The 95 mm howitzer M1753, called secret howitzer or Shuvalov's secret howitzer, was an 18th-century Russian

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder duri ...

, a type of muzzle-loading howitzer, devised and introduced into service by artillery commander, General

Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov Count Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov (russian: Петр Иванович Шувалов; 1711 – ) was a Russian statesman and Field Marshal who, together with his brother Aleksandr Shuvalov, paved the way for the elevation of the Shuvalov family to ...

. Shuvalov's gun had an unusual, oval bore, which was designed to facilitate shot dispersal while firing

canister Canister may refer to: * Any container that is roughly cylindrical in shape * A container for 35mm movie film or 35mm photo film for use in cameras * Pods used for parachute supply drops * Gas containers used for riot control * A perforated metal ...

s and therefore to increase the killing field. A special canister round produced for the cannon contained 168 balls; a

grapeshot Grapeshot is a type of artillery round invented by a British Officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It was used mainly as an anti infantry round, but had other uses in naval combat. In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of ammunition that consists of ...

version, with 48 larger balls, was also provided for shooting at 300–600 yards distance. The name of the gun comes from the great secrecy which surrounded it. While not in use, the muzzle was covered with a lid to hide its unusual shape. The death penalty was set as the punishment for revealing the secret of the weapon. The first guns built used quoins for changing the elevation, but in 1753–1758 turnscrews were introduced. Originally they had cylindrical powder chambers like howitzers, but guns produced after 1758 had conical chambers like

licorne Licorne (russian: Единорог, ''Yedinorog'', ' unicorn') is the French name of an 18th- and 19th-century Russian cannon, a type of muzzle-loading howitzer, devised in 1757 by M.W. Danilov and S.A. Martynov and accepted by artillery comman ...

s. The guns proved quite effective in action during

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

, especially at Gross-Jägersdorf, but some were lost to Prussians at Zorndorf (thus revealing their secret). In practice the shot dispersal was hardly better than of ordinary guns, reloading was slower, and the inability of the cannon to fire any other projectiles hampered its effectiveness. Slow reloading was the reason given for the loss of 17 of these guns at Zorndorf, where they were overrun by cavalry before they could fire a second shot. There were some shot and shells produced for it, looking like rugby balls, but they found no practical use. Adding yet another type of ammunition created an additional burden for logistics. Originally used by the Observation Corps and howitzer units, in 1759 they were attached to the infantry regiments; however, next year the decision was reversed. Secret howitzers were withdrawn from service soon after the death of their inventor, in the 1780s.

References

{{Reflist Cannon Artillery of the Russian Empire

See also

References