces), artillery weapons also include small arms and cold weapons, grenade launchers and multiple launch rocket systems with ammunition and firing devices, various instruments and radars not included in artillery systems, mobile artillery repair shops, equipment for arsenals, bases, warehouses and training grounds, spare parts, materials for the operation of artillery weapons, etc.
Artillery (Old French atillier - to prepare, equip) is:
- 1) branch of the military;
2) type of weapon or set of weapons;
3) the science of the structure, properties and methods of combat use of artillery weapons.
As a branch of the armed forces, artillery represents artillery formations, units and subunits that are part of operational formations, combined arms formations, units and subunits or in the RVGK.
Artillery as a type of weapon (a set of weapons) includes cannons, howitzers, mortars, recoilless rifles, combat vehicles (launchers) of ATGMs and rocket artillery; artillery and small arms ammunition, artillery vehicles - wheeled and tracked tractors, etc.; fire control devices, reconnaissance and fire support equipment; all types of small arms, grenade launchers.
History of the development of artillery and its purpose
In Europe, artillery appeared at the end of the 13th - beginning of the 14th century. In Russia, this type of military appeared in the 14th century.
The first mention of the combat use of artillery dates back to 1382 - during the defense of Moscow from the hordes of Khan Tokhtamysh. Then, for several days, the heroic defenders of Moscow, repelling the assault of the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh, not only used bows and crossbows, but also, as the Alexander Chronicle reported, against the hordes of the Golden Horde, Muscovites used “mattress” firearms... and great cannons. "The artillery of those times received in Rus' the name is "Outfit".
In the initial period of its existence, domestic artillery did not have a clear organization, was intended mainly to protect fortified cities and was a so-called outfit. Due to the increasing importance of artillery in battles and battles and the implementation of military reform by Ivan IV (the Terrible), the outfit in Rus' in the middle of the 16th century took shape into a branch of the military.
The cannon foundry business in Rus' arose at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 15th century. XVI century In the 16th century in Russia and in a number of European countries, artillery became an independent branch of the military; field artillery appeared in the 16th - 17th centuries. the foundations of artillery science were born (in the field of gun production, as well as artillery tactics). In the 18th century In Russia, the calibers of guns and the organization of their production were streamlined. The artillery was divided into regimental, field, siege and fortress, and artillery regiments and brigades began to be formed. From the middle of the 19th century. the transition to rifled artillery began, the rate of fire, range and accuracy of fire increased. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, Russian artillerymen used indirect fire for the first time, and a mortar was created and used. By the beginning of the First World War, artillery was divided into field (light, horse, mountain), heavy field and heavy (siege). During the war, escort artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-tank artillery appeared, and mortars were developed. The Second World War caused the comprehensive development of artillery, especially anti-aircraft, anti-tank, rocket and self-propelled artillery, and artillery of high and special power was used.
Time passed. Artillery developed and occupied increasingly stronger positions on the battlefields.
On December 28, 1862, based on the highest command of Emperor Alexander II, by order of the Minister of War in Russia, the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) was formed. With the formation of the GAU, a qualitatively new stage began in the history of domestic artillery, marked by radical changes in all its branches.
In all wars and battles fought by the Russian army, artillery made a decisive contribution to achieving a common victory. This was especially evident during the Great Patriotic War. Figuratively called the “god of war” back in 1940, it lived up to its purpose on the battlefield. In this regard, the statement of G.K. Zhukov, the meaning of which is still relevant today. He said that mistakes made in calculations and ignoring artillery could not be corrected either by the heroic behavior of the infantry, or by a dashing attack by tanks, or by air strikes. Artillery must be known well and given a decisive place. Any underestimation of artillery leads to unnecessary casualties and disruption of missions.
On November 19, 1942, artillery preparation began, which preceded the offensive of our troops near Stalingrad. It was on this day that our country has long honored missile and artillery soldiers. Later, the USSR government decided to celebrate the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery on the third Sunday of November. This decree remains in force today.
The most important operations in 1943-45 were characterized by the massing of artillery on the main axes and the creation of artillery density in defense breakthrough areas of up to 200-300 guns per 1 km of front, and sometimes more. For this purpose, artillery divisions and breakthrough artillery corps, which were part of the artillery of the RVGK, were used.
The history of the missile forces and artillery is a chronicle of unfading feats at the front and in the rear in times of severe trials. The homeland highly appreciated the military exploits of the artillery soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals were awarded orders and medals. Of the 11 thousand 635 people awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War, there are more artillerymen than representatives of any other branch of the military - 1 thousand 885 people, and of the five heroes of the Soviet Union and full holders of the Order of Glory - two are artillerymen.
Rocket troops and artillery make up the branch of the Army. They are designed to engage the enemy by fire in an operation (battle) in order to inflict maximum damage on the enemy and reduce his combat potential, change the balance of forces and means in their favor, and create favorable conditions for combined arms formations, formations and military units to carry out assigned tasks. They are one of the main means of fire destruction. They account for up to 60% of the total volume of fire destruction tasks, and sometimes more.
The current state of artillery
Modern artillery of the ground forces is divided into military artillery (in foreign armies - field) and artillery of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, and by purpose - into ground and anti-aircraft. Ground artillery is divided: according to combat properties - into cannon, howitzer, rocket, anti-tank, mountain and mortars; by mode of transportation - self-propelled, towed, self-propelled, transportable and stationary. Navy artillery (naval artillery) includes naval and coastal artillery. According to the design features of artillery systems, rifled, smooth-bore, recoilless, rocket, casemate, and universal artillery are distinguished
Currently, missile forces and artillery have complexes and systems capable of delivering powerful and accurate strikes, firing over long ranges, maneuvering widely, and acting suddenly and quickly in any situation. The presence of self-propelled armored artillery systems, multiple launch rocket systems, missile systems, cluster and precision-guided munitions makes it possible to hit, with minimal consumption of missiles and ammunition, openly and covertly located, moving and stationary, observed and unobserved, armored, single, group objects (targets) in any weather conditions, day and night.
The coherence of headquarters and the professional training of officials of command and control bodies, formations and military units are improved in the course of command and staff exercises and training. Field training of personnel - in spring and autumn during monthly camp artillery training and weekly field trips of missile units. All combat training activities are carried out according to a single concept and plan together with combined arms units, in cooperation with units of the engineering, chemical and communications troops in conditions of strong radio-electronic influence. In matters of modernization of weapons and military equipment of the missile forces and artillery, the main efforts are concentrated on priority areas, justified and rational distribution of available resources.
The non-contact nature of combat operations, the destruction of objects in real time, selective destruction with high-precision weapons, increasing the survivability of troops, it is in the development of these areas that work is underway to modernize weapons and military equipment.
The reform of military education has made it possible to bring the system of training military personnel to a qualitatively new level, which today ensures a radical increase in the professionalism and general culture of officers of the missile forces and artillery.
The Russian Army is armed with 85- and 130-mm cannons, 122-, 152- and 203-mm howitzers, 152-mm howitzer guns and howitzer-guns, 82-, 120-, 160- and 240-mm mortars, 57 -, 85- and 100-mm anti-tank guns, combat vehicles (launchers) for 122-, 140- and 240-mm rockets, as well as for ATGMs. In foreign armies, the main types of artillery guns are 105- and 155-mm cannons, 105-, 155- and 203-mm howitzers, launchers for rockets (110-mm, etc.), 81-, 106.7- and 120 -mm mortars, 90mm anti-tank guns, 106- and 120mm recoilless rifles and various types of ATGMs. The firing range of guns is 13-33 km, howitzers - up to 24 km, mortars - 5-10 km. When using active-missile projectiles, it increases significantly.
Heroes - artillerymen of Russia
The current generation of heirs to heroic traditions fulfills their military duty with honor. For courage and heroism, high skill, and skillful leadership of troops, many rocket and artillerymen were awarded orders and medals. Among those who were awarded the high title of Hero of Russia for special distinctions are Lieutenant General Vladimir Bokovikov, who skillfully led the artillery actions of the joint group on the territory of Chechnya; the commander of the artillery regiment, Colonel Arkady Korolkov, who in one of the battles called fire on himself, the battery commander, Major Alexander Silin, who destroyed 5 tanks used by the militants during the first Chechen campaign. Now he is the chief of staff of the artillery regiment of the airborne division. The battery commander, Captain Viktor Romanov, was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously. He adjusted the fire while surrounded with the 6th Airborne Company, whose feat will never fade.
In everyday combat training, rocket and artillerymen demonstrate skillful use of their formidable weapons. In general, combat missions are being successfully accomplished during the counterterrorism operation in the North Caucasus.
Among the military units that set the tone in military service and inspire others by example is the Regional Training Center for the training of junior specialists, where the commander is Colonel Mikhail Polushkin, missile brigades commanded by Colonels Yuri Lykov (SKVO), Alexander Savinkin (MVO), MLRS brigade " Smerch" under the command of Colonel Mikhail Bezruchko (MVO), a military unit where the commander is Colonel Evgeny Nesterov (LenVO), a self-propelled artillery regiment commanded by Colonel Leonid Kaishev (PurVO), an artillery brigade under the command of Colonel Gennady Pavshin (Siberian Military District). Military Artillery University, where the duties of the chief are performed by Major General Vladimir Anisimov, school in Kazan, under the command of Colonel Sergei Borisovich Mikhailov.
The command of the missile forces and artillery pays special attention to the training of officers in universities of the military branches and junior specialists in regional training centers and training units. A unified system for training specialists is being created. Young officers are the future of the Russian army. Universities subordinate to the chief of missile forces and artillery train officers with higher military education on the basis of the Military Artillery University in St. Petersburg, officers with higher military-special education in Kazan, Kolomna and Yekaterinburg.
Prospects for the development of artillery
An analysis of military conflicts of recent decades, carried out taking into account the prospects for the development of weapons systems, shows that their most characteristic feature has been the transition from “contact” forms of combat operations, in which the main role is given to strikes by ground combined arms groupings of troops, to the so-called non-contact or reconnaissance-fire and electronic fire forms, in which deep fire engagement plays an increasingly important role.
Rocket troops and artillery were, are and will be the basis of the firepower of the Ground Forces, and the dominant role of cannon artillery and multiple launch rocket systems is assigned to this branch of the military.
At the same time, the research results convince us that the level of real combat capabilities of some of our formations, units and subunits at the moment no longer fully meets the requirements of the time.
Some types of artillery systems are outdated, and the situation in reconnaissance and control is no better. Not all processes of troop and fire control are automated, and the effectiveness of certain types of ammunition is low.
To solve these and other problems, it is necessary to tirelessly and responsibly improve the weapons and military equipment of the armed forces. The main thing for today is to equip the missile forces and artillery with highly effective automated control and reconnaissance systems, as well as modernized or promising missile and artillery systems, and means of comprehensive support and protection. It is the integration of existing reconnaissance, destruction and comprehensive support systems based on the automated control systems being developed that will make it possible to create the technical basis for reconnaissance and fire systems of missile forces and artillery.
One of the most pressing tasks today is the modernization of the most effective existing models (complexes) of weapons and military equipment. By improving their characteristics, increasing combat capabilities, extending service life, maintaining weapons in technical condition and readiness for combat use, a lot can be achieved. Modernization is carried out both by replacing individual components, assemblies, units, units, and by changing the design, using new materials, and introducing advanced technologies into their production.
For example, modernization of multiple launch rocket systems is achieved by equipping the combat vehicle with an automated guidance and fire control system.
In general, the modernization of available weapons and military equipment will significantly increase the total increase in the real fire capabilities of missile forces and artillery.
But along with modernization, it is extremely important to create promising technology, preserve and develop scientific, technical and technological potential. The costs of all this must, of course, be balanced and justified.
The measures taken at this difficult time for the Armed Forces will have a beneficial effect on the combat readiness of the missile forces and artillery and will make it possible not only to preserve, but also to enhance the wonderful traditions of this type of troops.
In the 17th century, the Russian state had to fight many wars. And in these wars, Russian artillery showed its high combat qualities.
At the beginning of the 17th century, significant innovations expanded the capabilities of Russian artillery. In the design of gun carriages, steel axles and a screw vertical guidance mechanism began to be used for the first time, replacing the outdated wedge mechanism.
With the spread of iron casting, it became possible to produce masses of cheap guns for arming ships and fortresses. In fact, cast iron was inferior to bronze in this quality, and cannons were made primarily of bronze until the mid-19th century. In any case, these were field guns, the weight requirements for which were the most stringent.
In turn, the improvement of bronze casting technology made it possible to cast more durable barrels. In field artillery, culverins were replaced by cannons in the first half of the 17th century, which, by the way, was facilitated by the use of iron axles, since the recoil force is related to the ratio of the weight of the barrel to the weight of the projectile. The guns, which had this ratio, were smaller in comparison with the culverins, were more likely to destroy the carriage.
During the 17th century, the material part of the artillery took on the form that it retained until the mid-19th century.
In 1605, for the first time in military history, the outcome of the battle near Drbrynichi with the interventionists - the Polish gentry - was decided in favor of the Russians exclusively by the fire of Russian artillery from cannons and the fire of riflemen from self-propelled guns, without the usual hand-to-hand combat in those days.
In 1608, the three-thousand-strong Russian garrison of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (now the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region), skillfully using its strong artillery and self-propelled guns, successfully repulsed the attacks of the thirty-thousand-strong army of the Polish invaders Sapieha and Lisovsky for 16 months.
A small Russian garrison, led by Voivode Shein, heroically defended the city of Smolensk against the army of the Polish king Sigismund in 1610–1611, skillfully using its artillery.
Artillery was successfully used in 1611 in the battles of Moscow rebels who fought on the streets of Moscow under the leadership of Dmitry Pozharsky against the Polish invaders.
Artillery provided great assistance to the Russian troops during their capture of Smolensk, Orsha and a number of other cities temporarily captured by the Polish interventionists.
The first mention of the combat use of artillery in Rus' dates back to 1382, when, defending against the invasion of Tokhtamysh’s troops, Muscovites “fired from big cannons.”
The first mention of the combat use of artillery in Rus' dates back to 1382, when, defending against the invasion of Tokhtamysh’s troops, Muscovites “fired from big cannons.” The first cannons were forged from iron, there were two types: short ones (“mattresses”, the name presumably comes from the Persian word “tupang” - “pipe”), which were a short pipe, tightly welded on one side and loaded from the muzzle. From such guns they fired “shot” - small stones, a prototype of future buckshot. This method of fighting was called “hedgehog fighting”; it was intended to defeat enemy personnel.But there were also long-barreled guns, called “pikali,” which were loaded from the breech. This is due to the fact that in those days gunpowder was a pulp, which, with a long barrel length, was smeared along its walls. For this purpose, a separate loading chamber was adapted, which looked like a mug. After preparing the shot, they took it out, secured it all in the barrel and brought the gun.
Cannonballs were fired from arquebuses. They were made from processed stones, forged from iron, and later began to be cast from cast iron.
Until the 16th century, carriages as such did not exist. The trunks were installed on special oak logs.
An important breakthrough in the development of artillery was the fact that at the end of the 15th century they learned to cast artillery guns from bronze. So until the second half of the 19th century, that is, before the advent of rifled artillery, bronze became the main cannon metal. The only example of bronze casting from this time that has survived to our time is considered to be a weapon cast by the master Jacob the Russian in 1491.
Bronze casting made it possible to make tools of much larger sizes than before, when they were forged from iron (when processing iron by forging, there are a number of restrictions that do not allow making tools of more than a certain size). Russian artillery achieved particular success during the time of Ivan the Terrible, under whom artillery became a special branch of the military. At this time, the famous cannon master Andrei Chokhov was working in Moscow at the Cannon Yard. Only 12 of the many guns he cast during the 60 years of his work at the cannon yard have survived to this day. Seven guns are in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps in St. Petersburg, three guns are in Moscow, including the famous Tsar Cannon, and two are in Stockholm, where they ended up as trophies after an unsuccessful our army at the battle of Narva in 1700.
One of the outstanding examples created by Andrei Chokhov is the Inrog cannon (“Inrog” is a fairy-tale animal), cast in bronze, over 5 meters long, with a caliber of 216 millimeters, firing cannonballs weighing 28 kilograms over a distance of over 1 kilometer. True, the rate of fire of this gun, which was loaded from the muzzle, was low - it took more than one hour to fire 1 shot. (It should be noted that by that time, gunpowder from a soft viscous mass had become granular, which made it easier to load the gun from the muzzle side. Thus, by the 16th century, almost all artillery became muzzle-loading). To transport this weapon, a hundred horses were required.
For the first time, Inrog took part in the Livonian War during the time of Ivan the Terrible. Then in 1632, during an unsuccessful attempt by Russian troops to liberate Smolensk captured by the Poles, this gun was taken by them as a trophy and sent to the city of Elbing, where already during the Northern War it was again captured by the army of Charles 12. But at the end of the Northern War it The gun was brought to Russia by the Swedish merchant Johann Priym and bought by Peter 1.
Another typical example of siege artillery of the late 16th century is the Scroll gun, which was cast by master Semyon Dubinin. The gun had a barrel, decorated on the outside as if with a scroll, a spiral, about 4.5 meters long and about 200 mm in caliber.
The 16th century guns are distinguished by the presence of trunnions on the barrel for fastening to the gun carriage. Also on the guns of this period there are handles for carrying and installing barrels. Moreover, Russian craftsmen never made the same simple handles - they were made in the form of various mythological animals, mainly marine ones, uncharacteristic of Russian fauna. The rear handle, which is located at the tightly sealed end of the barrel, is called “vingrad”, since it was very often made in the form of a bunch of grapes.
Already at this time, Russian craftsmen were thinking about increasing the range of the shot. They already understood that the range of a shot directly depends on the length of the barrel. The first experience in creating a long-barreled gun was the “Three Asps” arquebus, which was cast specifically for the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery. This arquebus was a long pipe (over a hundred calibers long, that is, about 5 meters) with loading from the breech side. The arquecal caliber is 45 mm, length 4930 mm, weight 162 kg. The barrel was locked with a wedge, which was the first prototype of the future wedge bolt. The barrel was forged from three pipes of equal length and then hammered. The places where the shackles were forged had the appearance of snake mouths biting the tail of the previous one (hence the name “Three Asps”). But the mass of the powder charge, which could push the charge out of the barrel, was incorrectly calculated, and during the first shot the lead core never went beyond its limits. Moreover, it was stuck there.
At the same time, a wide variety of shutter shapes were available. The simplest of them was the screw one. Simply put, a steel plug was screwed into the barrel after loading. A 3/4-hryvnia “quick-firing” iron arquebus, made in the 16th century, has been preserved. Caliber 44-42 mm, length 2860 mm, weight 115 kg. In the muzzle of the channel there are 12 straight parallel rifling about 500 mm long. The barrel of the squeak was locked with a screw-in “vingrad” (shutter) with a tetrahedral tail. It is curious that this arquebus was in service with Pugachev’s army.
In the 17th century, Russian breech-loading guns took on a more advanced form. For example, a 1/2-hryvnia (1 hryvnia is equal to 1 pound) iron arquebus, made in 1661-1673, had a horizontal wedge shutter, locked with a handle. On the plane of the wedge there were teeth that engaged with a gear mounted on one rod with a handle. Pike caliber 27 mm, barrel length 1160 mm, weight 19 kg. Forged iron barrel.
The 1-hryvnia arquecha, made in 1661-1673 by master Ermolai Fedorov, had a screw-in screw as a shutter. The caliber of the gun was 46 mm, barrel length 2730 mm, weight 106 kg. The iron barrel had 16 semicircular rifling, making 1.25 turns along the rifled part of the barrel.
The Artillery Museum also displays a 1/2-hryvnia arquebus, where the channel was closed with a vertical wedge.
Thus, in the 16th-17th centuries there were dozens, if not hundreds, of examples of artillery guns that were structurally close to the guns of the late 19th century - rifled with vertical and horizontal wedge gates.
Also in the 16th century, the idea of the need for rifling inside the barrel arose. A typical example of a fairly successful embodiment of this idea is the so-called “Faceted Squeaker”, which already has rifling in the barrel, although not for its entire length. But even then the craftsmen understood that the presence of rifling has a positive effect on the quality of shooting. The gun was loaded from the rear and locked with a screw-in screw, which was a prototype of a piston bolt.
To hit targets located behind the fortress walls, mortars were intended - short-barreled guns, which in the combat position stood like a mortar, almost vertically. The core of such a mortar weighed about thirty pounds. In order to load it, it was necessary to build an inclined plane along which, using special levers, the cannonball was rolled into the barrel, having first poured a powder charge into the breech from the muzzle side and inserted a wad.
Along with cannonballs - impact projectiles, explosive projectiles also appeared in the 16th century. If the weight of such a projectile is less than a pound, then it was a “bomb”; if less, then it was called a “grenada”. Subsequently, from this name came the name of the type of army - “grenadiers”.
Attempts to create breech-loading squeaks with a real wedge breech date back to the 17th century. Several samples of such guns were created, equipped with a vertical wedge breech, which made it possible to tightly lock the barrel after loading. Interestingly, at the end of the 19th century, one of the Krupp dynasty of German gunsmiths wanted to patent the wedge bolt he had invented. But, having seen a 17th century arquebus in the Artillery Museum of St. Petersburg, which even then had a wedge shutter, he wanted to buy it at all costs. Probably in order to hide the fact that Russian gunsmiths were more than two hundred years before him. Naturally, nothing worked out for him.
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, attempts were made to increase the rate of fire by combining several barrels. Such weapons were called “organ” or “magpie”. This weapon was a square box with 105 small-caliber barrels placed in it. The barrels inside this box were connected to each other by powder shelves. The spark from the flintlock, once inside, runs along the shelves, causing all the barrels to fire in turn. All 105 barrels were fired in a very short time, almost in one gulp. Such guns were very effective in close combat, when repelling attacks by enemy infantry.
The next important stage in the development of Russian artillery was the reign of Peter the Great. Before him, there were no calibers in Russian artillery - each master cast guns in his own way, concerned only with ensuring that it was durable and beautiful. Therefore, enormous difficulties arose in the production of nuclei. When, for example, during the storming of Narva in 1700, one and a half hundred guns were assembled in one place, it was very difficult to figure out which cannonballs were suitable for which gun. This was one of the reasons for the defeat of our troops in the battle of Narva and the complete loss of all artillery.
In order to re-create artillery, it was necessary to build several new factories - in the Urals and in Olonets (present-day Karelia). They coped with this task successfully - in the battle of Poltava, Russian artillery was not only not inferior to Swedish, but even surpassed it. In this battle, the Russian artillery was commanded by Yakov Bruce, one of Peter's closest associates.
In memory of this victory, Tula gunsmiths presented Peter the Great with a weapon, which was entirely forged from Damascus steel. This fact in itself is unique, because forging steel is a very complex technological process. And the first military weapons cast from steel would appear only in the second half of the 19th century. The weapon is inlaid with silver and gold, the vingrad is made in the form of the head of a mythical dragon holding a cannonball.
New types of “hand artillery” are also appearing - dragoons are armed with small “mortars” that fire explosive “grenades” at 200-250 steps. Such weapons are, in fact, the prototype of a modern grenade launcher.
Throughout the entire period of development of Russian artillery, our gunsmiths and military engineers tried to solve the problem of hitting as many enemy personnel as possible with one gun in one salvo. For this purpose, more and more new types of guns (like the already familiar “organ”) or ammunition (like buckshot) were invented. An attempt was also made to create a weapon that would fire three cannonballs simultaneously, which were wrapped in canvas and placed side by side. However, the accuracy and firing range left much to be desired, so the gun remained experimental.
Another model that was adopted by the Russian army in the 18th century is the 44-mortar battery. The gun was a very durable rotating carriage on which 44 mortars were attached. They are connected in groups of 5-6 within one sector. Sectors are separated from each other by disks. Inside, these mortars are connected by a powder shelf. During the battle, the lid covering this shelf is removed, a pin is brought to it, and a spark through the holes enters the mortar chambers - and a shot occurs. After a sector fires a salvo, it rotates and another one takes its place. At this time, all “spent” sectors are charged again. This design was proposed by Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov.
Another impulse in the development of artillery was made in the mid-18th century, during the time of Elisaveta Petrovna. At this time, Count Pyotr Shuvalov was the general-feldtzeichmester of the Russian army. He was not a professional artilleryman, but nevertheless he loved artillery. Under his leadership, officers Martynov and Danilov created a weapon that was recognized as the best weapon of its time. This weapon was called “Unicorn”, because, having familiarized itself with the results of its tests, Shuvalov ordered to mark it with his coat of arms, which depicted this animal. The handles of this weapon were made in the shape of unicorns.
The fundamental difference between this weapon and everything that previously existed is that its breech was conical. This made it possible to load the gun in such a way that the projectile adhered very tightly to the walls of the barrel, preventing the breakthrough of powder gases. Accordingly, due to this, the range has increased and the accuracy of fire has improved; guns firing over long distances were no longer large, which ensured their easy transportation. In addition, unicorns (as this type of weapon came to be called) could be loaded with both cannonballs and grenades. Also, with the short length of the “unicorn” barrel, it was possible to shoot over the heads of one’s own troops, which predetermined a change in artillery tactics on the battlefield. Unicorns remained in service with Russian artillery until the mid-19th century, that is, almost until the advent of rifled artillery. The first combat use of unicorns occurred during the Seven Years' War of 1756-63.
Shuvalov also developed a project for a weapon called the “secret howitzer.” The secret of this howitzer was that the muzzle of the barrel was oval. This was necessary to increase the angle of expansion of the buckshot and, accordingly, to increase the number of enemy personnel hit. The weapon was successfully used in the Seven Years' War, but quickly disappeared from the scene precisely because of the narrow range of shells used - it was necessary to shoot not only buckshot, but also cannonballs and grenades, but this was impossible from this howitzer.
From this period, there were no fundamental changes in the development of artillery until the mid-19th century. The guns still remain bronze (less often cast iron), muzzle-loading and smooth-bore. Low tide technology has changed. If previously a completely finished gun was cast, now this process has been accelerated - first a blank was cast, which was then ground on the outside, and then the barrel bore was drilled out.
Count Arakcheev played a huge role in the transformation of our artillery. About his cruelty, cowardice, reactionaryness, illiteracy, etc. Enough has been written. But you can’t erase the words from the song; Russian artillery owes its victories in 1812-1815 primarily to Arakcheev. Artilleryman I.S. Zhirkevich, a contemporary of Arakcheev, wrote: “I will not dwell on the improvements in the artillery unit: everyone in Russia knows that it, in its present form, was created by Arakcheev, and if it was formed to the perfection of the present, then he laid a solid foundation for everything.”
Arakcheev introduced a system of guns of the 1805 model. Let's say right away that there were no revolutionary technical innovations in the new system. Uniformity was simply introduced. Almost all artillery systems were significantly lightened. Excessive decorations on the bodies of the guns were removed. All channels of the 1805 model guns ended with a hemispherical bottom.
Of the many dozen types of guns that existed under Catherine II, only the following should have remained in the field artillery: 12-pound guns of medium and smaller proportions, a 6-pound gun of smaller proportions, as well as unicorns: 1/2-pound, 1/4-pound on foot, 1/4 pound horse. All these cannons were cast from the so-called “artillery metal”, containing 10 parts copper and one part tin. To aim the guns at the target, before each shot, a quadrant was installed on the barrel along which the gun was aimed. Immediately before the shot itself, it was removed so that the shot did not throw off the aim, and then installed again.
Field artillery guns had only two carriages: a battery carriage for 1/2-pound unicorns and 12-pounder guns, and a light carriage for 1/4-pound unicorns and 6-pounder guns. Battery carriages were carried by six horses, light ones in foot artillery by four horses, and in horse artillery by six. 1/2-pound unicorns and 12-pound cannons were carried by eight horses.
Thus, Arakcheev created a type of field weapon. It is interesting that until 1945, all field (divisional) guns in terms of system weight in combat and stowed position, wheel diameter, travel width, etc. will fit within the framework of characteristics between the light and battery carriage of the 1805 model. This is explained by the fact that before the complete transfer of field artillery to mechanical traction, the weight and size characteristics of the guns were limited by the capabilities of six horses...
To be continued...
The presence of its own qualified craftsmen capable of producing guns of various types and calibers, as well as the actions of a number of border states (Lithuania, Livonia), who sought to limit the penetration of European military technology into Rus', forced the Moscow government to rely on its own strength in creating new types of artillery weapons. However, the conclusion of A.V. Muravyov and A.M. Sakharov’s statement that since 1505 “foreign cannon masters no longer came to Moscow” sounds too categorical. It is known that in the 1550-1560s. In the Russian capital, a foreign master Kashpir Ganusov, the teacher of Andrei Chokhov, worked. During the Russian-Swedish war of 1554-1556. and the Livonian War, all artillerymen and craftsmen who showed such a desire from among the captured Swedes and Germans were enlisted in the Russian service. Finally, in 1630, on the eve of the Smolensk War of 1632-1634, the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf sent the Dutch cannon master Julis Koet to Moscow with other specialists who knew the secret of casting light field guns - a fundamentally new type of artillery weapons, thanks to which the Swedes won many big victories. Another envoy of Gustav II Adolf, Andreas Vinnius (Elisey Ulyanov), began building Tula and Kashira arms factories.
In the middle of the 17th century. in 100 cities and 4 monasteries under the jurisdiction of the Pushkarskar order, 2637 guns were in service. 2/3 of them were bronze, the rest were iron. If necessary, “snatches” were also used - cannons and squeaks, the barrels of which were damaged (exploded during firing), but from which it was still possible to fire at the enemy. Of the total number of guns of 2637 units, only 62 were unsuitable for battle.
An important technical innovation was the use of calibration and measuring compasses - “circles”, which found wide application in the casting of cannons and cannonballs. These devices were first mentioned in a letter sent to Novgorod on November 27, 1555; they were probably used before. With the help of circles, the diameters of the barrels and cores intended for a particular type of gun were checked so that the gap between the core and the barrel bore ensured the loading speed and the proper force of the shot. For the same purpose, canvas, cardboard and flax, and other sealing materials were used to wrap the cores, and the finished cores were stored in special “boxes” - a prototype of future charging boxes. Documents that have come down to us testify to the use of this kind of improvised materials in artillery. So, during the Russian-Swedish war of 1554-1557, on the eve of the Vyborg campaign, Moscow gunners were sent to Novgorod, who were supposed to teach Novgorod blacksmiths how to make “fire cannonballs,” perhaps a prototype of future incendiary shells. To make them, it was required: “ten canvases, and three hundred sheets of good large paper, which is thick, and twenty-two five-liners of soft small paper, and eight linen bags, twenty fathoms each, whatever the gunners choose, and eight boxes for cannonballs and bags, Yes, osmers, and twenty hryvnias of lead, and eight sheepskins.” Apparently, the shells were made by wrapping iron cannonballs in several layers of thick paper and fabric, possibly impregnated with a flammable composition (resin and sulfur), then braiding them with durable linen “snails”.
I continue a series of video publications about the military history of the Middle Ages.
This time video lectures by military historians, candidates of historical sciences Alexey Lobin and Nikolai Smirnov about the army and weapons of the Russian kingdom of the 16th-17th centuries. Documents of that time, about the Tsar Cannon, artillery and its development, about the service of Russian nobles, about the local cavalry, about spearmen, about the daily life of the military class and much more. Audio versions of the lectures are attached.
Alexey Lobin about the Tsar Cannon. Historian, candidate of historical sciences A.N. Lobin about the Tsar Cannon. Who cast the cannon, why, whether it was a cannon and whether they fired from it. How many similar guns were there in Russia, how were they cast and where did they go?
Audio version: Alexey Lobin about the Tsar Cannon
Alexey Lobin about myths about Russian artillery of the 16th-17th centuries. Historian, candidate of historical sciences A.N. Lobin about Russian artillery of the 16th-17th centuries. About the development of artillery in Russia, the unification of guns, military education in the Russian kingdom, the classification of guns, where did the artillery park of the 16th-17th centuries go?
Audio version: Alexey Lobin about myths about Russian artillery of the 16th-17th centuries
Alexey Lobin about the service of Russian nobles in the 15th-17th centuries. About service landowners and patrimonial owners, about injuries and retirement, about localism and much more.
Audio version: Alexey Lobin about the service of Russian nobles in the 15th-17th centuries
Historian, Candidate of Historical Sciences Nikolai Smirnov about the weapons and equipment of the local cavalry of the 16th-17th centuries. Documents of the 16th-17th centuries about the local cavalry, weapons and equipment, numbers, combat effectiveness, provision of land
Audio version: Nikolai Smirnov about the weapons and equipment of the local cavalry of the 16th-17th centuries
Historian, Ph.D. Alexey Lobin about 17th century spearmen. About the appearance of Russian spearmen, weapons, battle tactics, documents, recruitment, mounted spearmen, hussar regiment
Audio version: Alexey Lobin about 17th century spearmen
Historian, Ph.D. Nikolai Smirnov about land ownership of the Russian military class of the 16th-17th centuries.
Agrarian history of North-West Russia. Second half of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. - L. Science, 1971
Agrarian history of the North-West of Russia in the 16th century, North, Pskov: General results of the development of the North-West. - L.: Science, 1978
Agrarian history of North-West Russia of the 16th century. Novgorod Pyatiny. L.: Nauka, 1974
Agrarian history of North-West Russia. XVII century: (Population, land tenure, land use). - Leningrad: L.: Science. 1971
Veselovsky S. B. Soshnoe letter: a study on the history of the cadastre and taxation of the Moscow State. - M., 1915-1916.
Vorobyov V. M. False Dmitry I and the fate of the service “for the fatherland” and the local system. // The past of Novgorod and the Novgorod land. Materials of the scientific conference. November 18-20, 2003. Veliky Novgorod. 2003. pp. 98-122
Gauthier Yu.V. Zamoskovny region in the 17th century: Research experience on the history of economic life of Moscow Rus'. - M., 1906. (2nd ed. - M.: Sotsekgiz, 1937. 410 p.)
Rozhkov N.A. Agriculture of Muscovite Rus' in the 16th century.