152 mm howitzer M1910 / 37 152 mm howitzer M1910 / 37 ( ) was a limited production Soviet 152 . 4 mm ( 6 inch ) howitzer , a modernization of the 152 mm howitzer M1910 , initially designed by Schneider . The gun was employed by Red Army in World War II . Development and production history . The gun resulted from a modernization of the 152 mm howitzer M1910 . The M1910 was initially designed by Schneider . Putilov Plant and Perm Plant delivered 348 pieces in 1911 - 27 . By 1936 , the RKKA possessed 101 M1910s , including 5 practice pieces . Work on modernizing the gun started in 1936 . Because of small number of M1910s in service , extensive upgrade was not considered worthwhile . The gun was rechambered for larger cartridge , same as used by the 152 mm howitzer M1909 / 30 ; upgraded barrels received a mark " lengthened chamber " . Some pieces also had their wooden wheels replaced by steel ones with rubber tires , resulting in much higher transportation speed of 18 km / h . The modernized weapon was officially adopted as 152 mm howitzer model 1910 / 37 . By 1941 , all M1910 howitzers were upgraded . There was no production of new pieces . The design of M1910 / 37 was typical for World War I era howitzer . The gun had short ( 12 calibers ) barrel with eccentric interrupted screw breechblock ; hydraulic recoil buffer and pneumatic recuperator were both mounted under the barrel . The carriage was of single trail type with limited traverse and , typically , unsprung wooden wheels ( some pieces received metal wheels with solid rubber tire s ) . The gun was typically towed by a horse team ( eight horses ) by means of a limber . For each gun three horse - drawn ammunition boxes were issued ; each box held 22 projectiles and 24 propellant charges . Organization and employment . Under the organization of 1939 , each rifle division had a howitzer regiment with a 152 mm howitzers battalion ( 12 pieces ) . In July 1941 these regiment were cancelled . Same fate befell 152 mm howitzers battalions of motorized and armored divisions . Corps artillery units didn ' t employ 152 mm howitzers early in the war ( they did use howitzer - guns ML - 20 ) ; but from late 1943 the recreated corps artillery included a regiment consisted of five batteries ( totaling 20 pieces ) , equipped , along with other types , with 152 mm howitzers . By 1 June 1944 , there were 192 such pieces in corps artillery . Reserve of the Main Command included howitzer regiments ( 48 pieces ) and heavy howitzer brigade s ( 32 pieces ) , sometimes organized into artillery divisions . By the outbreak of German - Soviet War older 152 mm howitzers were being replaced by the newer M - 10 . However the M - 10 production rate was slow , so by June 1941 the M1910 / 37 was still in service and was employed by the RKKA in the German - Soviet War . However , no details of its service are available . Summary . The M1910 / 37 was a relatively minor upgrade of a World War I - era howitzer , which did not address the main flaws of the latter , namely : A short barrel meant short range , less than that of its main adversaries , such as the German 15 cm sFH 18 ( 8 . 8 km vs 13 . 3 km ) . Low muzzle velocity and small traverse also made the gun helpless against enemy armor . On the other side , the M1910 / 37 was rugged , reliable and relatively light . Ammunition . When set to fragmentation action , the OF - 530 produced fragments which covered an area 70 m wide and 30 m deep . When set to HE action , the exploding shell produced a crater about 3 . 5 m in diameter and about 1 . 2 m deep .