203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4)

203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4)
203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) in Great Patriotic War museum, Minsk, Belarus.
Type	Heavy howitzer
Place of origin	USSR
Production history
Designer	Nikolai Nikititsch Magdesiew
Designed	1931
Produced	1932-1990
Number built	871
Specifications
Weight	Combat: 17,700 kg (39,022 lbs) Travel: 19,000 kg (41,888 lbs)
Barrel length	Bore: L/24.1 Overall: L/25
Shell	HE: 100 kg (220 lbs)
Caliber	203 mm (8 in)
Breech	interrupted screw
Elevation	0° to 60°
Traverse	8°
Rate of fire	1 round per minute
Muzzle velocity	607 m/s (1,990 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	18 km (11 mi)

203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) (Russian: 203-мм гаубица обр. 1931 г. (Б-4)) was a 203 mm (8 inch) Soviet heavy howitzer. During the Second World War, it was under the command of the Stavka's strategic reserve. It was nicknamed "Stalin's sledgehammer" by German soldiers. These guns were used with success against heavy German fortifications and in urban combat for crushing protected buildings and bunkers. This weapon was used until the end of the war in the Battle of Berlin where the Red Army would bring these guns up at point blank range to smash German fortifications with their heavy 203mm shells.

Operators

• Soviet Union
• Cuba

See also

• 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) shared same carriage
• 280 mm mortar M1939 (Br-5) shared same carriage
• 8 inch Howitzer M1 approximate United States equivalent
• BL 7.2-inch howitzer approximate British equivalent

References

• Shunkov V. N. - The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) ISBN 985-433-469-4