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76 mm air defense gun M1931

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76 mm air defense gun M1931 (3-K)
76 mm M1931 at Kempele, Finland.
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1932 – 1977
Used bySee § Users
Wars
Production history
Designer
  • Original design:
    Rheinmetall
  • Soviet official credit:
    G. P. Tagunov
Designed1931
ManufacturerRed Putilovite plant
Developed into76 mm air defense gun M1938
Produced1931 – 1938
Specifications
Mass
  • Travel:
    4,820 kg (10,630 lb)
  • Combat:
    3,650 kg (8,050 lb)
Barrel length
  • Overall:
    4.1 m (13.45 ft) L/55
  • Rifling:
    3.37 m (11.06 ft) L/44.2
Crew10[1]
ShellFixed QF 76.2×558mmR[2]
Shell weight6.6 kg (14 lb 9 oz)
Caliber76.2 mm (3.00 in)
BreechSemi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge
RecoilHydro-pneumatic
CarriageTwo-wheeled carriage with collapsible cruciform outriggers
Elevation−3° to +82°
Traverse360°[1]
Rate of fire10 – 20 rpm
Muzzle velocity815 m/s (2,670 ft/s)
Maximum firing range9.3 km (31,000 ft) AA ceiling[1]

The 76 mm air defense gun M1931 (3-K) (Russian: 76-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1931 г. (3-K)) was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Soviet Union during the Winter War and the first stages of World War II.

History

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Based on the design made by German company Rheinmetall, the configuration of the air defense gun M1931 is similar to the design of the contemporary Vickers 3-inch anti-aircraft guns. The Soviet M1931 had a two-wheeled carriage with collapsible cruciform outriggers.[1]

The M1931 was replaced in production in 1938 by the 76 mm air defense gun M1938 which had a four-wheeled dual-axle carriage with two collapsible outriggers. The M1931 and M1938 had nearly identical performance and were gradually replaced by the more powerful 85 mm air defense gun M1939.[1]

M1931 guns captured by the Germans were given the designation 7.62 cm Flak M.31(r) and used until they were either worn out or their ammunition supply ran out. A few were rebored to fire German 8.8 cm ammunition and redesignated the 7.62/8.8 cm Flak M.31(r). However, the majority were scrapped in 1944.[1]

Finland

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A number of M1931 guns were captured by Finland during the Winter War and were employed by them as the 76 ItK/31 ss during World War II.[3]

After the war, a number of Finnish guns were converted into light coastal guns (76 ItK 31 Rt, where "Rt" stands for "rannikkotykistö" = coastal artillery) by the addition of a scope site with manual lead mechanism for direct fire against moving surface targets. These guns were still in use as training guns of the coastal artillery into the 1980s.[4]

Users

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  • AA guns of the 268th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion during the defense of Nikolayev, August 1941
    AA guns of the 268th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion during the defense of Nikolayev, August 1941

See also

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  • ZSU 29-K — The M1931 gun fitted onto the chassis of the three-axle YaG-10 truck.
  • SU-6 — Self-propelled gun based on the T-26 tank, armed with the M1931 gun.

References

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Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f Chamberlain & Gander 1975, p. 62.
  2. ^ "77-77 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  3. ^ a b "76 ItK/31 ss and 76 ItK/31-40 ss | FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS PART 3: Heavy Guns". www.jaegerplatoon.net. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  4. ^ Enqvist 1999.
Sources
  • Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1975). Anti-aircraft guns. New York: Arco Pub. Co. ISBN 0668038187. OCLC 2000222.
  • Enqvist, Ove (1999). Itsenäisen Suomen rannikkotykit 1918-1998 [Coastal guns of independent Finland 1918-1998] (in Finnish). Helsinki: Sotamuseo. ISBN 9789512510337.
  • Shunkov, V. N. (1999). Оружие Красной Армии [The Weapons of the Red Army] (in Russian). Mn. Harvest. ISBN 985-433-469-4.
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