F-22 76 mm gun
Encyclopedia
The 76-mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22) was a Soviet divisional semi-universal gun, adopted for Red Army
service in 1936. This gun was used in conflicts between the USSR and Japan
on the Far East
, in the Winter War
and in World War II
. Many F-22s were captured by Wehrmacht
, modernized by the Germans and used against Soviet forces.
recoil buffer and a hydropneumatic recuperator. The sights and the elevation controls were located on different sides of the barrel
. The chamber
fitted the standard model 1900 cartridge
, which meant that the gun could use ammunition of older 76.2-mm divisional and regimental guns.
In the early 1930s the RKKA command considered the idea of universal guns - i.e. guns which could be used both as field and anti-aircraft weapons. Mikhail Tukhachevsky
, the head of the ordnance department between 1931 and 1934, ordered the development of universal (with 360° traverse) and semi-universal divisional pieces.
Among other artillery design bureaus joining the program were the design bureau of the "Krasniy Putilovets" plant (L-1 and L-2 universal guns), the design bureau of the no. 8 plant (semi-universal guns 25K, 31K and 32K) and GKB-38 (universal A-52 and semi-universal A-51). GKB-38 was closed in 1933, and V. G. Grabin
, the leading developer of the team that was working on the A-51 project - became the head of a design bureau of the new Novoye Sormovo (no. 92) plant in Gorky
. In 1934 the A-51 - redesignated F-20 - was finished, but Grabin wasn't satisfied with the result and started to work on a new gun, the F-22.
In April 1935 three prototypes of the F-22 were ready, two of them with split-trail carriages. All prototypes had muzzle brake
s and lengthened chambers for a new experimental shell (7.1 kg, muzzle velocity 710 m/s, range up to 14,060 m). Factory trials started on 8 May; on 9 June prototypes were brought to the Sofrinsky firing ground near Moscow
. On 14 June the gun, along with other artillery pieces, was demonstrated to the country leaders including Joseph Stalin
. The F-22 made a good impression and was sent for ground testing, which was finished on 16 December. In July 1935 the plant was required to produce 10 pieces. In March 1936 four guns were given to the RKKA for testing, which continued until 22 April. Despite some shortcomings, on 11 May 1936 the gun was adopted as the 76 mm divisional gun model 1936 (F-22) . The final model lacked a muzzle brake
(which - the army said - raised too much dust, revealing the position of the gun) and was rechambered for the model 1900 cartridge to allow use of old 76.2 mm ammunition.
The F-22 was produced by two plants, no. 92 and Kirov Plant
, possibly also by "UZTM" (Ural Heavy Machinery Building Plant). Production rate was slow because of more sophisticated construction compared to older guns and because of constant need to fix faults in the design. In 1936 only 10 pieces were produced, in 1937 - 417, in 1938 - 1,002, in 1939 - 1,503. Production was stopped due to adoption of a new gun, the 76 mm divisional gun model 1939 (USV)
.
had two artillery regiments - the light regiment (a battalion
of 76 mm guns in three batteries of four guns; two mixed battalions with one battery
of 76 mm guns and two batteries of 122 mm howitzers) and the howitzer regiment, totaling 20 76 mm guns per division. In June 1940 the battalion of 76 mm guns was removed, and only 8 guns remained. In March 1942 a third mixed battalion (a battery of 76 mm and a battery of 122 mm) was added, which brought the number of 76 mm guns to 12.
Motorized divisions had two mixed battalions (a battery of 76 mm guns, two batteries of 122 mm howitzers), totaling 8 76 mm guns. Cavalry divisions until August 1941 also had 8 76 mm guns, then the divisional artillery was removed.
The F-22 was also used by anti-tank artillery brigade
s (24 pieces), from 1942 by tank destroyer brigades with 16 pieces, and by light artillery brigades (60-72 pieces).
The F-22 saw combat for the first time in the Battle of Lake Khasan
in 1938. The gun was also used in the Winter War
. On 1 June 1941 RKKA possessed 2,844 F-22s. Many were lost, but a limited number remained in service until the end of the war. For example, two artillery regiments (40 pieces) took part in the Battle of Kursk
. It was mostly employed as a field gun, sometimes as anti-tank gun and was apparently never used as anti-aircraft weapon.
In 1941-42 the Wehrmacht
captured hundreds of F-22s. Initially they were adopted as field guns, designated FK 296(r). In late 1941 it was decided to rebuild the gun as an anti-tank weapon, 7.62 cm PaK 36(r). The modifications included rechambering for a bigger cartridge, a modified recoil system, elevation controls that were moved to the left side of the barrel where the sights resided. Additionally the elevation was limited and most of the guns received a muzzle brake
. New ammunition was produced for the gun. The PaK 36(r) reached the battlefield in the spring of 1942. 560 pieces were converted and some of them were used to arm Marder II
and Marder III
tank destroyers. Nine F-22s in the original configuration were mounted on SdKfz 6
halftrack tractors, resulting in the SdKfz 6 mit 7.62 cm FK 36(r).
In Romania
, some captured F-22s were mounted on a T-60
light tank chassis to create the TACAM T-60
self-propelled gun. 30 units were built.
The Finnish Army
captured 29 guns and bought an additional 47 from German surplus stocks during World War II. The gun was called 76 K 36 in Finnish service. The gun was in active service until the 1960s and was stored until the 1990s.
In case of the F-22, the attempt produced a gun which was both a poor anti-aircraft weapon and a mediocre field piece. It lacked 360° traverse and its muzzle velocity fell behind that of even the old 76 mm AA gun model 1915/1928 (730 m/s). The breech automatic mechanism was failing at elevations higher than 60°, reducing the rate of fire. After initial investigations, the RKKA apparently dropped the idea of using the F-22 as anti-aircraft gun - the gun was never equipped with AA shells and with sights suited for the role. There are no reports about actual use of the gun against aircraft. As a divisional gun, the F-22 also had significant shortcomings. It was relatively large and heavy, which limited its mobility. Employment in the anti-tank role was hindered by inconvenient placement of sights and elevation controls on different sides of the barrel. The gun was hard to produce and unreliable. It offered some advantages in range and armor-piercing capability over the 76-mm divisional gun M1902/30, but wasn't significantly better.
As a result, in 1937 requirements for a new divisional gun were issued, eventually resulting in the F-22USV.
It must be noted, however, that its German derivative, the 7.62 cm PaK 36(r), performed well in the anti-tank role.
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
service in 1936. This gun was used in conflicts between the USSR and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, in the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Many F-22s were captured by Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, modernized by the Germans and used against Soviet forces.
Description
The F-22 was a semi-universal gun which combined the capabilities of a divisional gun and - to some extent - of an anti-aircraft gun. It had a split-trail carriage with suspension and steel wheels with rubber tires. The gun was equipped with a semi-automatic vertical sliding breech block; the recoil mechanism consisted of a hydraulicHydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
recoil buffer and a hydropneumatic recuperator. The sights and the elevation controls were located on different sides of the barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
. The chamber
Chamber (weaponry)
In firearms, the chamber is that portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is inserted prior to being fired. Rifles and pistols generally have a single chamber in their barrels, while revolvers have multiple chambers in their cylinders and no chamber in their barrel...
fitted the standard model 1900 cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
, which meant that the gun could use ammunition of older 76.2-mm divisional and regimental guns.
Development and production history
Mikhail Tukhachevsky
Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky was a Marshal of the Soviet Union, commander in chief of the Red Army , and one of the most prominent victims of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge.-Early life:...
, the head of the ordnance department between 1931 and 1934, ordered the development of universal (with 360° traverse) and semi-universal divisional pieces.
Among other artillery design bureaus joining the program were the design bureau of the "Krasniy Putilovets" plant (L-1 and L-2 universal guns), the design bureau of the no. 8 plant (semi-universal guns 25K, 31K and 32K) and GKB-38 (universal A-52 and semi-universal A-51). GKB-38 was closed in 1933, and V. G. Grabin
Vasiliy Grabin
Vasiliy Gavrilovich Grabin was a Soviet artillery designer. He led a design bureau at Joseph Stalin Factory No...
, the leading developer of the team that was working on the A-51 project - became the head of a design bureau of the new Novoye Sormovo (no. 92) plant in Gorky
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
. In 1934 the A-51 - redesignated F-20 - was finished, but Grabin wasn't satisfied with the result and started to work on a new gun, the F-22.
In April 1935 three prototypes of the F-22 were ready, two of them with split-trail carriages. All prototypes had muzzle brake
Muzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
s and lengthened chambers for a new experimental shell (7.1 kg, muzzle velocity 710 m/s, range up to 14,060 m). Factory trials started on 8 May; on 9 June prototypes were brought to the Sofrinsky firing ground near Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. On 14 June the gun, along with other artillery pieces, was demonstrated to the country leaders including Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. The F-22 made a good impression and was sent for ground testing, which was finished on 16 December. In July 1935 the plant was required to produce 10 pieces. In March 1936 four guns were given to the RKKA for testing, which continued until 22 April. Despite some shortcomings, on 11 May 1936 the gun was adopted as the 76 mm divisional gun model 1936 (F-22) . The final model lacked a muzzle brake
Muzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
(which - the army said - raised too much dust, revealing the position of the gun) and was rechambered for the model 1900 cartridge to allow use of old 76.2 mm ammunition.
The F-22 was produced by two plants, no. 92 and Kirov Plant
Kirov Plant
The Kirov Plant Kirov Factory or Leningrad Kirov Plant is a major Russian machine-building plant in St. Petersburg, Russia....
, possibly also by "UZTM" (Ural Heavy Machinery Building Plant). Production rate was slow because of more sophisticated construction compared to older guns and because of constant need to fix faults in the design. In 1936 only 10 pieces were produced, in 1937 - 417, in 1938 - 1,002, in 1939 - 1,503. Production was stopped due to adoption of a new gun, the 76 mm divisional gun model 1939 (USV)
F-22USV
76-mm divisional gun M1939 was Soviet 76.2-mm divisional gun, adopted for the Red Army service in 1939 and utilized in the German-Soviet War...
.
RKKA
According to the organization of 1939, each rifle divisionDivision (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
had two artillery regiments - the light regiment (a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of 76 mm guns in three batteries of four guns; two mixed battalions with one battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
of 76 mm guns and two batteries of 122 mm howitzers) and the howitzer regiment, totaling 20 76 mm guns per division. In June 1940 the battalion of 76 mm guns was removed, and only 8 guns remained. In March 1942 a third mixed battalion (a battery of 76 mm and a battery of 122 mm) was added, which brought the number of 76 mm guns to 12.
Motorized divisions had two mixed battalions (a battery of 76 mm guns, two batteries of 122 mm howitzers), totaling 8 76 mm guns. Cavalry divisions until August 1941 also had 8 76 mm guns, then the divisional artillery was removed.
The F-22 was also used by anti-tank artillery brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s (24 pieces), from 1942 by tank destroyer brigades with 16 pieces, and by light artillery brigades (60-72 pieces).
The F-22 saw combat for the first time in the Battle of Lake Khasan
Battle of Lake Khasan
The Battle of Lake Khasan and also known as the Changkufeng Incident in China and Japan, was an attempted military incursion of Manchukuo into the territory claimed by the Soviet Union...
in 1938. The gun was also used in the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
. On 1 June 1941 RKKA possessed 2,844 F-22s. Many were lost, but a limited number remained in service until the end of the war. For example, two artillery regiments (40 pieces) took part in the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
. It was mostly employed as a field gun, sometimes as anti-tank gun and was apparently never used as anti-aircraft weapon.
Other operators
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
captured hundreds of F-22s. Initially they were adopted as field guns, designated FK 296(r). In late 1941 it was decided to rebuild the gun as an anti-tank weapon, 7.62 cm PaK 36(r). The modifications included rechambering for a bigger cartridge, a modified recoil system, elevation controls that were moved to the left side of the barrel where the sights resided. Additionally the elevation was limited and most of the guns received a muzzle brake
Muzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
. New ammunition was produced for the gun. The PaK 36(r) reached the battlefield in the spring of 1942. 560 pieces were converted and some of them were used to arm Marder II
Marder II
The Marder II was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis.-History:During the very first days of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Germans were shocked to encounter Soviet T-34 medium tanks and KV heavy tanks...
and Marder III
Marder III
The Marder III is the name for a series of World War II German tank destroyers built on the chassis of the Panzer 38. The German word Marder means "marten" in English...
tank destroyers. Nine F-22s in the original configuration were mounted on SdKfz 6
SdKfz 6
The SdKfz 6 was a half-track military vehicle used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was designed to be used as the main towing vehicle for the 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer. However it proved far too expensive and was phased out in 1941 for more economic halftracks...
halftrack tractors, resulting in the SdKfz 6 mit 7.62 cm FK 36(r).
In Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, some captured F-22s were mounted on a T-60
T-60
The T-60 scout tank was a light tank produced by the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1942. In this time over 6,292 were built. The tank was designed to replace the obsolete T-38 amphibious scout tank.-Design:...
light tank chassis to create the TACAM T-60
TACAM T-60
The TACAM T-60 was a Romanian tank destroyer used during World War II. It was built by removing the turret of captured T-60 light tanks and building a pedestal to mount an ex-Soviet M-1936 F-22 field gun in its place. A three-sided fighting compartment was built to protect the gun and its crew...
self-propelled gun. 30 units were built.
The Finnish Army
Finnish Army
The Finnish Army is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces.Today's Army is divided into six branches: the infantry , field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, engineers, signals, and materiel troops.-History of the Finnish Army:Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of...
captured 29 guns and bought an additional 47 from German surplus stocks during World War II. The gun was called 76 K 36 in Finnish service. The gun was in active service until the 1960s and was stored until the 1990s.
Summary
The very idea of a 76 mm divisional gun with anti-aircraft capabilities was doomed for the following reasons:- An anti-aircraft gun needs powerful ballistics and 360° traverse, which makes the gun unnecessarily big and expensive for a divisional gun.
- Tha main purpose of frontline anti-aircraft guns is protection from dive bombers and low-altitude aircraft, against which small-caliber autocannons are much more effective than a 76 mm gun.
In case of the F-22, the attempt produced a gun which was both a poor anti-aircraft weapon and a mediocre field piece. It lacked 360° traverse and its muzzle velocity fell behind that of even the old 76 mm AA gun model 1915/1928 (730 m/s). The breech automatic mechanism was failing at elevations higher than 60°, reducing the rate of fire. After initial investigations, the RKKA apparently dropped the idea of using the F-22 as anti-aircraft gun - the gun was never equipped with AA shells and with sights suited for the role. There are no reports about actual use of the gun against aircraft. As a divisional gun, the F-22 also had significant shortcomings. It was relatively large and heavy, which limited its mobility. Employment in the anti-tank role was hindered by inconvenient placement of sights and elevation controls on different sides of the barrel. The gun was hard to produce and unreliable. It offered some advantages in range and armor-piercing capability over the 76-mm divisional gun M1902/30, but wasn't significantly better.
As a result, in 1937 requirements for a new divisional gun were issued, eventually resulting in the F-22USV.
It must be noted, however, that its German derivative, the 7.62 cm PaK 36(r), performed well in the anti-tank role.
Ammunition
| Available ammunition | |||||
| Type | Model | Weight, kg | He weight, g | Muzzle velocity, m/s | Range, m |
| Armor-piercing shells | |||||
| APHE-T | BR-350A | 6,3 | 155 | 690 | 7,000 |
| APHE-T | BR-350B | 6,5 | 119 | 690 | 7,000 |
| AP-T | BR-350BSP | 6,5 | - | 690 | 7,000 |
| Subcaliber (from April 1943) | BR-354P | 3,02 | - | 500 | |
| HEAT, steely iron (from May 1943) | BP-350A | 5,28 | 623 | ||
| High explosive and fragmentation shells | |||||
| HE-Fragmentation, steel | OF-350 | 6,2 | 710 | 706 | 13,630 |
| Fragmentation, steely iron | O-350A | 6,21 | 540 | 706 | 13,630 |
| HE-Fragmentation | OF-350V | 6,2 | |||
| HE-Fragmentation, limited production | OF-363 | 7,1 | 710 | 14,000 | |
| HE, steel, old Russian | F-354 | 6,41 | 785 | 706 | 13,200 |
| HE, steel, old Russian | F-354M | 6,1 | 815 | ||
| HE, steel, old french | F-354F | 6,41 | 785 | ||
| Shrapnel shells | |||||
| Shrapnel with 22 sec / D tube | Sh-354 | 6,5 | 85 (260 bullets) | 652 | 6,000 |
| Shrapnel with T-6 tube | Sh-354T | 6,66 | 85 (250 bullets) | 645 | 9,000 |
| Shrapnel | Sh-354G | 6,58 | 85 | ||
| Shrapnel | Sh-361 | 6,61 | - | 692 | 8,600 |
| Canister shots | |||||
| Canister shot | Sh-350 | 549 bullets | 200 | ||
| Smoke shells | |||||
| Smoke | D-350 | 6,45 | 80 TNT + 505 yellow phosphoros | ||
| Smoke, steely iron | D-350S | 6,45 | 66 TNT + 380 yellow phosphoros | ||
| Incendiary | |||||
| Incendiary, steel | Z-350 | 6,24 | 240 | 705 | 9,600 |
| Incendiary | Z-354 (project 3890) | 6,5 (6,66) | 240 | ||
| Incendiary | Z-354 | 4,65 | 240 | ||
| Other shells | |||||
| Fragmentation-chemical | OH-350 | 6,25 | 706 | 13,630 | |
| Armour penetration table | ||
| AP Projectile BR-350A | ||
| Distance, m | Meet angle 60°, mm | Meet angle 90°, mm |
| 100 | 67 | 82 |
| 500 | 61 | 75 |
| 1000 | 55 | 67 |
| 1500 | 49 | 60 |
| These data was obtained by Soviet methodics of armour penetration measurement (penetration probability equals 75%). They are not directly comparable with western data of similar type |
||