Weapons of the Afghan dushmans. Artillery guns and mortars

37

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Although by the beginning of the 1980s, the 76-mm ZIS-3 divisional gun was considered outdated and not powerful enough to destroy long-term defenses, it had a good potential for destroying uncovered manpower.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.

Weapons of the Afghan dushmans. Artillery guns and mortars

76mm mountain gun in firing position in Afghanistan

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.


122 mm howitzer M-30

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.


60mm mortars among other weapons seized from Afghan rebels

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.


60-mm mortar of Iranian production Fateh

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".


Type 60 31 mm mortar

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.


82 mm mortar BM-37

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.


Type 82 67 mm mortar

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.


Type 82 84 mm mortar

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.


107-mm regimental mountain-pack mortar arr. 1938 in transport position

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.


120 mm mortar PM-38

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.


Ecia modelos SL 120 mm mortar

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.

Продолжение следует ...
Our news channels

Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

37 comments
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. +10
    28 March 2022 05: 36
    Thank you Sergey!
    I paid for the article in one breath and with satisfaction ran into the inscription "to be continued"!
    Regards, Vlad!
    1. +8
      28 March 2022 06: 28
      Damn, clumsy paws! Of course, I swallowed the work of Sergei, and did not pay !!!
      1. +4
        28 March 2022 09: 18
        You can pay for such work, I think no one will be offended. laughing

        Hello, Vlad! smile drinks
      2. +3
        28 March 2022 17: 24
        I join all thanks to the author! A series of articles, as always, on top good hi
  2. +5
    28 March 2022 05: 44
    Regarding what is written here
    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.
    After reading this, I, as a person who has served in the artillery battalion for more than 2 years in Afghanistan (as a division commander) and has an idea about artillery ammunition, wondered - HOW THERE ... THE BOTTOM CAN BE REMOVED AT THE SLEEVE ??! what what request But in my library I have such a smart little book called "Ammunition for 76-mm guns of ground, tank and self-propelled artillery. Manual. GAU USSR Armed Forces" 1949. I looked there, and found there a description of the cartridge cases for the 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938, and a description of the charges for this gun ... And there are color pictures at the end. However, sorry, there is nothing there about some kind of bottom removal .... and a change in the power of the charges !!! The sleeves there are only seamless brass! And in the center of the bottom of the sleeve there is only a point with a thread for the KV-4 primer sleeve! Everything! Because the fact that there "the sleeves had a removable bottom, which made it possible to take out extra bunches of gunpowder ...." - CLEAN WATER CRAZY LABUDA! fool I looked at Wikipedia (often sinning with crazy data) and found there, in the story about this mountain gun, word for word the same nonsense! what Along the way, the author copied this crap hotel here ...
    1. Fat
      +4
      28 March 2022 13: 59
      The author really messed up a little for the mountain gun of the 1938 model. The shots are unitary, and not separately cased, but the rest is correct.
      The 76-mm cannon of the 1938 model used its own shots that were not interchangeable with other guns. The shots were completed in unitary cartridges, and some cartridges had a removable bottom, which made it possible to take out excess bunches of gunpowder and shoot with reduced charges. The sleeve is brass, weighing 1,4 kg.
      Variable charge Zh-356 was used for firing high-explosive fragmentation, incendiary and smoke shells, completed in cartridge cases with a removable bottom. It consisted of a composite package attached to the bottom of the sleeve with varnish, and two removable bundles - upper and middle. The composite package included an igniter made of smoky gunpowder, a beam of 4/1 brand gunpowder weighing 120 g and a beam of 7/7 brand gunpowder weighing 80 g. gunpowder weighing 7 g. When firing with a full charge, the beams were not removed from the sleeve, while the initial speed of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile was 7 m / s, when firing with the first charge, the upper beam was removed, the initial speed was 135 m / s, and when firing with the third charge the upper and middle beams were taken out, the initial speed was 285 m/s.

      For these types of projectiles, a constant charge Zh-356V was also used, consisting of 642 g of gunpowder grade 7/7, poured into the sleeve. For firing armor-piercing shells and shrapnel, a constant charge of Zh-356B from 650 g of 7/7 brand gunpowder was used. A cumulative projectile was fired using a special Zh-356BPM charge weighing 125 g from gunpowder brand WM 017/32 or 017/16.
      UOF-356 = OF-350 + Zh-356V
      And so:
    2. +5
      28 March 2022 14: 35
      Information about the use of 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938 of such shots are given in the Encyclopedia of Russian Artillery by A.B. Shirokorad. In any case, I have not come across an earlier source. From there, they stepped into Wikipedia and into all other articles.
      These data are not entirely absurd:
      To eliminate the main drawback of cartridge-loading shots in the years preceding the Great Patriotic War, an attempt was made to use in 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938 detachable rounds of cartridge loading, allowing you to change the value of the combat charge during firing. However, a number of combat and technical shortcomings of such shots made stop using them.

      G.M. Tretyakov, V.F. Sirotinsky, B.I. Shekhter. Artillery course. Volume II. Ammunition, gunpowder and explosives. - M.: State publishing house of the defense industry, 1952. - p. 70

      So there really were such ammunition, but by the time of 1949, when the manual you mentioned was published, and even more so during the war in Afghanistan, they were not part of the mountain gun ammunition. Although I would not completely exclude the possibility of having them in warehouses, and, therefore, using them, I would not.
      1. -2
        29 March 2022 02: 41
        So there really were such ammunition, but by the time of 1949, when the manual you mentioned was published, and even more so during the war in Afghanistan, they were not part of the mountain gun ammunition. Although I would not completely exclude the possibility of having in warehouses, and, therefore, using them, I would not
        Dear Aleksey, your hypothetical versions of the reasons for the absence of the discussed shots in the 1949 manual (which, in fact, was signed for publication back in 1948) do not hold water at all! For if you read this manual, you would find there quite a few detailed descriptions of ammunition by 1948 that had lost their relevance, because. their artillery systems themselves have already been removed from service! In particular, it describes in detail all the ammunition for the 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1909, and to the 76-mm regimental gun model 1927 ....
        Regarding what is written there by Shirokorad. So you read again and see clearly:
        To eliminate the main drawback of cartridge-loading shots in the years preceding the Great Patriotic War, an attempt was made to use the 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938 detachable cartridge-loading shots that allow you to change the amount of the combat charge during firing. However, a number of combat and technical shortcomings of such shots forced them to abandon their use.
        The fact that they tried and failed there does not mean that these shots (with a cartridge case with a removable bottom) were put into service and mass-produced, not to mention some kind of storage, operation and use! And if all this was not there, but there was some kind of experimental attempt ... then we can say that they (such shots) did not exist! You can invent and invent something there as much as you like, it is important to have a final widely used product! And if this is not the case, then sorry! ... To declare that such a ... failed ammunition was in the range of ammunition for the 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938 is at least incorrect!
        1. +4
          29 March 2022 10: 52
          Judging by the manner of communication, I am dealing with an interlocutor for whom there are only two opinions - his and the wrong one.
          Sorry if that's the case.
          For if you read this guide

          What makes you think I didn't read it?
          Now, if you carefully "read this manual", you would notice that in the list of charges for the 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938 missing "empty" index "54-Zh-356".
          Meanwhile, in the available reference books on GAU indexing, it stands for nothing more than "full variable charge in the sleeve (for the 76-mm mountain gun mod. 1938)".
          Let me remind you that, unlike the GRAU index system, GAU indexes were assigned only to samples that were put into service. Prototypes of indexes were not received. So it is quite correct to say that "such a ... failed ammunition was in the range of ammunition for the 76-mm mountain gun model 1938" is quite correct.
          I will also draw your attention to the pages of the manual "Ammunition for artillery and mortars" of the 1950 edition:



          Judging by the text, in the 40s, such technical solutions were taken quite seriously and were by no means considered as design experiments.
          In general, I would not say that having a single book and forming your opinion solely on its basis is a reasonable position. Information about the use of a variable charge for a gun mod. 1938 are found in very many sources, which clearly cannot be the stupidity of any one person, then replicated everywhere.
          1. +2
            30 March 2022 02: 22
            Alexey, thanks! I admit I was wrong... request As the saying goes, live and learn...
            Apparently
            a number of combat and technical shortcomings of such shots forced them to abandon their use.
            was still in the unreliability of such shells ... that's why they have sunk into oblivion.
  3. +4
    28 March 2022 05: 59
    Interesting and thoughtful article! good
    Those who were "beyond the river" say that the Soviet spirit garrisons most often fired on RSs. I hope the author also talks about this.
    1. +2
      28 March 2022 23: 15
      they say that the Soviet spirit garrisons most often fired on RSs
      In fact, based on my personal experience there ("beyond the river"), I can say that our regiment (682nd SME) was most often fired upon with 82-mm artillery mines! It was in the Panjshir Gorge, where from the spring of 1984 until May 26, 1988, our regiment was stationed on a permanent basis. And the shelling was, with rare exceptions (for example, on some Muslim holidays), almost daily ... Let's just say, during my stay in Panjshir, for a little over 1 year, against the background of almost daily arrivals of 82-mm mines , cases of arrivals of RSs were only 2-3 times ...
      But there we had landscape features - steep mountains all around ... where (from artillery), for the most mobile transportation and selection of a suitable position for firing, the maximum was an 82-mm mortar.
  4. +8
    28 March 2022 08: 48
    Thanks to the author!
    I didn’t even suspect about the artillery guns of the dushmans.
    This was not shown in the press or in the movies.
  5. +7
    28 March 2022 09: 26
    Good morning everyone, and thanks to Sergey! smile

    I climbed the net and found quite a decent number of photographs of dushmans firing from the D-30, but it is possible that many of them were taken after the withdrawal of our troops.
    I also found this one and immediately, at first glance, I didn’t even understand what it was. Then I realized that it was a SU-76 (with part of the barrel torn off), known since the war as "Naked Ferdinand", or "Death to the enemy - the star of calculation." Interestingly, but this is how it got into Afghanistan? laughing

    1. +6
      28 March 2022 09: 31
      The same as the T-34-85 got into Afghanistan.
      Afghanistan bought 20 Su-76s from the USSR in the early 50s.
      1. +3
        28 March 2022 10: 10
        20 bitches did the "weather" there? belay
        1. +5
          28 March 2022 10: 30
          They write that they ordered as many as 34 T-85-25s.
          The country was then led by King Mohammed Zahir Shah!
          Degeg was not enough. So they bought what they could pay for.
        2. +5
          28 March 2022 10: 36
          Hostile YouTube has a short video of the parade in 1958. The venue for the parade is Kabul.
          Su-76s are not shown there, but there are DShK, M-30, T-34-85!
          1. +4
            28 March 2022 18: 16
            I found a photo of the BTR-152 and a photo of the parade in 1983, but what kind of tanks are there at the beginning of the column, the devil knows.


            1. +3
              28 March 2022 20: 02
              The main tanks of the DRA army were T-54 (approximately 250 units) and T-55 (approximately 700 to 755 units).
              There were also T-62s.
              1. +4
                28 March 2022 20: 39
                And "Half a five" passed by? I loved this car.))
            2. +2
              30 March 2022 02: 50
              I found here a photo of the BTR-152 ...
              The "greens" had a lot of BTR-152s.
              By the way, there were still a lot of them in the USSR Armed Forces in those days - in the internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the summer of 1986, I handed over two BTR-70s for overhaul, to the 346th armored repair plant (BTRZ) in Nikolaev. So they then had a lot of BTR-152 and BTR-40 from VVshnikov being repaired. But, for the most part, the VVshniki then handed over these armored personnel carriers for overhaul irrevocably, in connection with rearmament ... After the overhaul of the BTR-152 and BTR-40, they were tested, and then (as plant workers said) they were loaded onto ships of the merchant fleet and where sent to hot countries ....
              1. +2
                30 March 2022 05: 53
                I served from 66 to 69 in the OTP, and in every tank battalion we had BTR-40 headquarters (communication vehicles). We liked the car, but in winter we had to install a potbelly stove for exercises and lead the pipe into the shooting hatch.
          2. +2
            28 March 2022 22: 47
            They write that they ordered as many as 34 T-85-25s.
            The country was then led by King Mohammed Zahir Shah!
            Degeg was not enough. So we bought what we could pay for
            и
            there is a short video of the parade in 1958. The venue for the parade is Kabul.
            Su-76s are not shown there, but there are DShK, M-30, T-34-85!

            Alexey, for 1958, it was not at all the format "bought what they could pay for" .... wink For 1958, it was not bad at all! Especially for the specific needs of Afghanistan. In Czechoslovakia and Poland, the T-34-85 was mass-produced until 1956 inclusive, and was in service for many more years ... Moreover, I’ll tell you, when the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan began in December 1979, our 108 The 281st division (in which I served in the final years) went there without its regular tank regiment - the 34st tank regiment, because this regiment was then armed exclusively with T-85-44, T-152 and BTR-1979 .. .(in 285!!!) Subsequently, after various staff changes, the 1984th tank regiment was finally included in the division. In 285, the 682th tank regiment was reorganized into the 1984nd motorized rifle regiment, in whose artillery division I subsequently had the opportunity to serve in the last years of the Afghan campaign ... So, our artillery division had M-30 howitzers until 1938 ... XNUMX model year.
    2. +4
      28 March 2022 12: 30
      Konstantin! Do you have any claims to adopting the Su-76 into service with the Red Army?
      1. +4
        28 March 2022 17: 53
        God save! I didn’t come up with these funny nicknames, but those who fought on the Su-76, they certainly knew something worth something. smile
        1. +5
          28 March 2022 19: 44
          As the late Svirin M.N. wrote, such derogatory nicknames for the Su-76 were given by the tankers planted on it! Shot down on it in the very first battles! Especially on the Kursk Bulge.
          Those who were trained on the Su-76 and used them in accordance with the Charter were satisfied with this combat vehicle !!!
          This is not a "turretless tank", but a Self-Propelled Installation.
          And she had to move behind the infantry chains!
          And do not cover the infantry with your weak armor !!!
          At the same time, in the Red Army, during the war, several variants of the SU-76 were used.
          which had many differences. Starting from the location of the engines and ending with the absence or presence of a DT machine gun in the vehicle kit !!!
          1. +4
            28 March 2022 20: 47
            similar derogatory nicknames for the Su-76 were given by the tankers planted on it!

            By the way, I am a tanker and Su-76, I saw it only in the museum. You write everything correctly, I do not argue. The Germans also had similar machines, and since they were, then there was a need for them.
        2. +4
          28 March 2022 19: 58
          It is a pity that of all the numerous nicknames for the SU-76 you have chosen the most offensive.
          She was named differently. And "Farewell, Motherland!", And "BM-4A", And "Golozh ... Ferdinand", And "Zhu-Zhu". Most often as a proper name, however, there is "Columbine".
          The claims to the survivability of the SU-76 are quite obvious, few people paid attention to this.
          But positive assessments about her are very common.
          Anatoly Pashukevich:
          For example, the SU-100 had a powerful cannon to support artillery fire. And it was more convenient to shoot from the SU-76.

          Nikolai Kuzmichev:
          Correspondent's question: "Now it is customary to scold her. It burns, they say, very well."
          N.K.: Everyone is on fire! But you have to use it correctly. She should support, not climb forward.

          Everyone notes its good maneuverability, speed, ease of calculation and reliability with proper operation.
          And somehow hurts the eye when veteran front-line soldier Rem Ulanov, for example, writes in his memoirs
          With every step to the East, I moved away from my comrades, from my dear "Columbine"

          and you find nothing but
          20 bitches did the "weather" there?

          SU-76 is the weapon of Victory without any exaggeration. It appeared on time and was the same as our grandfathers and great-grandfathers were able to design it and produce it in the right quantities.
          They would have the right to speak about her the way you do. And we are with you, it seems to me - no.
          1. +5
            28 March 2022 20: 55
            It is a pity that of all the numerous nicknames for the SU-76 you have chosen the most offensive.

            What I remember, I wrote. And I remembered that, our fathers and grandfathers spoke and wrote about it. I remember how one person said that when they shouted "air", the Sushki crews turned off the engine and climbed under the car, because there was no protection from a simple machine gun, unfortunately it did not always help, given the presence of a gasoline engine.
            They would have the right to speak about her the way you do. And we are with you, it seems to me - no.

            I do not think so. He never spoke of people who went through the war in a pejorative form, and technology can not only be judged, but also necessary.
            1. +3
              28 March 2022 22: 07
              Dear Konstantin!
              You can perfectly judge the T-54/55. About T-62. About the great variety of small arms that they held in their hands!
              But you were not in the crew of the SU-76, BA-64, Pe-2, etc. Therefore, having found an unflattering review, you need to try to find an objective assessment of the desired model of equipment or weapons!
              The Germans had a lot of claims to their own models of equipment and weapons.
              However, like the military personnel of ANY army!
              And this is true to this day.
              In my "view" - in the "view" of a person who dismantled "Kalash" only within the walls of a secondary school.
              And if you climb into the D-8/12 or the Polish Ford FT-B ...
              You can get "unforgettable ochucheniya"!!!
              But they were. They were built. They fought or studied on them.
              And this continues to this day.
              1. +6
                28 March 2022 22: 36
                Therefore, having found an unflattering review, you need to try to find an objective assessment of the desired type of equipment or weapons!

                Alexei, can I argue? I really never thought that my playful review of the nicknames of this self-propelled gun would cause such a "storm of emotions". smile
  6. +2
    28 March 2022 12: 59
    The spirits were not particularly wiser. A piece of plywood, a rag with diesel fuel and a Chinese rocket from the MLRS. And where Allah will send
    1. +5
      28 March 2022 15: 10
      Plywood?
      Not wave slate?
      1. 0
        29 March 2022 11: 53
        Quote: hohol95
        Plywood?
        Not wave slate?

        Slate, plywood, two boards knocked together with a gap, everything that helps to start the charge at least a little
  7. +6
    28 March 2022 15: 51
    I once caught an English light mortar of caliber 51mm, it seems, there were Chinese recoilless rifles and a 16-barreled Chinese RSZO trailed.
    1. +3
      28 March 2022 16: 55
      "Recoilless" - the previous article.
      RZSO - probably the next article.

"Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned)

“Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"