History, Development, and Use
of the M-1910 122mm Field Gun

 

 

This section will cover the history, development, and use of the M-1910 field gun.  In this section you will find where the gun has been used, when it was designed, its limitations and abilities, and how it functions.

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M-1910 122mm Field Gun

 

 

Brief Operational History

As the Russian army continued its modernization plan following the Russo-Japanese war they found that in many cases their native industries were not equal to the task.  This was the case with the Gangut class battleships and with 122mm field artillery.

The primary field gun in use by the Russian army at the time was the M-1904 122mm cannon designed by the Russian Obuchov and Pulitov arsenals.  The gun made use of the hydro-pneumatic recoil system and had a short 12 caliber barrel.  The weapon fired a 46 pound shell to a distance of 7,325 yards.  The army felt that its performance would not be adequate on the future battlefield.

The army decided to remedy this deficiency in 1909 as part of the army modernization program by looking at foreign designed cannon.  Their first choice was to adopt a German 120mm gun by Krupp that would be bored up to122mm to match the Russian artillery standard.  Initially this seemed adequate, but the following year the army also chose to adopt a French design by Schneider.  The design was the 120mm M-1910 field gun which, like the Krupp model, would be manufactured to the Russian 122mm standard.

Many observers thought it highly unusual for the Russian army to purchase two different, but functionally identical guns for their artillery forces.  The most likely reason for this was that the pace of modernization was proceeding too slowly for the Russians and they chose to buy the Schneider guns to fill their gun batteries quicker.

The differences between the two systems were relatively few, with the primary difference being in the gun recoil mechanism.  The Krupp version had a constant recoil stroke that did not allow the breech to strike the ground when positioned at high elevation, while the Schneider M-1910 had a mechanism that automatically changed the length of the recoil stroke as the elevation of the gun changed.  Both guns fired identical 122mm ammunition.

When war broke out in 1914 the two guns formed the backbone of Russian field artillery.  They were used on all fronts throughout the war and in the Civil War that followed.  During the Civil War the guns were widely used by both Red and White forces.  Once the Bolsheviks had won that war they continued to use the M-1910 throughout the 1920's.  The gun was then modernized in 1930 and redesignated the M-1910/30 122mm howitzer.  In this new form the field guns of the Great War would continue to serve well into the Great Patriotic War.

    

Tactical Use and Limitations

The M-1910 field gun was a simple and effective weapon designed to provide direct battlefield fire support for advancing troops.  Fire corrections were usually made by the battery commander who stood behind his battery with a pair of binoculars.  As with other field guns of the day, no provision was made for observed indirect fire beyond the line of sight of the battery commander.

It was an excellent field piece that offered much improved performance over the M-1904 field gun, and was comparable to the Krupp M-1909 gun.  Proof of its excellent serviceability was in 1930 when it was modernized by the Red Army rather than simply being replaced.  The gun had no noteworthy shortcomings unique to it, other than the inability to elevate past 45 degrees and lay in plunging fire.  This was typical of most field guns of the day and in no way a detriment to the M1910.

  

Deployment Chronology

The Schneider M-1910 field gun was part of the Russian drive to modernize after the Russo-Japanese war.  It was quite successful in service and was used by both Imperial and Bolshevik armies well into the early 1930's.  In this section you can see what gun the M-1910 replaced and what type of gun eventually replaced it.  You can find more about each field gun if we have them on our site by clicking on the links below.

The M-1910 replaced... M-1910 122mm Field Gun The M-1910 was replaced by...
M-1904 122mm Field Gun M-1910/30 Howitzer

 

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.