Imperial Russian Putilov M1902 76mm quick firing Gun

The 76.2 mm divisional gun model 1902 was a Russian light field gun used in my fictional Anglo-Russian War, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, Russian Civil War,  and a number of interwar armed conflicts with participants from the former Russian Empire. Modernized versions of this gun were employed at the early stage of World War II. It's direct predecessor, the M1900 had been developed in 1900 by engineers of the Putilov Plants. Since 1898 the Imperial Russian Army was looking for a new field-gun and Krupp, Shamona and Schneider sent in their designs. The decision was made in favor for the M1900 and it became the first Russian gun with a recoil system and at the same time the first Russian 76.2-millimetre field gun.

A dug-in Russian M1900. Note the officer looking at the camera. (Victor K. Bulla. - Scanned from "The Russo-Japanese War – A Photographic and descriptive review of the great conflict in the Far East", P. F. Collier & Son, New York, 1904, page 120)

The M1900 and M1902 saw thier first actions in the Russo-Japanese War and both were superior to its Japanese counterpart, the Type 31 75 mm Field Gun and in particular, the Type 31 75 mm Mountain Gun, in regards of the rate of fire and range. The Japanese knew about this disadvantage and compensated this with numerical superiority. 

My gun comes from Tsuba Miniatures, which is available in the States from Age of Glory Miniatures and in the UK at Empress Miniatures. The gun itself is excellent though it was a challenge to me to figure out where all the parts went. I think it comes with some parts for a variant gun shield and supports for limbering as I was left with a smaller gun shield and what appears to be supports for the gun when limbered. By using photos of actual guns, I was able to figure out how I wanted mine to look like. It can be easily converted to the M1900 by removing the gun shield.

Dang it! Now that I'm looking at a large version of the M1902 photo I used, I now know where the smaller gun shield was suppose to go. Oh well.

I love the figures; they ooze with character and realistic poses. The pack comes with five (5) miniatures: One officer and 4 crewman. The Men Who Would be Kings uses 4 crew per gun; but what the heck, I'm going to have all five out there.

Needless to say, this is my artillery officer. He wears the Russian officers' summer field dress; a high collared, double breasted tunic with stiff cloth shoulder boards (pogoni) to display rank. On field service officers often adopted the same gimnasterka shirt tunic as their men (but of higher quality) and like the men, were usually died khaki. But not this guy! Like other Russian officers, he has decided to leave it white because he is not afraid of rifled, bolt action, magazine fed modern infantry arms!

This figure screamed NCO to me. This is a corporal as indicated by the two bars on his pogoni. He and the rest of the men wear the gimnasterka shirt tunic and being sensible, he and the men dyed their shirt tunics and hat covers khaki. The gimnasterka was looser than the winter uniform and perfect for the summer heat. He also wears the peak less forage cap known as a furashka. Eventually by 1904 the overwhelming majority would be peaked.

I don't know what the position was called in the Imperial Russian Army but here is my loader.

In 1881 Tsar Alexander III simplified the Russian uniform which promoted a concious process of "Russiafication" to distance his army from Western European armies. Each figure in the set (including the officer) carries the traditional shashka sword which was reintroduced as part of the 1881 reforms. There were various versions and the Field Artillery adopted the Dragoon pattern sword.

Here are the other two crewman which are attached to the seats on the 76mm gun. The crewman with one stripe is a lance corporal.

All in all a remarkable set which will fit in nicely with the rest of my Imperial Russian Army.