The arms race is not an attribute of the past few decades. It began a long time ago and, unfortunately, is ongoing. The armament of the state is one of the main criteria for its defense capability.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, ballooning began to develop rapidly. Balloons were mastered, and a little later - airships. The ingenious invention, as often happens, was put on a war footing. To freely enter enemy territory, spray poisonous substances over enemy positions, throw saboteurs behind enemy lines is the ultimate dream of military leaders of that period.
Obviously, for the successful defense of its borders, any state was interested in creating powerful weapons that could hit flying targets. It is precisely these prerequisites that indicated the need to create anti-aircraft artillery - a type of weapon capable of destroying enemy air targets, preventing them from penetrating their territory. Consequently, the enemy was deprived of the opportunity to inflict serious air damage on the troops.
The article devoted to anti-aircraft artillery considers the classification of these weapons, the main milestones of its development and improvement. The installations that were in service with the Soviet Union and the Wehrmacht during the Great Patriotic War, their application are described. It also tells about the development and testing of this anti-aircraft weapon, especially its use.
The emergence of artillery to combat air targets
Of interest is the very name of this type of weapon - anti-aircraft artillery. This type of artillery got its name due to the supposed zone of destruction of guns - the air. Consequently, the angle of fire of such guns, as a rule, is 360 degrees and allows firing at targets located in the sky above the gun - at its zenith.
The first mention of this type of weaponry dates back to the late nineteenth century. The reason for the appearance of such weapons in the Russian army was the potential threat of an air attack from Germany, with which the Russian Empire gradually worsened relations.
It is no secret that Germany has long been developing aircraft capable of participating in hostilities. Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a German inventor and constructor, was a great success. The result of fruitful work was the creation in 1900 of the first airship - the Zeppelin LZ 1. And although this unit was still far from perfect, it already posed a certain threat.
In order to have a weapon capable of withstanding German balloons and airships (zeppelins), the Russian Empire began its development and testing. Thus, in 1891, the first year, the first tests were held, devoted to firing from the available weapons in the country at large air targets. As targets for such firing made ordinary air cylinders, moved with the help of horsepower. Despite the fact that the firing had a definite result, the entire military command involved in the exercise was united in the fact that a special anti-aircraft gun was needed for effective air defense of the army. So began the development of anti-aircraft artillery in the Russian Empire.
Cannon sample 1914-1915 years
Already in 1901, domestic gunsmiths tabled the draft of the first domestic anti-aircraft gun. Nevertheless, the country's top military leadership rejected the idea of creating such weapons, arguing their decision by the lack of emergency.
However, in 1908, the idea of an anti-aircraft gun received a "second chance". Several talented designers developed the terms of reference for the future gun, and entrusted the design team with Franz Lender to implement the project.
In 1914, the project was implemented, and in 1915 it underwent modernization. The reason for this was the naturally arising question: how to move such a massive gun to the right place?
The solution was found - to equip the truck body with a gun. Thus, by the end of the year the first copies of the gun mounted on a car appeared. The wheelbase for moving the gun was the Russian Russo-Balt-T trucks and the American White.
So the first domestic anti-aircraft gun was created, popularly called the “Lender Gun” by the name of its creator. The weapon proved to be good in the battles of the First World War. Obviously, with the invention of aircraft, this weapon constantly lost its relevance. Nevertheless, the latest samples of this weapon were in service until the end of World War II.
The use of anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft guns were used in the conduct of hostilities to achieve not one but several goals.
Firstly, shooting at enemy air targets. This is what this type of weaponry was created for.
Secondly, fencing - a special technique used unexpectedly to repel an enemy’s attack or counterattack. In this case, the gun crew was given specific areas that were supposed to be shot through. This application also proved to be quite effective and caused significant damage to the personnel and equipment of the enemy.
Also, anti-aircraft guns have established themselves as an effective means in the fight against enemy tank formations.
Classification
There are several options for classifying anti-aircraft artillery. Consider the most common of them: classification by caliber and classification by the method of placement.
By type of calibers
It is customary to distinguish several types of anti-aircraft guns depending on the size of the caliber of the gun barrel. According to this principle, small-caliber weapons (the so-called small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery) are distinguished. It varies from twenty to sixty millimeters. As well as medium (from sixty to one hundred millimeters) and large (more than one hundred millimeters) calibers.
For this classification, one regular principle is characteristic. The larger the caliber of the gun, the more massive and heavier it is. Consequently, large-caliber guns are more difficult to move between objects. Often, large-caliber anti-aircraft guns were located on stationary objects. Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, by contrast, has the greatest mobility. Such a tool is easily transported if necessary. It should be noted that anti-aircraft artillery of the USSR was never replenished with large-caliber guns.
A special type of armament is anti - aircraft machine guns. The caliber of such guns ranged from 12 to 14.5 millimeters.
By placement on objects
The next option for classifying anti-aircraft guns is by the type of placement of the gun on the object. According to this classification, the following types of weapons of this type are distinguished. Conventionally, the classification of objects is divided into three subspecies: self-propelled, stationary and trailed.
Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns are able to move in battle on their own, which makes them more mobile than other subspecies. For example, an anti-aircraft battery can suddenly change its position and get away from an enemy’s strike. Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns also have their own classification according to the type of chassis: on a wheelbase, on a tracked base and on a half-tracked base.
The next subtype of classification according to accommodation facilities is stationary anti-aircraft guns. The name of this subspecies speaks for itself - they are not intended for movement and are attached for a long time and thoroughly. Among stationary anti-aircraft guns, several varieties are also distinguished.
The first of them - serf anti-aircraft guns. Such weapons are located at large strategic sites, which may need to be protected from enemy air strikes. Such guns, as a rule, have an impressive weight and a large caliber.
The next type of stationary anti-aircraft guns - ship. Such installations are used in the fleet and are designed to combat enemy flying objects in naval battles. The main objective of such guns is to protect the warship from air strikes.
The most unusual type of stationary anti-aircraft guns is armored trains. Such a gun was placed in the train in order to protect the composition of the bombing. This category of weapons is less common than the other two.
The last type of stationary anti-aircraft guns is trailed. Such a weapon was not capable of independent maneuvers and did not have an engine, but was towed by a tractor and was relatively mobile.
Anti-aircraft guns of the period of the Great Patriotic War
World War II for the anti-aircraft artillery was the culmination of an era. It was during this period that this weapon was used to a greater extent. Soviet anti-aircraft artillery opposed the German "colleagues." Both the one and the other side were armed with interesting specimens. Let's get acquainted with the anti-aircraft artillery of the Second World War in more detail.
Soviet anti-aircraft mounts
The anti-aircraft artillery of World War II of the USSR had one distinctive feature - it was not large-caliber. Of the five copies that were in service with the Soviet Union, four were mobile: 72-K, 52-K, 61-K and a cannon of the 1938 model. The 3-K gun was stationary and was intended for the defense of objects.
Great importance was given not only to the production of guns, but also to the training of skilled anti-aircraft gunners. One of the centers of the USSR for training qualified anti-aircraft gunners was the Sevastopol school of anti-aircraft artillery. The institution had an alternative short name - CPSA. Graduates of the school played an important role in the defense of the city of Sevastopol and contributed to the victory over the fascist invader.
So, let us consider in more detail each of the USSR anti-aircraft artillery in ascending order by year of development.
76 mm K-3 gun
Stationary serf gun, making possible the defense of strategic objects from enemy aircraft. The caliber of the gun is 76 millimeters, therefore, it is a medium-caliber gun.
The prototype of this weapon was the development of the German company Rheinmetall with a 75 mm caliber. In total, about four thousand of such guns were in service with the domestic army.
The gun had a number of advantages. For that time, she had excellent ballistic qualities (the initial velocity of the projectile was over 800 meters per second) and a semi-automatic mechanism. Manually from this gun had to make only a shot.
A projectile weighing more than 6.5 kilograms fired from such a gun into the air was able to maintain its slaughter characteristics at an altitude of over 9 kilometers.
The gun carriage (mount) provided a firing angle of 360 degrees.
For its size, the gun was fast enough - 20 rounds per minute.
The combat use of this type of weapon took place in the Soviet-Finnish War and the Great Patriotic War.
76 mm 1938 gun
A rare instance that has not gained distribution in the Soviet army. Despite decent ballistic performance, this gun was inconvenient to use due to the duration of bringing into combat condition - up to 5 minutes. The cannon was used by the Soviet Union in the early stages of World War II.
Soon it was modernized and replaced by another instance - the K-52 cannon. Externally, the guns are very similar and differ only in minor details in the barrel.
85 mm K-52 gun
Modified model of the 76 mm gun of 1938. An excellent domestic representative of anti-aircraft artillery of the Second World War, who solved not only the task of destroying enemy aircraft and landing forces, but also tearing apart the armor of almost all German tanks.
Launched in a short time, the gun technology was constantly simplified and improved, allowing for its large-scale production and use at the front.
The weapon had excellent ballistic data and a rich assortment of ammunition. A shell fired from the barrel of such a weapon was capable of hitting targets at a height of up to 10 thousand meters. The initial flight speed of individual shells exceeded 1 thousand meters per second, which was a phenomenal result. The maximum weight of the shell of this gun could reach 9.5 kilograms.
It is not surprising that the chief designer Dorokhin was repeatedly awarded state awards for the creation of this weapon.
37 mm gun K-61
Another masterpiece of anti-aircraft artillery of the USSR. The Swedish prototype anti-aircraft weapons was taken as a sample. The gun is so popular that it is in service with some countries to this day.
What about the characteristics of the gun? She is small-caliber. However, this revealed the majority of its advantages. The 37-mm shell was guaranteed to disable almost any flying object of that era. One of the main disadvantages of anti-aircraft artillery of the Second World War is the enormous size of shells that impede the equipment of the gun. Due to the relatively light weight of the projectile, working with the gun was convenient, and a high rate of fire was ensured - up to 170 rounds per minute. An automatic cannon firing system also contributed.
Of the minuses of this gun, we can list the poor penetration of German tanks "in the forehead." In order to hit the tank, it was necessary to be located no further than 500 meters from the target. On the other hand, it is an anti-aircraft gun, and not an anti-tank gun. Shooting anti-aircraft artillery is reduced to the defeat of air targets, and the gun coped with this task perfectly.
25-mm gun 72-K
The main trump card of this gun is lightness (up to 1200 kilograms) and mobility (up to 60 kilometers per hour on the highway). The tasks of the gun included the air defense of the regiment during enemy air strikes.
The weapon had an excellent rate of fire - within 250 rounds per minute, and was serviced by a crew of 6 people.
In the entire history, about 5 thousand units of such weapons were released.
Armament of Germany
Wehrmacht anti-aircraft artillery was represented by guns of all calibers - from small (Flak-30) to large (105-mm Flak-38). A feature of the use of German air defense during the Second World War was that the cost of German counterparts, compared with the Soviet ones, was much higher.
In addition, the Wehrmacht could truly appreciate the effectiveness of its large-caliber anti-aircraft guns only during the defense of Germany from air strikes of the USSR, the USA and England, when the war was almost lost.
One of the main test bases of the Wehrmacht was the Wustrow anti-aircraft artillery range. Located on a peninsula in the middle of the water, the training ground was an excellent site for testing guns. After World War II, this base was occupied by Soviet troops, and the Wustrow Air Defense Training Center was created.
Air Defense in the Vietnam War
Separately, it should be emphasized the importance of anti-aircraft artillery in the Vietnam War. A feature of this military conflict was that the US military, not wanting to use infantry, constantly launched air strikes against the DRV. In some cases, the density of the bombing reached 200 tons per 1 square kilometer.
In the first stage of the war, Vietnam had nothing to oppose to American aviation, which the latter actively used.
At the second stage of the war, anti-aircraft guns of medium and small caliber fall into the arsenal of Vietnam, which significantly complicated the tasks of bombing the country with the Americans. Only in 1965, Vietnam had actual air defense systems capable of giving a decent response to air raids.
Modern stage
Currently, anti-aircraft artillery is practically not used in military units. In its place came more accurate and powerful anti-aircraft missile systems.
Many of the tools of the Great Patriotic War are in museums, parks and squares dedicated to the Victory. Some anti-aircraft guns are still used in mountainous areas as avalanche tools.