Russian Trekhdyujmovka 3inch gun, model 1902 1/72 UMmT 623

Russian Trekhdyujmovka 3inch gun, model 1902
1/35 scale plastic model kit
UMmT 623

Manufacturer: UMmt (Ukraine)
Scale: 1/35
Material: Plastic
Condition: New in Box

The 76.2 mm divisional gun model 1902  was a Russian light field gun used in the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, Russian Civil War and a number of interwar armed conflicts with participants from the former Russian Empire (Soviet Union,Poland, Finland, Estonia, etc.). Modernized versions of this gun were employed at the early stage of World War II.This gun, known as the "three-incher", (трёхдюймовка) was developed byPutilovski Works in Saint-Petersburg in 1902. The lead designers were L. A. Bishlyak, K. M. Sokolovskiy and K. I. Lipnitskiy. It incorporated many new features for that time - carriage with recoil devices, traverse and elevation tracking mechanisms, precision sight for direct and indirect firing, manualinterrupted screw breech and single-piece ammunition loading.

For simplifying the mass production process designers used in the gun's construction cheap types of carbonized steel without or with minimal use of rare and expensive nickel-, manganese- or chromium-added types of steel. Early version had two seats for the crew on both sides of a barrel, from 1906 they were replaced with an armoured shield. The shield had a specific design: an outer shield, with a big rectangular opening, and a smaller, inner shield behind it. Upper and lower portion of a bigger shield were folding during transport.M1902 divisional guns were the mainstay of Russian Empire artillery and were accepted well by the army. Their characteristics were at the same level with similar 75-mm French and German guns. These guns were used in the battles of the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. After the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917 M1902 guns were employed by different factions: bolshevist Red Army, monarchist or counter-revolution White Guard, nationalist forces in Russian-minority areas, national armies of Poland and Finland and simply anarchists and bandits throughout the vast territories of former imperial Russia.

In some episodes the gun saw its first anti-tank usage. The White Guard and intervening Allied forces used a small number of tanks, primarily French Renault FT-17s and British Mk Vs or Whippets. The M1902 gun with its high muzzle velocity was an effective weapon against such targets with only anti-bullet armour protection. In the 1920 Polish-Soviet War M1902 guns were again used against Polish FT-17s.Poland and Soviet Union modernized their M1902 guns after the end of World War I. Polish designers made their minor enhancements in 1926, resulting in the wz. 02/26 gun, which was rechambered for firing 75 mm shells used by the most numerous Polish field gun, theCanon de 75 modèle 1897. The USSR continued mass production of M1902 gun until 1931 when it was replaced by its enhanced M1902/30 variant. For Soviet modernization see 76 mm divisional gun M1902/30. Both variants were utilized in the early stages of World War II. There were still 2066 guns of M1902 model available in 1941. The Soviet stockpiles of 76 mm ammunition for this gun were so large that the Soviet army decided to retain the 76 mm caliber ammunition for their modern field guns designed in the 1930s (F-22, USV andZiS-3), even as other armies changed to larger calibers for their basic field gun.

76-mm divisional gun model 1902
76-mm divisional gun model 1902 in the Finnish Military Museum, Helsinki, Finland.
Type	Field gun
Place of origin	Russian Empire,  Soviet Union
Production history
Produced	1903-1931
Specifications
Weight	combat: 1,092 kg ( lbs) travel: 2,380 kg (5,247 lbs)
Barrel length	30 calibers
Caliber	76.2 mm (3 in)
Breech	interrupted screw
Carriage	fixed trail
Elevation	-3° to 17°
Traverse	5°
Rate of fire	10-12 rpm
Maximum firing range	8.5 km (5.28 mi)