Russian APHE 76MM

[MINENAZ16]

Hello,
A lot of different models and designations, so it's very difficult to make difference between 76mm APHE shells.
For example this one 76mm BR-3xx ??

 

[M8owner]

I believe it to be a BR-350B.

 

[MINENAZ16]

My doc of BR-350B shows a different shell (!) without base plate (very complicated...)



As for the 85mm APHE, I assume my doc is not correct (too many models, maybe lot of mistakes).
Could you make a list of 76mm APHE shells ?

 

[M8owner]

Your document is also correct. There could be as many as five variants of a BR-350B. Rather normal for Russian projectiles.

 

[aaaaa]

 

[RichardB]

Wolchonok,
Two questions..
1. Do you have estimate dates for the 9 projectiles when they entered service?
2. What is the difference between Б, БР, БП, Б3Р, and what do they mean?

 

[aaaaa]

BR350A was pre-war design IIRC, sometimes(and this is annoying) soviet sources gives not "names" such as BR350A, but blueprint number of exact round, like BR-350A is a shell blueprint №2-03545.

Idea behing "bottle shape" is to make nose part hard, and other softer, which give a lot of troubles during productions(omiting the fact that you need a lot of tooling and time to machine this "bottle" out of blank), to be honest don't remember when BR350 familty comes to service(41 or 42) but main reason was made cheap and simple round that can be produced in masses, so even steel for this rounds was used cheapest available, thats why so poor performance vs armor, also soviet for a long time don't have ability to make capped AP rounds for tank guns

main difference between 350Б, БР and БЗР is cavity for explosive, why don't know, maybe different factories alter design for their production ability, as for 350Сп, it was part-"solution" IIRC for increase strength of BR350 by deleting the cavity...one of BR350B version has blueprint №2-06519


the one marked as "бронепробный" was used for armor trials

 

[Irod7]

Wolchonok,
2. What is the difference between Б, БР, БП, Б3Р, and what do they mean?

I was also studying this in the past few weeks. I don`t have all the answers but what i can add to the subject:

БР- бронебойно - armor piercing, tipically in russian manuals it is reffered as бронебойно-трассирующий снаряд - armor piercing tracer projectile, even if it usually is APHE-T not just AP-T
БП - бронепробный - "gun test" projectile / pressure proof shell
Б3Р - бронебойно-зажигательные снаряды - armored piercing incendiary shell. The cavity is filled with 120g of TNT and incendiary pellets.
БР350Сп (Сплошной) - literally solid shot armored piercing projectile. Personally, i think the marginally better performance of the БР350Сп is simply due to increased mass.
Б343 - notice the different GAU prefix of 34 not 35. This is a shell used only for the BPK recoilless gun.

 

[MINENAZ16]

Thanks for details.
I have other in my doc. Are they correct ?

-BR-350SP
-BR-356
-BR-356B
-BR-361
-BR-361SP

 

[Eggburt1969]

Wolchonok,

2. What is the difference between Б, БР, БП, Б3Р, and what do they mean?

Right, this all relates the Russian Armed Forces, well Russian MoD, GAU and GRAU index code systems.

The GAU system was replaced with the later GRAU system in about 1956 for various reasons. As such some of older munition codes from were expanded upon and new munitions moved into revised divisions. For example, new munitions generally moved from Division 53, to Division 3.

For ammo, the GAU system was broken down as such: Division - Type - Originating Weapon - Modifiers. Hyphens present between each, though not normally for the modifier. An example would be the 53-BP-354A means: 53 = ammo; BP = armour-piercing (B) spinning HEAT projectile (P); 354 = the 76.2 mm Divisional Gun Model 1902; A = a cast iron projectile.

The GRAU system was is pretty similar, but it drops all hyphens (though they creep in for some difficult ones), and drops the originating weapon, so making it more secret as you don’t know what weapon it’s for just from its GRAU index code.
Right, to answer the question…

These codes (for Division 53) originate with the GAU system.

Ф = Фугасная граната = High explosive projectile
О = Осколочная граната = fragmentation projectile
ОР = Осколочно-трассируюшая граната = fragmentation tracer projectile
ОЗР = Осколочно-зажигателыю-трассирующая граната = fragmentation incendiary tracer projectile
ОФ = Осколочно-фугасная граната = fragmentation high explosive projectile
БР = Бронебойно-трассирующие калиберные и подкалиберные снаряды = armor-piercing tracer caliber and subcaliber projectiles
БП = Кумулятивные вращающиеся снаряды = rotating HEAT projectiles
БК = Кумулятивные невращающиеся снаряды = non-rotating HEAT projectiles
Г = Бетонобойные снаряды = anti-concrete projectiles
Д = Дымовые снаряды = smoke projectiles
ДЦ = Пристрелочно-целеуказателъные снаряды = target marking projectiles
С = Осветительные снаряды = illumination projectiles
З = Зажигательные снаряды = incendiary projectiles
А = Агитационные снаряды = propaganda (leaflet) projectiles
У = Выстрел натронного заряжания = fixed ammunition
В = Выстрел раздельного заряжания = separate loading ammunition
Я = Ящик (укупорка) = packaging
В = Взрыватель = fuzes
Т = Трубка и т. д. = tubes, etc.

The GRAU system added or modified a few projectiles post 1956, these being.

Б = Снаряды бронебойные = armour-piercing projectiles (think small arms, etc.)
БР = Снаряды бронебонно-трассирующие каморные и сплошные = armour-piercing tracer shot (solid) and shell (hollow) projectiles
БМ = Снаряды бронебойные подкалиберные = armour-piercing subcalibre projectiles

This data comes from a Russian document from 1968 it title roughly translating to the 'Design and Function of Artillery and Ammunition (Shells, Mines, Charges, Shells, Means Of Ignition, Tracers)'.

I'll answer other questions relating to 76 mm APHE projectiles another time. For the mean time, here are some other images. (Such s why the internal cavities were different and what was in them.)



The 53-BR-350A from a 1949 book on 76 mm ammo.




Same book, but the 53-BR-350B.



From an offical Russian military 1971 book on the 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3). I think a boo-boo's been made here as it would seem to be a 53-BR-350B by the look of it.



From the offical 1974 Yugoslav manual on ammo.

 

[Irod7]

A few observations on your post, if I might add.

For ammo, the GAU system was broken down as such: Division - Type - Originating Weapon - Modifiers. Hyphens present between each, though not normally for the modifier. An example would be the 53-BP-354A means: 53 = ammo; BP = armour-piercing (B) spinning HEAT projectile (P); 354 = the 76.2 mm Divisional Gun Model 1902; A = a cast iron projectile.

I think there is an error about the last part of the code. I have seen the same description in Romanian army manuals from the soviet era, but it simply is not true, at least not from codes in the 53 division (they may be true for the 52 division, I have to check).

First of all, regarding the 3-number code, the first two are a caliber code (although this has a few exceptions*)
It is very important to know that the shell (projectile) designation and ROUND designation are most of the times different. This is the source of many confusions on the internet, especially when people just drop the "U" from the round designation and invent new codes of projectiles that actually do not exist. In fact, in our case of 76,2mm ww2 era ammo, almost all shells, regardless of type(HE, armor piercing, incendiary, etc.) have the "350" suffix, whereas the ROUND codes are split in several categories:

53-Uxx-354yy - Rounds for the divisional gun mod.1902/30, mod.1933 , mod.1936(F-22), mod.1939(USV), mod.1942(ZIS-3), all T-34 and KV-1 guns and similar with a barrel length of 30-40 calibers. These use the 76.2x385.3R shell with a full charge.
53-Uxx-353yy - Rounds for the regimental gun mod.1927, mod.1927/30 and similar with a barrel length up to 26 calibers. These us the 76.2x385.3R shell with a reduced charge. These have a black stripe near the case neck on all rounds.
53-Uxx-352yy - Rounds for the mountain guns mod.1904, mod.1909, anti-assault gun mod. 1910 and similar. These us the 76.2x192R.
53-Uxx-356yy - Rounds for the mountain gun mod.1938. These us the 76.2x300R.
53-Uxx-356yy - Rounds for the regimental gun mod.1943(OB-25). These use the 76.2x167R.

*In some calibers there is a distinct code for "land" and "AA" guns in the same caliber, for example in 45mm there is 24x for "land" guns and 25x for AA guns.
** This is also valid to the most confusing code group of them all, IMHO, that is 36x, what incorporates both 76.2mm shells for AA guns and also 85mm shells. It`s a mess....

Sources for the above:
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/94945-Russian-WWII-76-2-mm-Cannon-Ammunition
https://guns.allzip.org/topic/42/287135.html

 

[Eggburt1969]

A few observations on your post, if I might add.

I'm just quoting the Russian book and from experience this would seem to be right. The book states that the three digit code between 'Type' and 'Modifier' is the weapon code. Some weapon codes can include a modifier, this denoting another weapon of the same 'family', which can lead to confusion. I've simply not broken this down any more this. Weapon codes were removed in the GRAU system in increase security.

When a round, the 'Type' part of the code includes the U or V prefix, these respectively denoting fixed (unitary) or separate loading ammunition. The U and V prefix Type codes are used in the GRAU system.

My data comes from official Russian documentation, and it or some similar is likely what internet sources originally used. This original data has then been copied and spread around the web.

If it's any consolation I couldn't find the GAU Division 52 index code that the 350 weapon code stems from.

 

[RichardB]

Eggburt1969, Irod7,
Thats brilliant, thank you. While i could guess, many of those nomenclatures have been a mystery, and ive simply not asked before

 

[Irod7]

The book states that the three digit code between 'Type' and 'Modifier' is the weapon code.

That is exactly what my book says as well (A-106, Manual regarding small arms, mortar, artillery and reactive artillery ammunition, 1982 edition) but it is simply wrong. I mean, it is correct but not in the 53 division.

The book further elaborates the same thing as you:

Some weapon codes can include a modifier, this denoting another weapon of the same 'family', which can lead to confusion.

From this description it is clear they are referring to the 52 division of weapon codes, where this rule is true, not to the 53 division of ammunition, where this is not.

Example:

52-П-354 - 76-mm field gun mod. 1902
52-П-354В - 76-mm field gun mod. 1902/30 g.
52-П-354К - 8-K cannon on a horse-drawn carriage ZU-26
52-П-354Л - 8-K cannon on a mechanical traction cart ZU-25
52-П-354М - 8-K cannon on a mechanical traction cart ZU- 29
52-П-354Н - 8-K cannon on a semi-stationary installation ZU-27
52-П-354У - 76-mm divisional gun ZiS-3 mod. 1942
52-П-354Ф - 76-mm USV divisional gun mod. 1939

If you will take a look at the weapon codes in the 52 division, you will see that the 3-number code is corresponding to the codes used for rounds and the case length used (as per my previous post).

 

[MINENAZ16]

Yes, brillant answers.