Wikipedia

100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3)

The 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) (Russian: 100-мм полевая пушка обр. 1944 г. (БС-3)) is a Soviet 100 mm (3.9 in) anti-tank and field gun.

100 mm field gun model 1944 (BS-3)
BS-3 at the Israel Defense Forces History Museum, Israel
TypeField gun and anti-tank gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1944–present
Used bySoviet Union
WarsWorld War II
Vietnam War
Yom Kippur War
Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
Produced1944–1951
Specifications
Mass3,650 kg (8,047 lbs)
Length9.37 m (30 ft 9 in)[1]
Barrel lengthBore: 5.34 m (17 ft 6 in) L/53.5
Overall: 5.96 m (19 ft 7 in) L/59.6
(with muzzle brake)
Width2.15 m (7 ft 1 in)[1]
Height1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)[1]
Crew6 to 8
Shell100 × 695 mmR[1]
(R/147mm)
Caliber100 mm (3.93 in)
BreechSemi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge[1]
Recoilhydro-pneumatic[1]
CarriageSplit trail
Elevation-5° to 45°
Traverse58°
Rate of fire8 to 10 rpm
Muzzle velocity900 m/s (2,953 ft/s)
Maximum firing range20 km (12.42 mi)

History

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Development

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BS-3 at the Israel Defense Forces History Museum

The BS-3 was based on the B-34 naval gun. The development team was led by V. G. Grabin.

World War II

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During World War II the Soviet Army employed the gun in the light artillery brigades of tank armies (20 pieces along with 48 ZiS-3) and by corps artillery. In the Second World War the BS-3 was successfully used as a powerful anti-tank gun. It was capable of defeating any contemporary tank at long range, excluding the Tiger II: to destroy that heavy tank the gun needed to shoot at less than 1,600 m (5,200 ft) from the target. The gun was capable of defeating the turret of Tiger II at a range of 800–1,000 m (2,600–3,300 ft). The gun was also used as a field gun. Though in this role it was less powerful than the 122 mm A-19, as it fired a smaller round, the BS-3 was more mobile and had a higher rate of fire.

Post World War II

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The BS-3 remained in service into the 1950s. As of 1955 it was getting replaced in Soviet service by the T-12 antitank gun and the 85 mm antitank gun D-48. A number of BS-3 pieces are still stored in Russian Ground Forces arsenals. In 2012, at least 12 BS-3 guns were still active with the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division, located on the Kuril Islands, used as anti-ship and anti-landing guns.

During the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014-present) both sides employed towed anti-tank guns. The use of the 100 mm Rapira is well known, but the Ukrainian Army also used the older BS-3. Three Ukrainian BS-3s were destroyed by Russian military forces during the initial phase of their 2022 invasion of Ukraine.[2] In September 2023, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service released footage of a Ukrainian BS-3 crew firing on Russian positions.[3]

Ammunition data

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  • Ammunition
    • AP: BR-412
    • APBC: BR-412B, BR-412D
    • HE/Fragmentation
  • Projectile weight
    • AP/APBC: 15.88 kg (35 lbs)
    • HE/Fragmentation: 15.6 kg (34.39 lbs)
  • Armor penetration (BR-412B, 30° degrees)
    • 500 m : 190 mm
      (547 yds : 6.29 in)
    • 1000 m : 170 mm
      (1,093 yds : 6 in)

Operators

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Former operators

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 59. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
  2. ^ a b "Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Border Guards Demonstrate Firing From 100-Mm BS-3 Gun Dating Back To The 1940s". Kyiv: The Sundries. 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. pp. 92, 188, 285, 309, 422, 458, 465, 479, 493. ISBN 9781032012278.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Future Artillery Systems: 2016 Market Report" (PDF). Tidworth: Defence IQ. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  7. ^ Schuster, Carl Otis; Coffey, David (May 2011). "Vietnam, Democratic Republic of, Army". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History (2 ed.). p. 1251. ISBN 978-1-85109-960-3.

References

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  • 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
  • Christopher F. Foss, Artillery of the World
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