The gigantic BR-17 cannon became one of those types of domestic weapons that did not have time to start the war. The prospects for the gun were huge, but in practice everything did not go as smoothly as we would like. So what was the huge Soviet cannon capable of, where did it come from and how did its fate develop during the Second World War?
In 1938, the Munich Pact took place between Western democracies and the Third Reich, as a result of which Czechoslovakia was annexed by the Nazis. At that time, an impressive industrial production was concentrated in the country. What was the cost of only the machine-building concern "Skoda", which was also engaged in the production of weapons and military equipment. Developed "Skoda" and artillery systems. In 1939, the Soviet Union entered into an agreement with the Reich, and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was concluded.
In the pre-war lull, trade continued, including in technology. The Soviet Union bought technical documentation and samples for two heavy artillery systems from the Skoda concern. The first is a 210-mm cannon. The second is a 305-mm cannon. In the future, in production, these systems will receive indices Br-17 and Br-18. It was assumed that both systems would saturate the batteries before the start of a new war. However, this never happened.
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By 1941, the Red Army had 8 completely finished 210-mm guns of the 1939 model Br-17. However, due to the instability at the front and the constant retreat, the command decided not to risk putting new super-heavy guns to the front. The problem was also that the Br-17 did not have time to produce enough ammunition. So the gun lay in the bins of the Motherland until 1944, until it was nevertheless sent to the front. The Br-17 was distributed between 4 batteries of one artillery regiment, 2 each, as a reinforcement for the Br-2 guns of 152 mm caliber.
In combat position, the 210 mm Br-17 gun weighed 44 tons. The rate of fire of the gun reached 0.5 rounds per minute. The gun fired mainly with high-explosive ammunition 53-F-643 weighing 133 kg. With an initial speed of movement of such ammunition at 800 m / s, the artillery system could throw a projectile at a distance of 28 km. Today, the few remaining Br-17 guns can be seen in the museums of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Perm and Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about why the generally mediocre Airacobra on the eastern front has become a key aircraft.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/100122/61805/