122mm Gun A-19

122mm Gun A-19
Country	Soviet Union
Type	Soviet field gun
Photographer	Unknow
Description	Album of 15 photos walk-around of a «122mm Gun A-19»

Photo gallery of a 122mm Gun A-19, 122 mm corps gun M1931 (A-19) (Russian: 122-мм корпусная пушка обр. 1931 г. (А-19)) was a Soviet field gun, developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1939 the gun was replaced in production by an improved variant, M1931/37. The piece saw action in World War II with the Red Army. Captured guns were employed by Wehrmacht and the Finnish Army.

Source: 122mm A-19 on Wiki

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The Long Arm of the Red Army

The 122mm Gun M1931/37 (A-19) was one of the most powerful and important artillery pieces in the Soviet arsenal during World War II. It was designed to provide long-range counter-battery fire, smashing German artillery positions and fortifications from miles behind the front lines. While it was a heavy towed gun, its ballistic performance was so impressive that it became the foundation for the main armament of the IS-2 heavy tank and the ISU-122 self-propelled gun. It was an A-19 that reportedly fired the first Soviet shell into Berlin in 1945.

Attribute	Technical Specification (A-19)
Type	Corps Field Gun
Crew	9 men
Caliber	121.92 mm
Barrel Length	46.3 calibers
Rate of Fire	3–4 rounds per minute
Muzzle Velocity	800 m/s (2,625 ft/s)
Maximum Range	20,400 m (22,310 yards)
Projectile Weight	25 kg (55 lbs) – HE Shell

Engineering: Power and Recoil

The Split-Trail Carriage: The M1937 variant used the same versatile carriage as the 152mm ML-20. The split-trail design allowed for a wide horizontal traverse (58 degrees), making it much easier to track moving targets or shift fire without moving the entire gun.
Screw Breech Mechanism: Unlike the sliding blocks of smaller guns, the A-19 utilized an interrupted screw breech. This provided a superior gas seal for the massive propellant charges needed to reach its 20-kilometer range.
Recoil System: To manage the violent energy of firing, the A-19 featured a hydraulic recoil buffer and a pneumatic recuperator located above the barrel.
Limber and Transport: Despite its power, the A-19 was massive and heavy (over 7 tons). It required heavy tracked tractors, like the Voroshilovets or Stalinets, to move across the muddy Russian terrain.

A Tank-Killer by Accident

The “Tiger” Hunter: During the Battle of Kursk, Soviet commanders discovered that the A-19’s high muzzle velocity made it capable of punching through the thick armor of German Tiger and Panther tanks at ranges where other guns failed. Even a non-penetrating hit from a 25kg shell could shear the turret off a tank through sheer kinetic energy.
Evolution into the D-25T: The A-19 was so successful that it was modified into a tank gun, the D-25T. This became the legendary armament of the IS-2 “Joseph Stalin” tank, allowing Soviet tankers to engage German heavy armor from safe distances.
Cold War Longevity: After WWII, the A-19 remained in service for decades and was exported to dozens of Soviet-aligned nations. It saw extensive combat in the Arab-Israeli wars and various conflicts across Africa and Asia.
First Shot into Berlin: Tradition holds that on April 20, 1945, an A-19 battery from the 30th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade fired the opening salvo on the German capital, signaling the final phase of the war in Europe.