Like many things in the Red Army, the artillery lacks subtlety. On the other side of the equation, the ‘Red God Of War’ makes up for this in sheer weight of fire with 122mm and 152mm shells falling from the sky like high explosive rain. With an entire artillery battalion firing on a target, the effect is usually predictable, the rapid end of hostile activity and the quivering survivors waiting to be mopped up by the infantry.

The 122mm A-19 obr 1931/37 gun was a marked improvement over anything the Red Army already had in its arsenal. The gun married a new barrel design to an already existing gun carriage, that of the 152mm obr 1934. The weapon proved highly effective and any captured examples were quickly turned against their former owners by the Germans.

Playing a vital role in the Soviet counter-battery efforts was the 152mm ML-20 obr 1931/37. The power of this weapon is a testament to the number of weapons produced during the course of the war. It is also why a version of the gun was used to arm the SU-152 and ISU-152 assault guns.