M-30 (M1938) Russian 122mm Towed Howitzer

The 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) was a Soviet 121.92 mm (4.8 inches) howitzer. The weapon was developed by the design bureau of Motovilikha Plants, headed by F. F. Petrov, in the late 1930s, and was in production from 1939 to 1955. The M-30 saw action in World War II, mainly as a divisional artillery piece of the Red Army (RKKA). Captured guns were also employed later in the conflict by the German Wehrmacht and the Finnish Army. Post World War II the M-30 saw combat in numerous conflicts of the mid-to-late twentieth century in service of other countries armies, notably in the Middle East. The barrel of the M-30 was of built-up construction and consisted of a liner, jacket, and breech. The breechblock was of interrupted screw type, with forced cartridge case extraction. The gun was equipped with a hydraulic recoil buffer and hydropneumatics recuperator. A panoramic sight was used for both indirect and direct fire. The M-30 had a modern split trail carriage with leaf spring suspension and steel wheels with rubber tires. It was usually towed by a vehicle without a limber. The carriage allowed for a towing speed of up to 50 km/h on paved roads and up to 35 km/h on gravel or dirt roads, although the gun could also be moved by a team of six horses, in which case a limber was used. When the trails were swung open the suspension locked automatically. In an emergency, it was possible to shoot in a "single trail" mode, at the price of a drastically reduced traverse (1°30'). The time required to set the gun up for combat was about 1–1.5 minutes. The carriage of the M-30 was later used for the D-1 152 mm howitzer. In the M-30, RKKA units finally received a modern divisional howitzer which successfully combined increased