Self-propelled artillery mounts. Changes in the branch of Soviet tank destroyers The history of the development of tanks of the USSR and Russia by models

Self-propelled artillery installations It should be remembered that when the Second World War broke out in Europe in September 1939 World War, American tactical application doctrine tank troops has not yet been developed, and only in 1941 did a clear system begin to take shape

Self-propelled artillery mounts (SPG) In 1938-1942, three types of self-propelled guns were tested in Japan: field self-propelled howitzers and mortars (75-, 105-, 150- and 300-mm); self-propelled 75- and 77-mm anti-tank guns; 20- and 37-mm anti-aircraft self-propelled guns. Self-propelled guns were created on the basis of lungs and

Self-propelled installations "HO-NI" and "HO-RO" "HO-RO"Since 1941, on the basis of the medium tank "Chi-ha", self-propelled guns "Honi" ("artillery fourth") and "Ho-ro" (" artillery second") to equip tank divisions. The guns were mounted in an open top and rear

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU) On the basis of the light tank "Ke-ni" in 1942, experienced ZSU "Ta-ha" were produced, armed with 20-mm automatic guns of the "Oerlikon" system, in two versions: tower; - twin installation in

Self-propelled artillery mounts Self-propelled mount ZIS-30Light open type anti-tank self-propelled gun Created on an emergency basis at plant No. 92 (Gorky) using the rotating part of a 57-mm cannon and a semi-armored artillery tractor T-20 Komsomolets;

Self-propelled artillery installations In 1938-1942, three types of self-propelled guns were developed in Japan: field self-propelled howitzers and mortars of 75, 105, 150 and 300 mm caliber; self-propelled 75- and 77-mm anti-tank guns; 20- and 37-mm anti-aircraft self-propelled guns. Self-propelled guns were created on the basis of lungs and

SU-122 is a medium-weight Soviet self-propelled artillery mount (ACS) of the assault gun class (with some restrictions it could also be used as a self-propelled howitzer). This machine became one of the first self-propelled guns developed in the USSR, accepted for large-scale production.

On October 19, 1942, the State Defense Committee adopted a resolution on the need to create self-propelled artillery mounts. A little earlier, in the summer of 1942, an artillery plant in Sverdlovsk developed a draft design of a self-propelled gun. A 122-mm M-30 howitzer was located on the chassis of the T-34 tank. During the development of this model, valuable experience was gained, on its basis it became possible to draw up detailed tactical and technical requirements for a self-propelled artillery mount.

November 30, 1942 the prototype was ready. On the same day, his factory tests took place. The self-propelled guns made a run of 50 km and fired 20 shots. As a result of the tests, some corrections were made to the design of the machine. AT last days December 1942 tested one of the machines. The self-propelled artillery mount carried out a run of 50 km and fired 40 shots. During testing, no design flaws. A batch of self-propelled guns was put into service. In December 1942, the first self-propelled artillery regiments were formed - the 1433rd and 1434th. At this time, an operation began to break the blockade of Leningrad, so the self-propelled gun regiments at the end of January 1943 were sent to the Volkhov Front. February 14, 1943 regiments of self-propelled guns took the first battle. For 5-6 days of battle, self-propelled artillery installations destroyed 47 enemy bunkers, suppressed 6 mortar batteries. Several ammunition depots were burned and 14 anti-tank guns.

As a result of the hostilities, the tactics of using self-propelled artillery installations were developed. This tactic was followed throughout the Great Patriotic War. Self-propelled artillery mounts moved behind the tanks at some distance. After the self-propelled guns entered the enemy’s defense line broken through by the tanks, the enemy points remaining there were destroyed. Thus, self-propelled artillery mounts cleared the way for the infantry.
In the course of preparations for the Battle of Kursk, the command counted on the SU-122 as an effective means against the new heavy armored vehicles of the enemy, but the real successes of self-propelled guns in this field turned out to be modest, and the losses were large. But there were also successes, and even without the use of HEAT shells: ... Hauptmann von Villerbois, commander of the 10th company, was seriously wounded during this battle. His Tiger received a total of eight hits from 122 mm shells from assault guns based on the T-34 tank. One shell pierced the side armor of the hull. Six shells hit the turret, three of which made only small dents in the armor, the other two cracked the armor and chipped off small pieces of it. The sixth shell broke off a huge piece of armor (the size of two palms), which flew into the fighting compartment of the tank. The electrical circuit of the gun's electric trigger was out of order, the observation devices were broken or knocked out of their attachment points. The welded seam of the tower parted and a half-meter crack formed, which could not be welded by the forces of the field repair team ...

Serviceable or repaired SU-122s were transferred to various units and divisions of the Red Army, where they fought either until they were destroyed or until they were written off due to engine wear, transmission units and chassis. For example, an excerpt from the "Report on the combat operations of the armored and mechanized troops of the 38th Army from January 24 to January 31, 1944" for the 7th Separate Guards Heavy Tank Regiment (7th OGTTP) testifies: According to the combat order of the headquarters of the 17th Corps , the remaining 5 tanks and self-propelled guns (3 KV-85 tanks and 2 SU-122 tanks) by 07.00 01.28.44, took up all-round defense at the state farm. Telman in readiness to repel enemy tank attacks in the direction of Rososhe, the Kommunar state farm, and the Bolshevik state farm. 50 infantrymen and 2 anti-tank guns took up defense near the tanks. The enemy had a concentration of tanks south of Rososhe. At 11.30, the enemy, with a force of up to 15 Pz.VI tanks and 13 medium and small tanks in the direction of Rososhe and infantry from the south, launched an attack on the state farm. Telman.

Occupying advantageous positions, because of the shelters of buildings and haystacks, letting the enemy tanks into a direct shot, our tanks and self-propelled guns opened fire and upset battle formations the enemy, knocking out 6 tanks (of which 3 "Tigers") and destroying up to an infantry platoon. To eliminate the broken German infantry KV-85 st. Lieutenant Kuleshov, who completed his task with fire and caterpillars. By 13 o'clock on the same day, the German troops, not daring to attack soviet regiment in the forehead, bypassed the state farm. Telman and completed the encirclement of the Soviet group.
The battle of our tanks in the environment against superior enemy forces is characterized by the extraordinary skill and heroism of our tankers. Tank group (3 KV-85 and 2 SU-122) under the command of the commander of the guard company st. lieutenant Podust, defending the state farm named after Telman, at the same time did not give German troops transfer troops to other battle areas. Tanks often changed firing positions and conducted aimed fire at German tanks, and the SU-122, going into open positions, shot the infantry, planted on transporters and moving along the road to Ilintsy, which blocked the freedom of maneuver for German tanks and infantry, and, most importantly, contributed to the exit from the encirclement of units 17 th Rifle Corps. Until 19.30, the tanks continued to fight in the encirclement, although the infantry was no longer in the state farm. The maneuver and intense fire, as well as the use of shelters for firing, made it possible to suffer almost no losses (except for 2 wounded), inflicting significant damage to the enemy in manpower and equipment. On January 28, 1944, 5 Tigr tanks, 5 Pz.IVs, 2 Pz.IIIs, 7 armored personnel carriers, 6 anti-tank guns, 4 machine-gun emplacements were destroyed and destroyed. carts with horses - 28, infantry - up to 3 platoons. At 20.00, the tank group made a breakthrough from the encirclement and by 22.00, after a firefight, went to the location of the Soviet troops, having lost 1 SU-122 (it burned down).

The self-propelled guns ammunition consisted of 40 shots, mostly high-explosive fragmentation. Sometimes, if necessary, to fight enemy tanks at ranges up to 1000 m, cumulative projectiles weighing 13.4 kg were used. Such shells could penetrate armor up to 120 mm. The self-defense of the crew was achieved by the fact that the installation was equipped with two PPSh submachine guns with 20 rounds of cartridges and 20 hand grenades F-1.

The composition of the ACS crew was quite large and amounted to 5 people. The tank had a 122 mm howitzer. The gun had a horizontal guidance angle of 20′, with 10 degrees on each side. Vertical Angle ranged from +25 to -3 degrees. More than 70% of the parts of the SU-122 self-propelled artillery mount were borrowed from the T-34 tank. From December 1942 to August 1942, production of the SU-122 continued at Uralmashzavod. A total of 638 self-propelled artillery mounts were produced. Production of the SU-122 was discontinued in August 1943 due to the transition to the production of SU-85 tank destroyers based on the SU-122.

To date, only one SU-122 has survived, which is on display at the Armored Museum in Kubinka near Moscow.

19

Self-propelled units, designated SU-5, were part of the so-called "small triplex". This term was used for self-propelled guns of incomplete armor, created on the basis of the T-26 light tank and representing a universal self-propelled carriage, on the basis of which 3 guns could be placed: SU-5-1 - 76-mm divisional gun, SU-5-2 - 122 -mm howitzer, SU-5-3 - 152-mm divisional mortar.

As the base chassis for the self-propelled guns was chosen light tank T-26 mod. 1933, the production of which was established in Leningrad. Due to the fact that the existing tank layout was completely unsuitable for self-propelled guns, the T-26 hull was significantly redesigned.

The control compartment, together with the controls of the self-propelled guns, the driver's seat, as well as the transmission elements, remained in their place in the nose of the vehicle. But the engine compartment had to be moved to the center of the hull, separating it from the rest of the self-propelled gun compartments with armored partitions. A standard gasoline engine from the T-26 tank with a power of 90 hp was installed in the engine compartment. The engine compartment of the self-propelled guns SU-5 was connected using a special pocket with side holes that served to release cooling air. On the roof of the engine compartment there were 2 hatches for access to candles, a carburetor, valves and an oil filter, as well as openings with armored shutters that served to inlet cooling air.

The fighting compartment was in the stern of the car. Here, behind a 15-mm armored shield, there was an ACS armament and a place for calculation (4 people). To dampen recoil during firing, a special coulter located in the rear of the vehicle was lowered to the ground. In addition, additional side stops could be used. The chassis has not changed in comparison with the serial T-26 tank.

All three self-propelled guns had a single chassis and differed mainly in the weapons used. The main armament of the SU-5-2 self-propelled guns was a 122-mm howitzer model 1910/30. (barrel length 12.8 caliber), which was distinguished by a modified design of the cradle. The initial velocity of the projectile was 335.3 m/s. Pointing angles in the vertical plane ranged from 0 to +60 degrees, horizontally - 30 degrees without turning the body of the installation. When firing, the calculation used a telescopic sight and Hertz's panorama. The maximum firing range was 7,680 m. The use of a piston valve provided a decent rate of fire at the level of 5-6 rounds per minute. Shooting was carried out from a place without the use of coulters with the loader lowered. Carried ammunition consisted of 4 shells and 6 charges. For the delivery of ammunition to the self-propelled guns SU-5 on the battlefield, it was supposed to use a special armored ammunition carrier.

Factory tests of all three triplex machines took place from October 1 to December 29, 1935. In total, the ACS passed: SS-5-1 - 296 km., SS-5-2 - 206 km., SS-5-3 - 189 km. In addition to the run, the vehicles were tested and the SU-5-1 and SU-5-2 self-propelled guns fired 50 shots each, the SU-5-3 self-propelled guns fired 23 shots.

Based on the results of the tests, the following conclusions were drawn: “The self-propelled guns are distinguished by tactical mobility, which allows them to move on and off the roads, the transition to a combat position for the 76 and 122-mm SU-5 is instant, for the 152-mm version, 2-3 minutes (since shooting involves the use of stops

According to the plans in 1936, it was supposed to make a batch of 30 SU-5 self-propelled guns. Moreover, the military preferred the SU-5-2 version with a 122-mm howitzer. They abandoned the SU-5-1 in favor of the AT-1 artillery tank, and for a 152-mm mortar, the SU-5-3 chassis was rather weak. The first 10 serial machines were ready by the summer of 1936. Two of them were almost immediately sent to the 7th Mechanized Corps to undergo military trials, which lasted from June 25 to July 20, 1936 and took place in the Luga area. During the tests, the cars covered 988 and 1014 km under their own power. respectively, firing 100 shots each.

Based on the results of military tests, it was found that the SU-5-2 self-propelled guns passed the military tests. SU-5-2s were quite mobile and durable during the campaign, having sufficient maneuverability and good stability when firing. The main identified shortcomings of the machine were attributed to: insufficient ammunition, it was proposed to increase it to 10 shells. It was also proposed to increase the engine power, since the self-propelled guns were overloaded and to strengthen the springs. It was proposed to move the muffler to another place, and equip the control compartment with a fan.

It was proposed to make changes to the design of the SU-5 self-propelled guns based on the results of military tests, and then launch their mass production, but instead, in 1937, work on the “small triplex” program was completely curtailed. Perhaps this was connected with the arrest of one of the designers, P. N. Syachentov.

Already produced self-propelled guns from the first batch entered service with mechanized corps and individual brigades of the Red Army. In the summer of 1938, these machines even took part in the fighting against the Japanese at Lake Khasan. SU-5 operated in the area of ​​Bezymyannaya and Zaozernaya heights as part of artillery batteries from the 2nd Mechanized Brigade of the Special Far Eastern Army. Due to the short duration of hostilities, which ended on August 11, 1938, the use of self-propelled guns was very limited. Despite this, the reporting documents indicated that the self-propelled guns provided significant support to the infantry and tanks.

As of June 1, 1941, the Red Army had 28 self-propelled guns SU-5-2. Of these, only 16 were in good condition. No information about the use of ACS data in the Great Patriotic War has yet been found. All of them, most likely, were abandoned due to malfunctions or lost in the first week of fighting.

To create a conversion, you need:
3538 Zvezda 1/35 Soviet light tank T-26 mod. 1933 (body with running gear)
Cabin - brass 0.1 mm thick; sheet plastic 0.5 mm.

Pigments WILDER and MIG

washes "ARMY PAINTER"

4

Work on the creation of self-propelled guns ISU-152 began in June 1943 in the design bureau pilot plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk in connection with the final decision to replace the KV-1 heavy tank in production with a new promising IS-1 tank.
However, on the basis of the KV tank, the SU-152 heavy assault gun was produced, the need for which was extremely high for the active army (in contrast to the need for heavy KV tanks). The excellent combat qualities of the SU-152 served as the basis for the creation of its analogue based on the IS-1 tank.
During the production process, minor changes were made to the design of the ISU-152, aimed at improving the combat and operational qualities and reducing the cost of the vehicle. In the second half of 1944, a new welded nose of the hull made of rolled armor plates was introduced instead of one solid piece, the thickness of the gun's armor mask was increased from 60 to 100 mm. Also, a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft heavy machine gun DShK began to be installed on the self-propelled guns and the capacity of the internal and external fuel tanks was increased. The 10P radio was replaced by an improved version of the 10RK.
On November 6, 1943, by a decree of the State Defense Committee, the new self-propelled guns were adopted by the Red Army under the final name ISU-152. In the same month, serial production of the ISU-152 began at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). In December 1943, the SU-152 and ISU-152 were still produced jointly at ChKZ, and with next month ISU-152 completely replaced its predecessor SU-152 on assembly lines.
During the production process, minor changes were made to the design of the ISU-152, aimed at improving the combat and operational qualities and reducing the cost of the vehicle.
ISU-152 as a whole successfully combined three main combat roles: a heavy assault gun, a tank destroyer and self-propelled howitzer. However, in each of these roles, as a rule, there was another, more specialized ACS with the best performance for its category than the ISU-152.
In addition to World War II, the ISU-152 was used in the suppression of the Hungarian uprising of 1956, where they once again confirmed their tremendous destructive power. Particularly effective was the use of the ISU-152 as a powerful "anti-sniper rifle" to destroy rebel snipers hiding in residential buildings in Budapest, causing significant damage to Soviet troops. Sometimes only the presence of self-propelled guns nearby was enough for the inhabitants of the house, in fear for their lives and property, to expel snipers or bottle throwers who had settled there.
The main use of the ISU-152 was fire support for advancing tanks and infantry. The 152.4-mm (6-inch) ML-20S howitzer-gun had a powerful OF-540 high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 43.56 kg, equipped with 6 kg of TNT. These shells were very effective against both uncovered infantry (with the fuse set to fragmentation) and against fortifications such as pillboxes and trenches (with the fuse set to high explosive). One hit of such a projectile in an ordinary medium-sized city house was enough to destroy all living things inside.
ISU-152s were especially in demand in urban battles, such as the assaults on Berlin, Budapest or Königsberg. Good self-propelled armor allowed her to advance to a direct fire range to destroy enemy firing points. For conventional towed artillery, this was deadly due to enemy machine gun and precision sniper fire.
In order to reduce losses from the fire of "faustniks" (German soldiers armed with "panzerschrecks" or "faustpatrons"), in urban battles, ISU-152 used one or two self-propelled guns along with an infantry squad (assault group) to protect them. Typically, an assault team included a sniper (or at least just a well-aimed shooter), submachine gunners, and sometimes a backpack flamethrower. Heavy machine gun The DShK on the ISU-152 was an effective weapon for the destruction of the Faustniks hiding on the upper floors of buildings, behind rubble and barricades. Skillful interaction between the crews of self-propelled guns and attached infantry soldiers made it possible to achieve their goals with the least losses; otherwise, the attacking vehicles could be very easily destroyed by the Faustniks.
The ISU-152 could also successfully act as a tank destroyer, although it was significantly inferior to specialized tank destroyers armed with anti-tank guns. In this capacity, she inherited the nickname "St. John's Wort" from her predecessor, the SU-152. To destroy armored targets, an armor-piercing projectile BR-540 weighing 48.9 kg with muzzle velocity 600 m/s, hitting BR-540 in any of the projections of any serial tank Wehrmacht was very destructive, the chance to survive after it was negligible. Only the frontal armor of anti-tank SAU Ferdinand and Jagdtiger.

However, in addition to the advantages, the ISU-152 also had disadvantages. The largest of them was a small portable ammunition load of 20 rounds. Moreover, loading new ammunition was a laborious operation, sometimes taking more than 40 minutes. This was a consequence of the large mass of shells, as a result, the loader required great physical strength and endurance. The compact layout made it possible to reduce the overall size of the vehicle, which had a positive effect on its visibility on the battlefield. However, the same layout forced the placement of fuel tanks inside the fighting compartment. In the event of their penetration, the crew had a great risk of being burned alive. However, this danger was somewhat reduced by the worse flammability of diesel fuel compared to gasoline.

To create a diorama, it took:
(Trumpeter 00413) "Soviet tankers on vacation 1/35"
(3532 Zvezda) ISU-152 St. John's wort 1/35
(35105 Vostochny Express) 1/35 Set of tracks for tanks Is of late series
(MiniArt 36028) Village Diorama with Fountain 1/35
Paints "ARMY PAINTER" and VAILEJO
Pigments WILDER and MIG
fixation of pigments – Fixer WILDER
washes "ARMY PAINTER"

29

As soon as they didn’t call this car names, they didn’t criticize it. Nevertheless, produced in numbers second only to the T-34, the SU-76 has become a reliable companion of the infantry both in defense and in the offensive.

The SU-76 was created on the basis of the T-70 light tank, primarily as a mobile infantry escort. That's right, and nothing else. It was the irrational use of self-propelled guns that led to large and unjustified losses at first and criticism of self-propelled guns.

This vehicle was used as an infantry (cavalry) escort weapon, as well as an anti-tank weapon against enemy light and medium tanks and self-propelled guns. To combat heavy vehicles, the SU-76M was ineffective due to weak armor protection of the hull and insufficient gun power.

A total of 14,280 self-propelled guns SU-76 and SU-76M were produced.

As the main weapon in the fighting compartment, a 76.2-mm ZIS-Z cannon of the 1942 model was installed on the machine.

When firing direct fire, the standard sight of the ZIS-Z gun was used, when firing from closed firing positions, a panoramic sight.

The power plant consisted of two four-stroke GAZ-202 engines installed in parallel along the sides of the hull. The total power of the power plant was 140 hp. (103 kW). The capacity of the fuel tanks was 320 liters, the cruising range of the car on the highway reached 250 km. The maximum speed on the highway was 45 km / h.

For external radio communications, it was planned to install a 9R radio station, for internal - a TPU-ZR tank intercom. For communication between the commander and the driver, a light signaling (signal colored lights) was used.

As soon as they didn’t call this self-propelled gun ... “Bitch”, “Columbine” and “common grave of the crew”. It is customary to scold the SU-76 for weak armor and an open conning tower. However, an objective comparison with Western models of the same type convinces that the SU-76 was not much inferior to the German "marders".

Nevertheless, the presence of this self-propelled guns in the forefront during the offensive was perceived with a little less enthusiasm than the work of the Katyushas, ​​but still. Light and nimble, and the bunker will be plugged, and the machine gun will be wound on the tracks. In a word, it is better with "columbines" than without them.

And the open cabin did not allow the crew to be poisoned by powder gases. Let me remind you that the Su-76 was used precisely as an infantry support weapon. The ZiS-5 cannon had a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute, and one can only imagine the hell in which self-propelled gunners had to act when firing to suppress.

Marshal Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky recalled:

“... The soldiers especially liked the self-propelled artillery mounts SU-76. These light mobile vehicles kept pace everywhere in order to support and rescue the infantry with their fire and caterpillars, and the infantrymen, in turn, were ready to shield them from the fire of enemy armor-piercers and Faustniks with their chests ... "

When used correctly, and this did not come immediately, the SU-76M showed itself well both in defense - in repelling infantry attacks and as mobile, well-protected anti-tank reserves, and in the offensive - in suppressing machine-gun nests, destroying pillboxes and bunkers, as well as in the fight against counterattacking tanks.

SU-76s were sometimes used for indirect fire. The elevation angle of its gun was the highest among all Soviet mass-produced self-propelled guns, and the firing range could reach the limits of the ZIS-3 gun mounted on it, that is, 13 km.

The low specific pressure on the ground allowed the self-propelled gun to move normally in swampy areas, where other types of tanks and self-propelled guns would inevitably get stuck. This circumstance played a big positive role in the battles of 1944 in Belarus, where swamps played the role of natural barriers for the advancing Soviet troops.

The SU-76M could pass along the hastily constructed roads along with the infantry and attack the enemy where he least expected the blows of Soviet self-propelled guns.

The SU-76M also performed well in urban battles - its open cabin, despite the possibility of hitting the crew with small arms fire, provided a better view and made it possible to interact very closely with the soldiers of the infantry assault squads.

Finally, the SU-76M could destroy all light and medium tanks and equivalent Wehrmacht self-propelled guns with its fire.

The SU-76 has become a reliable means of fire support for infantry and the same symbol of Victory, albeit not as obvious as the "thirty-four" and "St. John's wort". But in terms of mass, the SU-76 was second only to the T-34.

29

After the appearance of the latest German tanks on the battlefields, in the Soviet Union, along with other combat vehicles, drawings of the KV-14 self-propelled gun armed with the 152 mm ML-20 howitzer cannon were hastily created. The ML-20 howitzer had an initial projectile velocity of 600 m/s and, at a distance of 2,000 meters, pierced armor over 100 mm thick. The mass of the armor-piercing projectile of this gun is 48.78 kg, the high-explosive fragmentation projectile is 43.5 kg.

Although the KV-14 was created primarily to support infantry, it was also possible to use the vehicle as a tank destroyer. The KV-14 self-propelled gun was put into service and put into production in February 1943. A kind of record is that it took only 25 days to design and manufacture a prototype.

Since the ML-20 howitzer-gun recoil was too great, the gun had to be placed not in a turret, like the KV-2, but in a fixed wheelhouse, like the German StuG III. At the same time, the oscillating part of the powerful 152-mm ML-20 howitzer cannon was installed practically unchanged in the frame-machine and, together with the ammunition load and the crew, was placed in a specially designed conning tower on the tank chassis. At the same time, the serial gun was almost not subjected to design changes, only the recoil devices and the location of the gun's CAPF were slightly modified. At the same time, the frontal armor shield with a massive armor mask, in addition to protecting against projectiles, also served as a balancing element.

The armor of the gun mask reached 120 mm, the frontal part of the hull - 70, and the sides - 60 mm. The rate of fire of the gun due to the use of a piston breech and separate loading was only 2 rounds per minute. The gun had sector manual guidance mechanisms. The horizontal pointing angle was 12°, vertical - from -5° to +18°.

The aiming devices consisted of a panoramic sight for firing from closed positions and a telescopic ST-10 for direct fire. Direct shot range - 700 meters. Five prismatic viewing devices were also installed on the self-propelled gun in the roof of the cabin, in addition, there was a driver's viewing window, closed with glass blocks and an armored cover with a slot.

The ammunition consisted of separate loading shots with armor-piercing shells weighing 48.8 kg and high-explosive fragmentation shells weighing 43.5 kg. Them initial speeds were 600 and 655 m/s, respectively. At a distance of 2000 m, armor-piercing shells pierced armor 100 mm thick. Hit the same high-explosive projectile into the turret of any tank, as a rule, it was torn off the shoulder strap.

The new self-propelled guns were equipped with radio stations 10-RK-26, as well as an internal intercom TPU-3.

For the production of self-propelled guns, the chassis of the KV-1S tank was used, which at that time was still on the assembly line. In terms of cross-country ability, the SU-152 self-propelled gun was similar to the KV-1S tank, maximum speed her movement on the highway was 43 km / h.

February 14, 1943 State Committee Defense accepted the KV-14 into service under the designation SU-152. Serial production of the SU-152 began on March 1, 1943 in Chelyabinsk. Gradually, the production facilities of Tankograd (ChTZ) were switched from KV-1S to SU-152. Until the end of 1943, 704 vehicles were produced.

Already in the course of mass production for the SU-152, a turret installation of an anti-aircraft 12.7-mm DShK machine gun was designed, which could be used to protect against air attacks and against ground targets (since the installation of machine guns on self-propelled guns was not originally provided).

SU-152 entered service with heavy self-propelled artillery regiments of the RVGK, each of which had 12 such vehicles. The first regiment of self-propelled guns was formed already in May 1943. The arrival of new self-propelled guns to the troops was greeted with great joy, since they were one of the few who could fight the German "menagerie". Near Kursk, the SU-152 received the nickname "St.

The hit of an armor-piercing projectile in the "Tiger" turret tore it off the tank hull. The self-propelled regiment itself (self-propelled artillery regiment of the RVGK), first consisted of 12, and then in the winter of 1943-44. - from 21 SU-152. After the serial production of heavy tanks of the IS series, the ISU-152 self-propelled guns with the same gun as the SU-152 were launched on their chassis.

35103 Vostochny Express 1/35 KV-14 self-propelled gun (SU-152)
35107 Vostochny Express 1/35 set of tracks for Kv-1 early series
Paints "ARMY PAINTER" and VAILEJO
Pigments WILDER and MIG
fixation of pigments - Fixer WILDER
washes "ARMY PAINTER"

29

KV-7 is a Soviet experimental heavy self-propelled artillery mount of the period of the first half of the Great Patriotic War, which was a continuation of the line of modifications of Soviet heavy and super-heavy KV tanks. In the project documentation, this ACS model was also designated as "Object 227". In some Soviet sources, the KV-7 is referred to as a heavy turretless breakthrough tank, but by all indications, the design of the KV-7 corresponds precisely to a self-propelled artillery mount.
At the beginning of the Soviet-German war, the serial KV-1 and T-34 tanks of the Red Army, armed with 76-mm guns, did not always cope with the armored targets of the enemy. In addition, the not too compact placement of the crew in the tanks did not allow developing the desired rate of fire. During this period, applications began to come in from the front to create a tank or, preferably, self-propelled guns, which would be devoid of all the above disadvantages. The design bureau of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ) proposed a variant of arming the self-propelled guns with two 76 mm guns. In mid-November 1941, the ChKZ design bureau under the leadership of Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin created design documentation and began assembling a prototype, which was called the KV-7 or "Object 227". At the end of December 1941, the first and only prototype of the KV-7 self-propelled guns was assembled, which was immediately sent to field tests. During the tests, a number of shortcomings were identified when the crew worked with a twin artillery mount, which was very typical for multi-gun tanks and self-propelled guns. However, the main reason for not accepting the KV-7 into service and not launching it into the series was not this, but the urgent need of the Red Army for the T-34, KV-1 and KV-1s tanks.
The KV-7 heavy self-propelled artillery mount was configured similarly to the KV-1 tank. The armored corps was divided into three sections. The place of the driver and the gunner from the course machine gun was in the control compartment located in the nose of the vehicle. The remaining four crew members: the commander, gunner and two loaders were located in the fighting compartment, which extended to the middle part of the armored hull and the wheelhouse. The engine, its cooling systems and the main components of the transmission were installed in the aft part of the hull in the engine compartment.
For boarding and disembarking from the self-propelled guns, the crew, consisting of 6 people, used two round hatches in the roof of the cabin, which was a significant drawback when leaving the car in an emergency. The bottom hatch, equipped in the bottom of the hull, did not solve these problems, and when the self-propelled guns were knocked out, it was practically impossible for the driver and gunner to leave the car quickly.
The armor of the KV-7 heavy self-propelled guns was developed according to a differentiated anti-projectile principle and provided protection for the vehicle and its crew from being hit by small arms bullets and medium fragments, as well as from medium-caliber projectiles when fired from a medium distance. The armored hull of the heavy self-propelled guns KV-7 was assembled from rolled armor plates by welding them together. Armor plates, similar to the serial KV-1 heavy tank, had a thickness of 75, 40, 30 and 20 millimeters, depending on the direction of the reservation. On anti-projectile directions (bottom and top of the frontal part and stern), the thickness of the armor plates was 75 millimeters. The armor plates of the stern had a thickness of 70 millimeters at the bottom and 60 at the top. The roof and bottom of the armored hull were assembled from armor plates with a thickness of 20 to 40 millimeters, depending on the location of the reservation. All armor plates had rational angles of inclination to the vertical normal, except for the side parts, which significantly increased the armor resistance of the hull structure. The conning tower of the heavy self-propelled guns KV-7 was assembled from rolled steel armor plates, which were connected to each other and the frame in almost all cases by welding. The armor plates in the frontal part of the cabin and along its sides had a thickness of 75 millimeters. It was assumed that the reservation of the stern would be from 35 to 40 millimeters. The frontal and side armor plates of the cabin had angles of inclination to the vertical from 20 to 30 degrees. The twin gun mount was protected by a rectangular movable armor mask with a thickness of 100 millimeters.
When designing the KV-7 self-propelled guns, the armament of the vehicle consisted of two 76.2 mm ZIS 5 rifled tank guns paired into a U-14 mount. Ammunition for both ZIS-5 guns consisted of 150 unitary loading shells, which were placed along the sides of the cabin and along its rear.
As an auxiliary weapon in the KV-7, it was supposed to use three DT machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber. Two of them were installed, respectively, in the frontal armor plate of the hull (course) and the aft armor plate of the cabin in ball mounts. The third machine gun was stowed inside the fighting compartment and, if necessary, could be used as an anti-aircraft gun. Ammunition for three machine guns was 2646 cartridges in 42 discs. For the personal protection of the ACS crew, it was supposed to be armed with two PPSh submachine guns, four TT pistols and 30 F-1 hand grenades.
As a power plant in the KV-7 self-propelled guns, it was supposed to use a diesel four-stroke V-shaped twelve-cylinder V-2K engine, which could provide 600 horsepower at the output. He made it possible to move the car along the highway with a maximum speed of 34 kilometers per hour.
After assembling the only prototype of the KV-7 self-propelled guns, in April 1942 he entered the range and firing tests. The use of two 76-mm ZIS-5 guns for firing at the same time turned out to be not an easy task and carried a number of problems that were unsolvable at that time. In addition, during this period, the Red Army was in dire need of the KV-1, KV-1s and T-34 tanks, which were produced by the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). For these two reasons, the KV-7 self-propelled guns were never put into service, and therefore, were not put into mass production.
One single issued copy of the KV-7 stood on the territory of ChKZ almost until the end of 1943, and then, together with experienced tanks T-29, T-100 was dismantled for metal. However, the experience gained during the creation of the KV-7 was used in the design of other Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns. In particular, all the developments in the KV-7 were successfully used by designers to create the KV-14 (SU-152) self-propelled guns, which went into mass production.
And the heavy self-propelled guns KV-7 became the last model of Soviet armored vehicles, where they tried to use a twin artillery mount of two guns.

To create a model, it took:
09503 Trumpeter 1/35 "SPG Soviet KV-7 mod. 1941 v.227"
Paints "ARMY PAINTER" and VAILEJO
Pigments WILDER and MIG
fixation of pigments - Fixer WILDER
washes "ARMY PAINTER"

29

By the middle of 1944, it became completely clear that the means of combating modern German tanks available to the Red Army were clearly not enough. It was necessary to qualitatively strengthen the armored forces. They tried to solve this issue by using a 100-mm gun with the ballistics of the B-34 naval gun on the self-propelled guns. The draft design of the vehicle was presented to the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry in December 1943, and already on December 27, 1943, the State Defense Committee decided to adopt a new medium self-propelled gun armed with a 100-mm gun. The place of production of the new self-propelled gun was determined by "Uralmashzavod". However, it was not possible to adapt this gun - for this, the entire hull would have to be redone. In order to cope with the problem that had arisen, Uralmashzavod turned to plant No. 9 for help, in which at the end of February 1944, under the guidance of designer F.F. Petrov, a 100-mm D-10S gun was created, developed on the basis of a naval anti-aircraft gun B-34.

The performance characteristics of the new SU-100 self-propelled guns allowed it to successfully fight modern German tanks at a distance of 1500 meters for the Tigers and Panthers, regardless of the point of impact of the projectile. Self-propelled guns "Ferdinand" could be hit from a distance of 2000 meters, but only if it hit the side armor. The SU-100 possessed exceptional firepower for Soviet armored vehicles. Her armor-piercing projectile at a distance of 2000 meters pierced 125 mm. vertical armor, and at a distance of up to 1000 meters it pierced most German armored vehicles almost through and through.

The SU-100 self-propelled guns were designed on the basis of the units of the T-34-85 tank and the SU-85 self-propelled guns. All the main components of the tank - chassis, transmission, engine were used unchanged. The thickness of the front armor of the cabin was almost doubled (from 45 mm for the SU-85 to 75 mm for the SU-100). The increase in armor, combined with an increase in the mass of the gun, led to the fact that the suspension of the front rollers was overloaded. They tried to solve the problem by increasing the diameter of the spring wire from 30 to 34 mm, but it was not possible to completely eliminate it. In general, 72% of the parts were borrowed from the T-34 medium tank, 7.5% from the SU-85 self-propelled guns, 4% from the SU-122 self-propelled guns, and 16.5% were redesigned.

The SU-100 self-propelled guns began to enter the troops in November 1944. Thus, brigades and regiments armed with SU-100 self-propelled guns took part in the final battles of the Great Patriotic War, as well as in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army. The inclusion of ACS data in the advancing mobile groups significantly increased their strike power. However, the SU-100 self-propelled guns had a chance not only to advance. In March 1945, they took part in defensive battles near Lake Balaton. Here, as part of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, from March 6 to March 16, they participated in repelling the counterattack of the 6th SS Panzer Army. All 3 brigades formed in December 1944, armed with SU-100s, were brought in to repel a counterattack, and separate self-propelled artillery regiments armed with SU-85 and SU-100 self-propelled guns were also used in defense.

Without a doubt, the SU-100 self-propelled guns were the most successful and powerful Soviet anti-tank self-propelled guns of the Great Patriotic War period. The SU-100 was 15 tons lighter and at the same time had comparable armor protection and better mobility in comparison with the identical German Jagdpanther tank destroyer. Wherein German self-propelled guns, armed with an 88-mm German Cannon Pak 43/3, surpassed the Soviet one in terms of armor penetration and the size of the ammo rack. The Jagdpanther gun, due to the use of a more powerful PzGr 39/43 projectile with a ballistic tip, had better armor penetration at long distances. A similar Soviet projectile BR-412D was developed in the USSR only after the end of the war. Unlike the German tank destroyer, the SU-100 had no cumulative and sub-caliber ammunition in its ammunition load. At the same time, the high-explosive fragmentation action of a 100-mm projectile was naturally higher than that of a German self-propelled gun. Overall, both top averages anti-tank self-propelled guns World War II did not have any outstanding advantages, despite the fact that the possibilities of using the SU-100 were somewhat wider.

To create a model, it took:
3531 Zvezda PT-ACS SU-100 1/35
35001 MiniArt Soviet infantry on tank armor 1944 - 1945 Soviet Infantry at Rest (1944-45) 1:35
Magic Models 35032 Red army infantry insignia 1943-1945 – Shoulder straps
Paints "ARMY PAINTER" and VAILEJO
Pigments WILDER and MIG
fixation of pigments - Fixer WILDER
washes "ARMY PAINTER"

10

With the advent of combat aviation, the troops began to need anti-aircraft cover. The development of armored vehicles and the corresponding changes in tactics forced engineers around the world to begin work on self-propelled anti-aircraft systems. At first, the most popular method of creating such equipment was the installation of anti-aircraft machine guns or guns on cars. However, the limited capabilities of the base chassis affected both the allowable power of weapons and the mobility of the entire system. As a result, the creation of anti-aircraft self-propelled guns based on tank chassis began. In our country, similar projects started in the early thirties.

It was assumed that the use of a tracked chassis, borrowed from one of the existing or developed tanks, would provide the vehicle with mobility at the level of other military equipment, and the relatively large caliber of the gun would make it possible to hit targets at altitudes of up to several kilometers.

When creating a project based on the chassis of the T-28 tank, the chassis of the latter has undergone some changes related to the use of new weapons. Improvements affected the front and upper parts of the armored hull, located near the fighting compartment. All other components and assemblies, as well as hull elements, remained unchanged, which should have ensured the relative ease of construction and operation of new equipment.

According to reports, the SU-8 project involved the dismantling of all three turrets, the roof and the upper part of the sides of the fighting compartment from the tank. Inside the fighting compartment, it was proposed to mount a pedestal installation of circular rotation for the 3-K gun. In order to protect the gun crew from bullets and shell fragments, the self-propelled gun had to have an armored cabin with a frontal sheet and sides. The latter, for the convenience of the artillerymen, had to lean sideways and down. In the unfolded position, the sides were a relatively large platform, which facilitated the maintenance of the gun and provided circular horizontal guidance.

The maximum possible unification of the SU-8 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns and the T-28 tank provided a relatively high level of protection for the units. The hull was to be assembled from rolled sheets with a thickness of 10 (roof) to 30 (forehead) mm, cutting from sheets with a thickness of 10 and 13 mm. Thus, the crew of the vehicle would be reliably protected from small arms bullets and fragments of artillery shells.

The SU-8 was supposed to use the same power plant as the T-28 base tank: a 450 hp M-17T 12-cylinder engine. and a manual transmission with a five-speed gearbox. The chassis of the self-propelled gun also had to be borrowed without changes. It was proposed to mount a box with chassis elements installed in it to each side of the car. 12 road wheels on each side were connected by two using balancers with spring damping. Such carriages were connected into two carts on each side (6 track rollers each) with a two-point suspension to the hull.

In the fighting compartment of the self-propelled gun, it was proposed to mount a pedestal installation for the 3-K anti-aircraft gun. The 76.2 mm caliber gun had a 55 caliber barrel. When using the guidance systems developed together with the gun, the elevation angle could vary from -3 ° to + 82 °. The gun could hit targets at altitudes up to 9300 m. The maximum firing range at ground targets exceeded 14 km. An important feature The 3-K guns had a semi-automatic loading system. When firing, the gun independently opened the shutter and ejected the spent cartridge case, and when a new projectile was fed, it closed the shutter. The gunners were only supposed to feed new shells. An experienced calculation could fire at a rate of up to 15-20 rounds per minute.

On the SU-8 self-propelled gun, the 3-K gun was to be used together with a pedestal installation, which was a modified unit of its towed gun carriage. A similar mounting system was also used when mounting anti-aircraft guns on trucks and armored trains.
The project of an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun based on the T-28 tank as a whole suited the military and was approved. A permit was obtained for the construction and testing of a prototype. Due to the difficulties in mastering the serial production of T-28 tanks at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad, the construction of the SU-8 prototype began only in the second half of 1934. During construction, some shortcomings of the new project were identified. The main one is unacceptably high cost. In addition, the claims were caused by the complexity of servicing the equipment.

The only prototype of the SU-8 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns was never completed. At the end of 1934, it was converted into a tank. Such a fate of the unfinished machine speaks of one of the main reasons why the SU-8 was not only not accepted into service, but was not even tested. According to reports, 41 T-28 tanks were built in 1933. In 1934, the number of produced tanks was slightly higher - 50, and in the 35th it was reduced to 32. Until 1941, only 503 medium tanks of the new model were built. With such a slow release of new tanks, the start of serial construction of self-propelled guns based on them did not look like the wisest decision. The army needed both tanks and self-propelled guns, but production capabilities required one to be chosen. As a result, tanks were chosen, and the SU-8 project was completed at the prototype construction stage.

In November 1933, the task of designing an anti-aircraft self-propelled gun on the chassis of the T-26 tank was given to the design department of self-propelled artillery of plant No. 185. Even preliminary estimates showed that the chassis needed to be lengthened. But nevertheless, until February 1934, the GAU (Main Artillery Directorate) and UMM (Mechanization and Motorization Directorate) did not agree with the reworking of the chassis of the T-26 tank.

In May 1934, the project was generally approved, but the task was adjusted for the use of guns in combat formations of troops against enemy tanks. In June 1934, in the tank design bureau of the plant, work began on the design and manufacture of an elongated T-26 chassis for self-propelled artillery.

The layout of the anti-aircraft self-propelled guns was carried out by L. Troyanov under the general supervision of P.N. Syachintov. The machine was an open self-propelled unit, built with extensive use of components and assemblies of the T-26 tank, from which the engine, main clutch, cardan shaft joints, gearbox, clutches, brakes and final drives were borrowed. The hull was riveted from 6-8 mm armor steel sheets. It was wider and longer compared to the T-26. For the necessary rigidity, it was reinforced with three transverse partitions, between which there were folding calculation seats. On the roof of the hull, additionally reinforced with squares, a pedestal of a 76-mm ZK anti-aircraft gun was bolted.
AT undercarriage T-26, one road wheel was added (on each side), sprung with a coil spring. To reduce the load on the suspension during firing, a special hydraulic switch was installed on each side, which unloaded the springs and transferred the load directly to the road wheels.
From the sides of the car, hinged sides made of 6-mm armor were attached to the hinges, protecting the crew from shelling during the march. Before firing, the sides were folded back and held with special stops. The mass of the self-propelled gun, which received the index SU-6, in a combat position was 11.1 tons, the maximum speed on the highway reached 28 km / h, the cruising range was 130 km. In addition to the 76.2 mm anti-aircraft gun, the armament of the vehicle was supplemented by two 7.62 mm DT machine guns installed in the front and rear sides in ball mounts.

During the factory tests of the SU-6, which took place from September 12 to October 11, 1935, the car traveled 180 km and fired 50 shots. The conclusions of the commission noted the following: “Based on the tests carried out, it can be considered that the sample is fully prepared for field tests. No defects or damage were found, except for the destruction of one track roller.

October 13, 1935 SU-6 entered the NIAP. The tests went in difficult weather conditions, SU-6 experienced frequent breakdowns of the material part, and therefore the course of the tests dragged on until December. During their self-propelled guns broke down many times. In total, the SU-6 passed 750 km (up to 900 km in total) and fired 416 shots. Accuracy of fire at the beginning of the tests was satisfactory, and at the end - unsatisfactory, both with the springs on and off. Therefore, the commission came to the conclusion that turning off the springs does not affect accuracy, and this mechanism should be excluded. In addition, the field test report noted low engine power and cooling inefficiency (the engine overheated after 15-25 kilometers of run over rough terrain), unsatisfactory strength of road wheels and suspension springs, as well as low stability of the entire system when overcoming obstacles, “jumping ”and“ bounces ”of the installation, knocking down the pickup, swinging of the platform. There was not enough space on the battle platform for remote tube installers. The commission concluded that the machine was completely unsuitable for use in mechanical connections.

After the unsuccessful completion of the SU-6 tests and the decision to master the 37-mm machine gun designed by B.S. Spiral position has changed. On March 13, 1936, government decree No. 0K-58ss was issued, according to which four already laid down SU-6s were to be handed over for training purposes with a 76-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1931, and ten manufactured SU-6s were to receive a 37-mm anti-aircraft gun. But, despite the plan to ship to plant No. 185 10 assault rifles of B. Shpitalny by October 1, plant No. 8 did not deliver a single one by the end of the year. In addition, P.N. Syachintov was arrested, and all work on the SU-6, as well as on other anti-aircraft self-propelled guns on a tank chassis, was stopped in January 1937. From now on, duties military air defense it was necessary to execute quad anti-aircraft machine-gun installations (ZPU) in the bodies of GAZ-AAA trucks.

AT-1 (Artillery tank-1) - according to the classification of tanks of the mid-1930s, it belonged to the class of specially created tanks, according to the modern classification, it would be considered an anti-tank self-propelled artillery installation of 1935. Work on the creation of an artillery support tank based on the T-26, which received the official designation AT-1, began at the plant No. 185 named after. Kirov in 1934. It was assumed that the created tank would replace the T-26-4, the serial production of which the Soviet industry failed to establish. The main weapon of the AT-1 was the 76.2-mm PS-3 gun, designed by P. Syachentov.

This artillery system was designed as a special tank gun, which was equipped with panoramic and telescopic sights and a foot trigger. In terms of power, the PS-3 gun was superior to the 76.2-mm gun mod. 1927, which was installed on the T-26-4 tanks. By the spring of 1935, 2 prototypes of this machine were produced.

SAU AT-1 belonged to the class of closed self-propelled units. The fighting compartment was located in the middle part of the vehicle in a protected armored tube. The main armament of the self-propelled guns was a 76.2-mm PS-3 cannon, which was mounted on a rotating swivel on a pin pedestal. Additional armament was a 7.62 mm DT machine gun, which was mounted in a ball mount to the right of the gun. Additionally, the AT-1 could be armed with a second DT machine gun, which could be used by the crew for self-defense. For its installation in the stern and sides of the armored tube, there were special loopholes covered with armored shutters. The crew of the self-propelled guns consisted of 3 people: the driver, who was located in the control compartment to the right in the direction of the vehicle, the observer (he is also the loader), who was in the fighting compartment to the right of the gun, and the gunner, who was located to the left of him. In the roof of the cabin there were hatches for boarding and disembarking the self-propelled crew.

The PS-3 cannon could send an armor-piercing projectile at a speed of 520 m/s, had panoramic and telescopic sights, a foot trigger, and could be used both for direct fire and from concealed positions. Vertical guidance angles ranged from -5 to +45 degrees, horizontal guidance - 40 degrees (in both directions) without turning the body of the self-propelled guns. Ammunition included 40 shots for the cannon and 1827 cartridges for machine guns (29 discs).

The armor protection of the self-propelled gun was bulletproof and included rolled armor plates 6, 8 and 15 mm thick. The armored tube was made of sheets 6 and 15 mm thick. The connection of the armored parts of the hull was provided with rivets. The side and stern armor plates of the cutting for the possibility of removing powder gases when firing at half their height were made folding on hinges. In this case, the gap is 0.3 mm. between the hinged shields and the body of the self-propelled gun did not provide the crew of the vehicle with protection from being hit by lead splashes from bullets.

The capacity of the fuel tanks of the AT-1 installation was 182 liters, this fuel supply was enough to overcome 140 km. when driving on the highway.

The first copy of the AT-1 SPG was handed over for testing in April 1935. In terms of its driving performance, it was no different from the serial T-26 tank. Conducting fire tests showed that the rate of fire of the gun without correcting the aiming reaches 12-15 rounds per minute with longest range firing at 10.5 km., instead of the required 8 km. Firing while moving was generally successful. At the same time, the shortcomings of the machine were also identified, which did not allow the AT-1 to be transferred to military tests. According to the results of the tests of the AT-1 self-propelled guns, the satisfactory operation of the gun was noted, but for a number of parameters (for example, the awkward position of the rotary mechanism, the location of the ammunition load, etc.), they did not allow the self-propelled guns for military tests.

In 1937, the leading designer for self-propelled units plant number 185 P. Syachentov was declared an "enemy of the people" and repressed. This circumstance was the reason for the termination of work on many projects that he oversaw. Among these projects was the AT-1 self-propelled guns, although the Izhora plant had already managed to produce 8 armored hulls by that time, and plant No. 174 began to assemble the first vehicles.

Summing up, we can say that the AT-1 was the first self-propelled artillery mount in the USSR. For a time when the military was still fond of machine-gun tankettes or tanks armed with 37-mm cannons, the AT-1 self-propelled guns could rightly be considered a very powerful weapon.

DSCN1625 fixing pigments - Fixer WILDER
washes "ARMY PAINTER"