203mm obr 1931 Howitzer (SU590) Includes one multi-part metal 203mm obr 1931 Howitzer with five crew figures, one large artillery base and one plastic base-plug sprue. One of the heaviest artillery pieces available to the Red Army in the street-to-street fighting for Berlin was the 203mm obr 1931 howitzer. Weighing 19 metric tonnes, it was mounted on its own special tracked carriage.  Check out the 203mm obr 1931 Howitzer in the online store...

The culmination of Flames Of War’s Late-war period, the Berlin intelligence handbook focuses on the Soviet assault on the German capital city of Berlin, the battles to encircle it, and the final desperate defence by the by the rag-tag German forces. Learn more about the Soviet forces in Berlin here...

It fired a 203mm (8') high-explosive shell weighing 100kg (220lb) at a muzzle velocity of 600 meters per second, to a maximum range of 18km (11 miles). As well as its traditional artillery role, the gun was commonly used in direct-fire, mercilessly pounding defensive positions within buildings at point-blank range. Gun designed by Tim Adcock Crew designed by Evan Allen Painted by Aaron Mathie

Volley Fire When the advancing Soviet army came across a German strongpoint, assault guns and artillery batteries stopped to blast it using a massive centralised volley. If they did not move in the Movement Step, Gun teams and Turretless Tank teams (such as the SU-76, SU-122 and ISU series) may re-roll failed rolls To Hit when shooting, provided the easiest team to hit in the target platoon is within 16"/40cm. It takes time to build up the volume of fire that Soviet gunners prefer, making it impossible to use volley fire tactics effectively in a hastily organised ambush. The Volley Fire rule does not apply to vehicle machine-guns, HMG teams or any Anti-aircraft weapon, nor when firing Artillery Bombardments, in Defensive Fire, or when conducting an Ambush.

Breakthrough Gun Some weapons are just so powerful that there is no chance of surviving a hit from them. These heavy guns are often mounted in tanks and self-propelled guns designed to break through enemy defensive lines. Infantry teams, Gun teams, Passengers, and Unarmoured vehicles automatically fail their Saves when hit by a Breakthrough Gun or a Bunker Buster. This does not apply to Artillery Bombardments.

Bunker Busters Shooting Buildings While buildings provide excellent protection from most weapons, some guns are big enough to make the building a deathtrap. One hit is likely to kill everyone inside. When a weapon with the Bunker Buster attribute scores a hit on a team in a Building, it also scores a hit on every other Infantry or Gun team in the Building. If the Building has multiple rooms, or the target platoon is occupying several buildings, the shooting player may choose which room and Building is hit by each shot.

Building Destroyer In Berlin the Soviets brought their 203mm heavy howitzers forward to support the infantry in the city. These big guns were used to clear buildings of German defenders, often demolishing the building the process. In addition to the normal Bunker Buster rules, if a 203mm obr 1931 howitzer Hits a team in a large building with multiple rooms, all the teams in rooms adjacent to the target team’s room and those rooms above and below the target team’s room are also Hit.

The 203mm obr 1931 Howitzer in Flames Of War

Weapon	Mobility	Range	ROF	Anti- tank	Fire power	Notes
203mm obr 1931 Howitzer	Immobile	24"/60cm	1	14	1+	Breakthrough gun, Building Destroyer, Volley fire.
Firing bombardments		88"/220cm	-	5	1+

Contents of the 203mm obr 1931 Howitzer blister

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Assembling the 203mm obr 1931 Howitzer
Step 1. Glue the two halves of the trail together. The half-round axle segment underneath provides extra surface area for the glue, and helps with correct alignment.

Step 2. Next glue on the tracks. To help make sure you attach them the right way around, note that the rectangular tab is closer to the front of the track than the back.

Step 3. Once the tracks glue has dried, attach the rear section of the trail. Dry-fit first, to ensure a good fit - you may need to bend the trail arms a little, to get them to line up neatly with the notches.

Step 4. Attach the winch piece to the front of the main body of the gun.

Step 5. The heavy ammunition necessitated a special crane to facilitate loading. Glue the small pin at the bas of the crane into the hole on the left-hand side of the trail.

Step 6. Now it's time to attach the seats. Dry-fit first. There are keyed holes to help ensure a secure fit, but you may need to do some file or trim the tabs slightly to get a good fit.

Step 7. Finally you can add the gun. The two pins on the sides of the gun should fit snugly into the body. Gluing is optional - you might like to be able to adjust the trajectory of the gun.

Happy modelling! ~ George.