280 mm mortar M1939 (Br-5)

280 mm mortar M1939 (Br-5)
Br-5 in Saint Petersburg Artillery Museum.
Place of origin USSR
Service history
In service 1939-1970s
Used by  Soviet Union
Wars Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)
Production history
Designer Barrikady
Manufacturer Barrikady
Produced 1939-1940
No. built 47
Specifications
Weight combat: 18,400 kg (40,600 lb)
travel: 19,700 kg (43,400 lb)
Barrel length bore: 3.975 m (13 ft 0.5 in) L/14.2
overall: 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) L/17
Crew 15
Shell 246 kg (542 lb)
Caliber 279.4 mm (11 in)
Elevation 0 to 60 degrees
Traverse 8 degrees
Rate of fire 1 round every 4 minutes
Muzzle velocity 356 m/s (1,170 ft/s)
Effective firing range 10,410 m (11,380 yd)

The 280 mm mortar M1939 (Br-5) (Russian: 280-мм мортира образца 1939 года (Бр-5)) was a Soviet heavy artillery piece used during World War II, it was the Red Army´s heaviest field piece during the war.

Design

The Br-5 mortar was a 279.4 mm (11 in) calibre towed mortar with a barrel 14.2 calibres long. The Br-5 mortar shared the same tracked, box trail carriage as the 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) and the 203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4). The carriage allowed transportation of the weapon over short distances with the speed of 5–8 km/h (3–5 mph), for longer distances the barrel was removed from the carriage and transported separately on a special wheeled cart, the Br-10, a speed of 25 km/h (16 mph) was possible with the barrel removed.[1][2]

For transport the Voroshilovets artillery tractor was used to haul the Br-5 gun carriage, whilst the less powerful Komintern artillery tractor was employed to pull the Br-10 cart and barrel.[1]

Development

By the 1930s the Red Army's siege artillery consisted of obsolete stocks of 280 mm Schneider M1914/15s and 305 mm howitzer M1915s, both inherited from the Imperial Russian Army. It was determined a new piece was required, and the calibre was chosen because of the available stocks of 280 mm Schneider M1914/15 ammunition. Since the 203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) was already in service and the 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) was under development utilising the former's carriage, it was decided to adopt same carriage for the new siege mortar, simplifying production and operation.[3]

Both the Bolshevik factory of St Petersburg and the Barrikady factory of Stalingrad were tasked to submit competing designs, the Bolshevik design being named the B-33, the Barrikady design the Br-5. Both designs were ready for factory testing in 1936 and were competitively evaluated in 1937. Despite the B-33 demonstrating better performance in several key areas, the Br-5 was chosen.[3]

Production

The first order for eight pieces was placed with the Barrikady factory in May 1937, although this was subsequently reduced to two in recognition of the immaturity of the system. Development of the system continued throughout 1938 and in 1939 the first 20 pieces were produced, with an additional 25 pieces following in 1940.[3][4]

Service

In Red Army service the Br-5 mortars were intended for the destruction of particularly strong concrete, reinforced concrete or armoured structures.[1]

The Br-5 mortar's combat debut occurred in Finland during the Winter War in November 1939. Four Br-5 mortars were deployed to Finland with the 40th Separate Artillery Battalion, where they were used to destroy heavily armoured bunkers and pillboxes during the battles along the Mannerheim Line. Br-5 mortars fired a total of 414 shells during the Winter War, the extraordinary defences faced can be seen in the assault on Pillbox #0031, which fell only after 116 Br-5 mortar shells as well as 1,043 203 mm B-4 howitzer shells were fired at it from point blank range. Pillbox #0011 continued to resist after a combined 203 mm and 280 mm onslaught of 1,322 shells were fired at it.[3][5]

Information about the employment of the Br-5 mortar during the Great Patriotic War is scarce; their deployment was heavily classified as it was generally indicative of a major attack. In service they were organised into howitzer battalions of six mortars, each battalion consisting of three batteries each with two mortars. Between 1941 and 1945 the Red Army had eight such battalions, armed with both the Br-5 and the old 280 mm Schneider M1914/15. Nine pieces were lost in the fighting of 1941.[3][6]

Reference has been made to the use of the Br-5 mortar by the 1st Belorussian Front in the Battle of Poznań in January and February 1945. It was employed during the storming of Küstrin in March and the Battle of Königsberg in April and it was the heaviest field artillery piece used by the Red Army during the Battle of Berlin.[7][8]

Like with the 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) and the 203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4), the biggest drawback with the Br-5 mortar was the carriage. Intended to provide improved mobility, the tracked carriage was much too heavy and proved to be quite cumbersome, actually reducing mobility. Additionally the separate transportation of the barrel greatly increased the time taken to bring the weapon into action – it took between 45 minutes to two hours depending on the weather to bring to category combat from the travelling configuration. Further, the limited traverse of the ordnance on the mount, 8 degrees, could result in significant time delays, as it took at least 25 minutes to manoeuvre the weapon beyond the 8 degrees.[1][3]

After World War II the Br-5 was to remain in Soviet service until the 1970s. In 1955 the Br-5 (along with the B-4 and Br-2) was modernised with a new wheeled carriage that greatly increased mobility, could transport the weapon in one piece and which allowed the weapons to be towed at up to 35 km/h (22 mph), these upgraded pieces were designated Br-5M.[3]

Ammunition

The Br-5 fired bag charge ammunition with three natures of high-explosive and one of anti-concrete. The high-explosive shells were all remaining pre-revolution stocks of 280 mm Schneider M1914/15 ammunition, whilst the anti-concrete was created for the Br-5.[3][9]

The Br-5 mortar offered little improvement in ballistic performance over the 280 mm Schneider M1914/15.[9]

Ammunition natures.[3]
Type Model Weight HE weight Muzzle velocity Range
HE F-674 286.7 kg (632 lb) 58.7 kg (129 lb) 290 m/s (950 ft/s) 7,350 m (8,040 yd)
HE F-674F 204 kg (450 lb) 45 kg (99 lb) 360 m/s (1,200 ft/s) 9,350 m (10,230 yd)
HE F-674K 200.7 kg (442 lb) 33.6 kg (74 lb) 420 m/s (1,400 ft/s) 10,950 m (11,980 yd)
Anti-concrete G-675 246 kg (542 lb) 44.8 kg (99 lb) 356 m/s (1,170 ft/s) 10,410 m (11,380 yd)

Surviving examples

A Br-5 mortar on the original tracked carriage is kept at the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps in Saint Petersburg.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The artillery department of the Red Army (Главное артиллерийское управление РККА), 203-mm howitzer 1931 (B-4), 280-mm mortar 1939 (Br-5) and 152-mm gun 1935 (Br-2) service manual (203-мм гаубица обр. 1931 г. (Б-4), 280-мм мортира обр. 1939 г. (Бр-5), 152-мм пушка обр. 1935 г. (Бр-2). Руководство службы.), Voenizdat NKO, Moscow, 1942.
  2. ↑ Walter S. Dunn Jr., The Soviet economy and the Red Army, 1930-1945, Praeger Publishers, Westport CT, 1995, ISBN 0-275-94893-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A.B. Shirokorad (А. Б. Широкорад), Encyclopaedia of Russian Artillery (Энциклопедия отечественной артиллерии), Харвест, Мн., 2000, ISBN 985-433-703-0.
  4. ↑ Walter S. Dunn Jr., Stalin’s keys to victory: the rebirth of the Red Army in WWII, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8117-3423-3.
  5. ↑ Victor Suvorov, The chief culprit: Stalin’s grand design to start World War II, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59114-838-8.
  6. ↑ Artillery supply in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 (Артиллерийское снабжение в Великой Отечественной войне 1941-45 гг), GAU Publishing House, Moscow-Tula, 1977.
  7. ↑ Nik Cornish, Hitler versus Stalin: the eastern front 1943-1944, Kursk to Bagration, Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley, 2017, ISBN 978-178346-399-2.
  8. ↑ A.V. Isaev (А.В. Исаев), Berlin on the 45th: battle in the den of the beast (Берлин 45-го. Сражение в логове зверя), Yauza Eksmo, Moscow, 2007.
  9. 1 2 David R. Jones, Soviet armed forces review annual - Vol 11, Academic International Press, 1986.
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