B-4 howitzer with a caliber of 203 mm

In World War II, the armies of various countries left their own unique fighting styles to the world. For example, the Japanese "Death Charge" in World War II, the US military's air support, the German armored blitzkrieg, etc. The Soviet army, especially the Soviet Army, in addition to its powerful armored forces that could confront the German army, was its excellent artillery support.

The performance of Soviet artillery during World War II may not be the best, and the cost-efficiency ratio may not be the best, but its quantity and firepower are definitely among the best among the armies of various countries. Today, I will introduce to you the most powerful piece of equipment of the Soviet field artillery during World War II-the B-4 203mm heavy howitzer.

In fact, in the early days, the Soviet army was controversial about whether it should invest manpower and material resources in the development of 203mm heavy howitzers, because at that time the Soviet army was already equipped with 152mm heavy howitzers. With the technical strength of the world's artillery development at that time, The 152mm and 155mm howitzers are the artillery with the best balance of mobility and firepower.

Although the 203mm caliber howitzer can provide the Soviet army with more powerful firepower, for the Soviet army that had not yet perfected its mechanization capabilities at the time, the 203mm caliber howitzer had little actual combat significance. . Amid various controversies, the 203mm howitzer project almost died halfway.

But soon, the Soviet Union’s various large-scale military parades in the early 1930s saved the fate of the 203mm heavy howitzer. Although the huge 203mm howitzer did not play a big role in actual combat at the time, its tall appearance and huge caliber demonstrated to the outside world at the time the progress of the Soviet military industry and the powerful combat effectiveness of the Soviet Red Army. The 203mm heavy howitzer survived. .

Under the personal intervention of the then Soviet leader Stalin, the 203mm heavy howitzer was successfully and quickly finalized, and was officially named the B-4 M1931 203mm heavy howitzer. Because the gun is powerful and inconvenient to maneuver, it is mainly used by artillery reserves directly under the Soviet Red Army Headquarters and artillery battalions directly under the Soviet Red Army Group Army.

The B-4 howitzer is very heavy, with a total weight of 15.8 tons, of which the barrel alone weighs 5.2 tons. This howitzer is also the first artillery piece in the Soviet Union to adopt a dual station retreat and re-entry system. The so-called dual station, retreat and re-entry system means that in addition to the recoil device of the artillery body itself, it also adds an auxiliary recoil device of the gun bed. Therefore, the B-4 howitzer shoots relatively smoothly and its accuracy is guaranteed.

Another characteristic of the B-4 howitzer is its tracked chassis. Therefore, many people regard the B-4 howitzer as a self-propelled artillery. But in fact, it is just the gun bed of the B-4 howitzer, and it also provides short-distance maneuver support for the B-4 howitzer, such as entering and exiting the firing position.

The first time the B-4 howitzer participated in actual combat was the Soviet-Finnish War. Facing the Finnish "Mannerheim Line of Defense" built with high-grade cement, the Soviet army's standing 152mm howitzer performed poorly. Also under Stalin's personal intervention, the B-4 howitzer arrived at the Soviet-Finnish front line and used direct-aiming fire to forcefully break through Finland's "Mannerheim" defense line.

The B-4 howitzer did not perform particularly well in the early stages of the Soviet-German war. Instead, many were captured by the Germans due to difficulty in maneuvering. However, as the Soviet army began to shift to counterattack, the B-4 howitzer began to show its large-caliber advantage in urban offensive battles. On the Leningrad front, a B-4 howitzer shell even exploded after penetrating three underground floors. The nickname "Stalin's Hammer" began to spread.

The reason why the B-4 howitzer has such a strong penetration capability is not only due to its large caliber, but also to the special shells it uses. The Soviet army once equipped it with a tail-stabilized artillery shell with a length of 1 meter, which can concentrate the inertia of the shell after launch to enhance its penetration capability.

The last large-scale battle in which the B-4 howitzer participated was the Battle of Berlin. Because Berlin had strong concrete fortifications and buildings, the Soviet army deployed the B-4 howitzer forward, at 200 meters-350 Using direct-aimed shooting to open up a path for the infantry at a distance of 300 meters has a wonderful effect.

In the final battle against the German Empire State Building, the Soviet army concentrated 89 B-4 howitzers and other various artillery pieces, and conducted 30 minutes of fire preparations for the Empire State Building. defense of the Empire State Building.

The Soviet Union produced 1,211 B-4 howitzers before and after the Soviet Union. Before 1949, the B-4 howitzer had been the most powerful heavy howitzer in the Soviet field artillery.