203 миллиметра ужаса — чем советский Пион пугал всю Европу

A weapon with a delicate, flowery name concealed one of the most destructive artillery systems of its time. A shell weighing over a hundred kilograms, a range of almost fifty kilometers, and a charge capable of changing the situation on an entire sector of the front. In this episode, we explain why the Soviet Union needed such a monstrous machine, how engineers tamed its recoil, why academics and factory workers debated the caliber, and what problem nearly doomed the entire project. We examine the design of this steel giant, its enormous plough, long-range shells, and seven-man crew, accompany the weapon through the mountains of Afghanistan and the battles of the 1990s, and then tell the story of its unexpected return to service decades after being decommissioned. Music in the video: Keys To Unravel - The Soundlings, Ready for More - Ezra Lipp. All photographs used are in the public domain.