Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

Discussions on WW2 in Eastern Europe.
Post Reply
Indragnir
Member
Posts: 29
Joined: 24 Nov 2014, 20:14
Location: Spain

Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

#1

Post by Indragnir » 28 Oct 2022, 09:55

Hello,

I have read small quotes from the book by Kolomiets M., Svirin M. - Kursk Salient 1998 regarding that the Soviets used two rare artillery guns in the battle of Kursk:
152mm BR-2 guns and 107mm M-60 guns (this 1 regiment? under the Central Front).
I have looked at the book but it seems it has not been translated.

Can anyone shed some light on the use of those guns in Kursk (armies/front/number of units).

Thanks in advance.

Art
Forum Staff
Posts: 7028
Joined: 04 Jun 2004, 20:49
Location: Moscow, Russia

Re: Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

#2

Post by Art » 29 Oct 2022, 08:15

In early July 1943 the Central Front had no 152-mm guns and had only 5 107-mm guns belonging to the 642 Cannon Artillery Regiment. The type of these guns is not specified but it seems likely that these were mod. 1910/30 guns. See report on order of battle and numerical strength of the Central Front as of 5 July 1943:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=133320665

V. Zamulin doesn't confirm presence of M-60 in anti-tank units of the Voronezh Front either.


Paul_Atreides
Member
Posts: 606
Joined: 09 Sep 2008, 09:05
Location: Russia, St. Petersburg

Re: Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

#3

Post by Paul_Atreides » 29 Oct 2022, 22:49

Art wrote:
29 Oct 2022, 08:15
V. Zamulin doesn't confirm presence of M-60 in anti-tank units of the Voronezh Front either.
«...в 642 пап 5 ад даже накануне Курской битвы числилось только 10 122-мм гаубиц обр. 1937 г. и 5 107-мм пушек обр. 1910/30 гг., хотя ему полагалось 18 152-мм пушек-гаубиц 1937 г.» (Замулин В. Курск-43. Как готовилась битва «титанов». Кн. 2. М., 2019. С. 478)
There is no waste, there are reserves (Slogan of German Army in World Wars)

Indragnir
Member
Posts: 29
Joined: 24 Nov 2014, 20:14
Location: Spain

Re: Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

#4

Post by Indragnir » 03 Nov 2022, 00:43

Art wrote:
29 Oct 2022, 08:15
In early July 1943 the Central Front had no 152-mm guns and had only 5 107-mm guns belonging to the 642 Cannon Artillery Regiment. The type of these guns is not specified but it seems likely that these were mod. 1910/30 guns. See report on order of battle and numerical strength of the Central Front as of 5 July 1943:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=133320665

V. Zamulin doesn't confirm presence of M-60 in anti-tank units of the Voronezh Front either.
Thank you.

So no 152mm Br-2 in Kursk? (under any front)

BTW Can you provide me more reports on order of battle from other Fronts at Kursk? My skills on russian language are very very basic.

Art
Forum Staff
Posts: 7028
Joined: 04 Jun 2004, 20:49
Location: Moscow, Russia

Re: Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

#5

Post by Art » 04 Nov 2022, 10:14

There are reports on strength and compostion of the Central Front submitted every 5 days, all tell the same story - no 152-mm guns in its order of battle.
Voronezh Front's reports of the same format are not available, but there are other types of document. See, for example, a report on number and type of artillery pieces in non-divisional units of the Voronezh Front on 20.7.43:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=151400158
No signs of 152-mm guns here either.
I don't see units which could potentially have such guns (i.e. seprate GHQ artillery battalions) in both Fronts' order of battle.

As for the M-60 guns the story is partly true. 408 Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment arrived to the Voronezh Front from the Moscow Military District in the second half of July 1943. The regiment consisted of 5 batteries, each with 3 107-mm M-60 guns and an anti-tank rifle platoon, total 15 M-60 guns. Lend-lease M-2 halftracks were used a prime-movers for the guns. The regiment took no part in defensive phase (that is operation "Citadel") but participated in operation "Rumyantsev" as a part of the 27 Army/Voronezh Front and in particular suffered heavy losses during a German counterattack at Akhtyrka on 18.8.43.

Indragnir
Member
Posts: 29
Joined: 24 Nov 2014, 20:14
Location: Spain

Re: Rare Soviet Artillery at Kursk

#6

Post by Indragnir » 08 Nov 2022, 16:25

Thank you very much. Very informative.

Post Reply

Return to “WW2 in Eastern Europe”