The weapon was developed by the design bureau of Motovilikha Plants, headed by F. F. Petrov, in the late 1930s, and was in production from 1939 to 1955.

The M-30 saw action in World War II, mainly as a divisional artillery piece of the Red Army (RKKA).

Post World War II the M-30 saw combat in numerous conflicts of the mid- to late twentieth century in service of other countries' armies, notably in the Middle East.

[citation needed] The first attempt to develop a new howitzer was made by the KB-2 design bureau under the supervision of German engineers.

Like its predecessors, Lubok had a fixed trail carriage and although it was equipped with suspension, its wheels lacked tires, limiting towing speed to only 10 km/h.

Finally in 1937 the RKKA Head of General Staff I. I. Egorov supported retaining 122 mm ammunition.

The U-2 (barrel length 21 calibers, chamber volume 3.0 litres, horizontal sliding breechblock from Lubok, muzzle brake, combat weight 2,030 kg) reached trials on 5 February 1939 and was rejected because of insufficient carriage strength and inferior ballistics.

The F-25 project (barrel length 23 calibers, chamber volume 3.7 litres, horizontal sliding breechblock from Lubok, muzzle brake, combat weight 1,830 kg) was closed by GAU on 23 March 1939 as GAU considered it redundant to the M-30 which had reached trials earlier.

The latter, after being returned several times for revision, was finally adopted in September 1939 as the 122 mm divisional howitzer M1938 (Russian: 122-мм гаубица образца 1938 года (М-30)).

B. Shirokorad, a well-known author of books detailing the history of the Soviet artillery, has claimed that the F-25 could have been developed into a better gun than the M-30.[when?

[citation needed] The M-30 had a modern split trail carriage with leaf spring suspension and steel wheels with rubber tires.

In an emergency it was possible to shoot in a "single trail" mode, at the price of a drastically reduced traverse (1°30').

[citation needed] Mountain rifle divisions in 1939–1940 had one battalion of 122 mm howitzers (3 batteries, 9 guns).

Cavalry divisions until August 1941 had two batteries of 122 mm howitzers, totaling eight, before the divisional artillery was removed.

As the war progressed, their share grew rapidly due to mass production and because many older guns were lost in combat in 1941–42.

[12] M-30 howitzers were towed by a variety of means, from horses, oxen[13] and both Soviet and American-produced Lend-Lease trucks (such as the Dodge WC series and Studebaker US6s) and STZ-5 and Ya-12 purpose-built artillery tractors.

[18] The Kingdom of Romania captured in 1941 a number of 477 various types of 122 mm howitzers and guns including M1931/37 and were used as divisional artillery for units rebuilt in 1943.

The M-30 was mounted on the following armoured fighting vehicles (AFV): In the M-30, RKKA units finally received a modern divisional howitzer which successfully combined increased firepower and better mobility with reliability and ease of use.

[9] The long post-war employment of the howitzer is additional testimony to its combat and operational utility and effectiveness.

[citation needed] The M-30 could fire all types of 122 mm howitzer ammunition used by the RKKA, including old Russian and imported shells.

HE-Frag projectiles of type OF-462 that were initially developed for the M-30 howitzer can be fired from modern 122 mm ordnance pieces and are still in Russian Army service.

[citation needed] M-30 howitzers are on display in a number of military museums and are widely used as memorial pieces.