210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17)

Infobox Weapon
name=210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17)


caption=Br-17 in Saint Petersburg Artillery Museum.
origin=Czechoslovakia
type=heavy siege gun
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
is_artillery=yes
is_vehicle=
is_UK=
service=
used_by=USSR
wars=World War II
designer=Skoda
design_date=
manufacturer=Skoda
production_date=1940-1941
number=
variants=
weight=convert|43218|kg|lb
length=
part_length=convert|10.058|m|in
width=
height=
crew=
cartridge=convert|134.8|kg|lb
caliber=210 mm
action=
rate=1 round per 3 minutes
velocity=800 m/sec
range=
max_range=convert|29360|m|yd
feed=
sights=
breech=
recoil=
carriage=
elevation=-6° to +50°
traverse=22°
blade_type=
hilt_type=
sheath_type=
head_type=
haft_type=
diameter=
filling=
filling_weight=
detonation=
yield=
armour=
primary_armament=
secondary_armament=
engine=
engine_power=
pw_ratio=
suspension=
vehicle_range=
speed=

The 210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) ( _ru. 210-мм пушка образца 1939 года (Бр-17)) was a Czech heavy siege gun used by the Soviet Union during World War II. After the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939 they took over the Skoda Works, which had been working on this design and a companion 305 mm howitzer. As a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact the Germans sold both designs to the Soviet Union. It's not entirely clear that Skoda actually built the weapons itself or merely supplied the blueprints. At any rate, very few weapons seem to have built, so much so that there's no record of the Germans capturing any after Operation Barbarossa.

It used the same carriage as 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) as well as the same firing platform and control mechanism. It was transported in three loads.

References

* Chamberlain, Peter & Gander, Terry. "Heavy Artillery". New York: Arco, 1975 ISBN 0-668-03898-5