305 mm howitzer M1939
The 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) was a Soviet superheavy siege howitzer used by the Soviet Union during World War II. After the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939 they took over the Škoda Works, which had been working on this (Skoda XV) design and a companion 210 mm gun (Skoda VX). After a successful test firing 5 July 1939, as a result of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact the Germans sold both designs to the Soviet Union. It is not entirely clear that Skoda actually built the weapons itself or merely supplied the blueprints.
305 mm howitzer M1939
One half 3544 · Public domain
- Name
- 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18)
- Field
- howitzer
- Region
- Soviet Union
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) was a Soviet superheavy siege howitzer used by the Soviet Union during World War II. After the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939 they took over the Škoda Works, which had been working on this (Skoda XV) design and a companion 210 mm gun (Skoda VX). After a successful test firing 5 July 1939, as a result of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact the Germans sold both designs to the Soviet Union. It is not entirely clear that Skoda actually built the weapons itself or merely supplied the blueprints.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for 305 mm howitzer M1939. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1988542
In this article
Overview
Overview
At any rate, very few weapons seem to have been built; so few, in fact, that there is no record of the Germans capturing any during Operation Barbarossa. It used the same carriage as 210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) as well as the same firing platform and control mechanism. It was transported in three loads. It was most famously used to defend Leningrad during the siege of Leningrad. The Soviet troops learned that if they fired all of them at the same time and used high-explosive shells, when the rounds exploded at the same time, they would flip over advancing German tanks. The 305mm would also later appear in the siege of Königsberg (present day Kaliningrad).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18) • Origin — Soviet Union • Type — Superheavy siege howitzer • Is Artillery — yes • Used By — Soviet Union • Wars — World War II • Designer — Škoda • Manufacturer — Škoda • Production Date — 1940 • Number — 3 • Weight — 45.7 t • Part Length — 6705.6 mm • Caliber — 305 mm • Rate — 1 rounds per 3 minutes • Velocity — 450 m/s • Max Range — 16580 m • Elevation — 70 degrees • Traverse — 90 degrees
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Soviet Union
Country
305 mm howitzer M1939 is associated with Soviet Union.
Country
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- 30-pounder short gunTerminology
- 30.5 cm SK L/50 gunTerminology
- 300 AAC BlackoutTerminology
- 305 mm howitzer M1915Terminology
- 305 mm L/17 howitzerTerminology
- 305 mm/45 Modèle 1906 gunTerminology
- 305 mm/46 Model 1909 gunTerminology
- 30mm DS30M Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre GunTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with 305 mm howitzer M1939?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.