The combat path of the heaviest exhibit of the Museum of Victory

The Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow has a unique weapon exhibit. This is the TM-3-12 railway super-heavy artillery unit. This weapon with a legendary history is called the "miracle cannon", the "Tsar Cannon" of the 20th century, and the "land battleship".

Its dimensions are impressive - about 40 m total length, weight in combat position - 340 tons, barrel length - 15 m, gun caliber - 305 mm. Despite such impressive dimensions, in the traveling position, the unit could be moved by steam traction along most of the railways of the USSR. Also, the TM-3-12 has a small engine for self-propelled movement.

Artillerymen affectionately and respectfully deciphered the abbreviation "ТМ" as Tatyana Mikhailovna. The TM-3-12 ammunition included shells weighing 470 kg and high-explosive long-range shells weighing 314 kg. The unit's crew is 50 people, firing range is 30 km, rate of fire is 1.8–2 rounds/min.

A total of three TM-3-12 units were manufactured. They were equipped with mechanisms raised from the bottom of the Black Sea, which were part of the equipment of the turrets of the battleship "Empress Maria", which sank in Sevastopol in 1916 as a result of an explosion.

ТМ-3-12
ТМ-3-12

For the first time, TM-3-12s were used during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940. The units were used during the storming of Vyborg and for shelling the defensive structures of the Mannerheim Line.

All three copies of the TM-3-12 artillery unit have survived to this day: one is located in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill, the second is in the Russian Railway Museum, St. Petersburg (on re-exhibition), the third is at the same fort "Krasnaya Gorka" near St. Petersburg.

Earlier it became known that serial production of the Vizir surface drone has started in Russia. It is controlled by artificial intelligence, without the participation of an operator.

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