Weapons of the Afghan dushmans. Artillery guns and mortars
During the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, the armed opposition detachments used guerrilla tactics and usually tried to avoid open direct confrontation with the enemy, who had superior numbers and firepower.
To ensure mobility and reduce vulnerability to impact aviation and artillery, the rebels in most cases acted in relatively small groups, which facilitated their maneuverability and camouflage. Often, dekhkans, leading a peaceful sedentary lifestyle during the day, picked up weapon, participated in the shelling of checkpoints and mined roads.
Such guerrilla tactics implied high mobility and imposed serious restrictions on the mass and dimensions of the weapons used. Movement on foot and the mountainous nature of the terrain did not allow the use of weapons that were too heavy. Even under the condition that one or another sample could be disassembled into several parts, their maximum mass should not have been more than the weight that a physically strong man is able to carry for a long time (30–35 kg).
On flat terrain, where it was possible to use trucks and off-road vehicles, the rebels used heavier artillery systems than in the mountains. But in any case, preference was given to simple, compact and lightweight samples, albeit not with high range and accuracy.
In connection with all this, the main artillery weapons of the dushmans were recoilless rifles, mortars and installations for launching rockets, and classical artillery pieces were used to a limited extent.
Artillery guns
The main source of artillery pieces for the dushmans was the arsenals of the Afghan army. Thus, it is reliably known that in 1984 the rebels used captured 76-mm ZIS-3 guns in battle.
Given the fact that the ZIS-3 artillery gun, created during the Second World War, had a very simple and understandable design, it was not difficult for the rebels to figure out how to fire from it. The relatively small mass of the gun allows it to be rolled over a short distance by crew forces. Firing high-explosive fragmentation projectiles at visually observed targets made it possible to quickly correct the break point and make adjustments to the sight.
Although by the beginning of the 1980s, the 76-mm ZIS-3 divisional gun was considered outdated and not powerful enough to destroy long-term defenses, it had a good potential for destroying uncovered manpower.
Steel high-explosive fragmentation grenade 53-OF-350 weighing 6,2 kg contained 540 g of TNT. When the fuse was set to a fragmentation action, it gave more than 850 lethal fragments, the effective radius of destruction reaches 15 m. with an adjustment, the gun could fire 7,5-75 rounds per minute. The maximum firing range reached 2 m, but when firing at such a distance, it was not possible to adjust the fire.
In the late 1950s, the Soviet Union supplied Afghanistan with several dozen 76-mm mountain guns of the 1938 model, and some of them were captured by dushmans.
In combat position, the gun weighed 785 kg. She could move horse traction, mechanical traction, as well as horse packs after disassembly into 9 parts. The total weight of the packs, together with attachment devices, ranged from 95 to 147 kg.
The 76-mm cannon of the 1938 model used its own shots that were not interchangeable with other guns. Some shells had a removable bottom, which made it possible to take out excess bunches of gunpowder and shoot with reduced charges.
Shooting was carried out with shots with separate-sleeve loading. The ammunition load includes high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, shrapnel and smoke shells. The fragmentation action of the UOF-356A high-explosive fragmentation grenade is similar to the 53-OF-350 used for firing from the ZIS-3.
A high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 6,21 kg leaves a barrel 1 mm long with an initial velocity of 630 m/s. Direct shot range - 485 m. Maximum firing range - 850 m. Combat rate of fire: 10-000 rds / min. Elevation angles: -10 to +12°. The horizontal firing sector was 8 °.
A little-known artillery system used in Afghanistan was the 76 mm M-99 mountain gun. This gun, adopted by the Soviet Army in 1958, was intended for operations in mountainous conditions, as well as on rough and difficult terrain.
The gun has a collapsible barrel, which consists of a pipe, a breech and a casing. The internal structure of the barrel, ballistics and ammunition are the same as in the 76-mm mountain gun of the 1938 model.
This gun, like its predecessor gun, can carry out flat and mounted fire with vertical aiming angles from -10° to +70°. The horizontal firing sector is 45°.
Weight in combat position - 735 kg. The cannon can be dismantled into ten separate parts suitable for transport in the form of packs. At the same time, the maximum weight of one pack does not exceed 85 kg. A crew of six could assemble a mountain cannon in 6–10 minutes.
Now it is difficult to say how the 76-mm M-99 mountain guns got to the dushmans. Such guns were available in artillery units of a limited contingent and in the Afghan army.
Although, in comparison with the ZIS-3, mountain guns mod. 1938 and arr. 1958s were much lighter and more compact and could be carried disassembled, the weight of 76mm mountain guns for long passages was still excessive. In this connection, they were used by the rebels sporadically. Yes, and to capture them, apparently, managed a little.
Also, 122-mm howitzers M-30 and D-30 sometimes turned out to be at the disposal of dushmans.
The howitzer of the 1938 model (M-30) was in service with the DRA army and actively participated in the hostilities. A certain number of M-30 howitzers at the initial stage of the Afghan war were in the artillery battalions of motorized rifle regiments.
Compared to the fragmentation grenade of the 76 mm ZIS-3 gun, the 122 mm projectile was much more powerful. High-explosive fragmentation 122-mm grenade 53-OF-462 weighing 21,76 kg contained 3,67 kg of TNT. When the fuse was set to fragmentation, it created about 1 lethal fragments when it burst, the effective radius of damage to manpower was about 000 m. When the fuse was set to high-explosive action, the grenade left a funnel up to 30 m deep and up to 1 m in diameter. The maximum firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile was 3 km. Rate of fire - up to 11,8 rds / min.
The 122-mm D-30 howitzer, which appeared in the Afghan army in the second half of the 1980s, had much higher performance. The design of the howitzer carriage provides circular firing at barrel elevation angles from -5° to +18° and firing at elevation angles from -7° to +70°, when the breech is located in sectors between adjacent beds. The firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile is more than 15 km. Rate of fire - 7-8 rds / min.
I could not find reliable information about the shelling of Soviet troops from captured 122-mm howitzers. During the period of presence in Afghanistan of a limited contingent, the scale of use of heavy cannon artillery by anti-government forces was very modest, and captured heavy guns were quickly destroyed by massive air and artillery strikes.
Taking into account the fact that the weight of the M-30 howitzer in combat position was 2 kg, and the D-500 howitzer - 30 kg - they could not roll over by calculation forces, and in the conditions of total dominance in the air of Soviet aviation, their disguise was extremely problematic.
A large number of captured artillery systems were at the disposal of the Mujahideen after the withdrawal of Soviet troops. Captured guns and howitzers were actively used against both DRA government forces and rival armed groups.
Mortars
For partisan operations, 60-mm mortars were well suited. In Afghanistan, our fighters captured 60-mm mortars of American, Chinese and Iranian production.
The American 60-mm M2 mortar in combat position weighed 19 kg. Barrel length - 726 mm. The maximum firing range is 1 m. The rate of fire is 815-16 rds / min.
A complete copy of the American 60-mm M2 mortar was the Iranian Fateh mortar.
The Chinese Type 60 31mm mortar was based on the American M2 mortar. The American M2 itself was copied from the French Stokes-Brandt "Mortier Modele 1935".
The differences between the Chinese and American versions are the Chinese model's shorter barrel, which is 675mm long. Although this made the Chinese 60-mm mortar lighter and more compact, it limited the range to 1 m. The rate of fire was up to 550 rds / min.
The Type 63 mortar was actually a slightly modified modification of the Type 31 model. It had the same maximum range and rate of fire, but differed in some details and manufacturing technology.
The mass of the Type 63 mortar in combat position is 11,5 kg. Barrel length 610 mm. The initial speed of a mine weighing 1,13 kg is 134 m / s. By equipping the mine with more powerful explosives, the effective radius of destruction by fragments has been increased from 7 to 10 m.
Also, for firing from the Type 63 mortar, an over-caliber mine with a length of 912 mm and a weight of 6,59 kg of increased power, equipped with 2,59 kg of explosive, can be used.
The maximum firing range of such ammunition is 420 m, the effective radius of destruction of manpower is 21 m.
60-mm mortars had a relatively low weight and could fire dozens of fragmentation and incendiary shells towards the enemy in a short time period.
However, due to the relatively short firing range, the mortar crew was forced to approach the enemy at a distance of less than 1 m, which increased the risk of detection and destruction by return fire. In addition, observers noted that the accuracy of firing from Chinese 500-mm mortars at distances close to the limit was low, and the destructive effect of standard fragmentation mines against fortified positions in most cases turned out to be weak.
The most common mortars among the rebels were the Soviet 82-mm battalion mortar mod. 1937 (BM-37), its Chinese and Egyptian clones.
In combat position, the BM-37 weighed 56 kg and could fire with vertical aiming angles from 45° to 85°. The horizontal firing sector was 6 °. A fragmentation mine weighing 3,1 kg, equipped with 400 g of explosives, when detonated, gave 500-600 lethal fragments with an effective radius of destruction up to 12 m. The mine, leaving a barrel 1 mm long with an initial speed of 220 m/s, could hit targets at a distance up to 211 m. Rate of fire - up to 3 rds / min.
The mortar was disassembled into three parts: a barrel with a breech, a two-legged carriage and a base plate. All parts could be transported over a long distance in special packs by the forces of calculation.
For better stability when firing, the mortar base plate was usually additionally loaded with stones and, if possible, buried in the ground.
The Chinese Type 53 mortar and the Egyptian Helwan M-69 completely repeated the Soviet BM-37.
Dushmans were also supplied with an improved Chinese Type 67. Due to the introduction of a new base plate, its weight was reduced by 5 kg. The rest of the characteristics have not changed.
Shortly before the withdrawal of Soviet troops, a new 82-mm Type 84 Chinese mortar was tested in Afghanistan in a combat situation.
Thanks to a 1 mm barrel and a reinforced propellant charge, the firing range of a 400-kg mine was increased to 4,2 m. The weight of the Type 5 mortar in combat position was 700 kg. For fragmentation mines with ready-made lethal elements, the effective destruction radius is 84 m. The ammunition load can also include mines with enhanced high-explosive action and incendiary mines in a light-alloy case, equipped with white phosphorus.
82-mm mortars, along with recoilless rifles and 107-mm rocket launchers, were the most common types of artillery weapons of the Afghan rebels.
But firing from 82-mm mortars required more knowledge and skills than from recoilless rifles and multiple launch rocket systems. Former farmers could not always correctly and quickly determine the distance to the target and calculate the hinged trajectory of a mortar mine. The effectiveness of mortar fire directly depended on the professionalism of the gunner and the coordination of the actions of the calculation.
A number of authoritative sources say that dushmans used 107 and 120 mm mortars. Apparently, we are talking about a 107-mm regimental mountain pack mortar mod. 1938 (GVPM-1938) and 120-mm regimental mortar model 1938 (PM-38).
The production of 107-mm mountain pack mortars in the USSR was completed in the first half of 1945. The mortar was modernized in 1953, and it was in service with the Soviet Army until the mid-1970s.
In combat position GVPM-1938 weighed 170 kg. Barrel length - 1 670 mm. The initial speed of 8 kg mines is 302 m / s. Firing range - up to 6 m. Rate of fire - 300 rds / min. Calculation - 15 people. The mortar was transported on horseback in packs. To transport one mortar with ammunition, 6 horses were required.
The mass of the 120-mm mortar PM-38 in combat position was 282 kg. Barrel length - 1 860 mm. The maximum firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation mine weighing 15,9 kg, containing 3 kg of TNT, was 5 m. The rate of fire was 900 rds / min. Calculation - 15 people.
Mortars of caliber 107 and 120 mm were available in the mortar divisions attached to the infantry regiments of the Afghan army and were captured by the rebels. In turn, a number of these heavy mortars were repulsed by Soviet troops.
In the second half of the 1980s, the Americans organized the delivery of Spanish-made 120-mm Ecia modelos SL mortars to dushmans.
With a barrel length of 1 mm, the mass of the Spanish mortar in combat position was 600 kg. Rate of fire 115 rds / min. Mina weighing 12 kg was partially made of light alloy. With an initial speed of 13,195 m / s, the firing range reached - 312 m. Also included in the ammunition load was an elongated mine weighing 6 kg, with an initial speed of 200 m / s. The firing range of this projectile is 16,75 m.
107-120 mm mortars were used by anti-government groups much less frequently than the much lighter 60-82 mm mortars. This was due to the fact that it is much more difficult to transport and equip a firing position for a heavy mortar. At the same time, the destructive effect of a heavy 120-mm mine was many times greater. In addition, 107-120-mm mortars surpassed the 82-mm BM-37 mortar in range by 1,8-2,1 times.
The standard tactic of the dushmans during the massive shelling of Afghan government facilities and bases of a limited contingent was the launch of rockets, after which heavy mortars were struck under the guise.
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