Anti-tank sau. Overview of tank destroyers of all nations Outstanding examples of anti-tank self-propelled guns

Before the war in the USSR, numerous attempts were made to create various self-propelled artillery installations (ACS). Dozens of projects were considered, and prototypes were built for many of them. But the matter never came to mass adoption. The exceptions were: 76-mm anti-aircraft gun 29K on the chassis of the YAG-10 truck (60 pcs.), Self-propelled guns SU-12 - 76.2-mm regimental gun of the 1927 model on the chassis of the Morland truck or GAZ-AAA (99 pcs. ), self-propelled guns SU-5-2 - 122-mm howitzer installation on the T-26 chassis (30 pcs.).

SU-12 (based on the Morland truck)

Of greatest interest in anti-tank terms was the SU-6 self-propelled guns, which were not adopted for service, on the chassis of the T-26 tank, armed with a 76-mm 3-K anti-aircraft gun. Installation tests took place in 1936. The military was not satisfied that the crew of the SU-6 in the stowed position did not fit completely on the self-propelled guns and the installers of remote tubes had to go by escort vehicle. This led to the fact that the SU-6 was recognized as unsuitable for escorting motorized columns as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.

Although the possibility of using it to fight tanks was not considered, self-propelled guns armed with such guns could be an excellent anti-tank weapon. The BR-361 armor-piercing projectile fired from the 3-K gun, at a distance of 1000 meters, pierced 82 mm armor normally. Tanks with such armor became massively used by the Germans only from 1943.

In fairness, it should be said that in Germany at the time of the invasion of the USSR there were also no serial anti-tank self-propelled guns (PT self-propelled guns). The first versions of the Artshturm StuG III self-propelled guns were armed with short-barreled 75-mm guns and did not have significant anti-tank capabilities.

German SAU StuG III Ausf. G

However, the availability of a very successful vehicle in production made it possible to turn it into an anti-tank one in a short time by increasing the frontal armor and installing a 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 43 caliber.

During the very first battles of the Great Patriotic War, the question arose of the need to develop an anti-tank self-propelled artillery installation as soon as possible, capable of quickly changing positions and fighting German tank units, which were significantly superior in mobility to units of the Red Army.

As a matter of urgency, a 57-mm anti-tank gun model 1941 was installed on the chassis of the Komsomolets light tractor, which had excellent armor penetration. At that time, this gun confidently hit any German tank at real combat distances.

The ZIS-30 tank destroyer was a light open-type anti-tank gun.
The combat crew of the installation consisted of five people. The upper machine tool was mounted in the middle part on the machine body. The vertical aiming angles ranged from -5 to +25 °, along the horizon - in the 30 ° sector. Shooting was carried out only from a place. The stability of the self-propelled unit during firing was ensured with the help of folding openers located in the aft part of the vehicle hull. For self-defense of the self-propelled unit, a regular 7.62-mm DT machine gun was used, which was installed in a ball joint on the right in the frontal sheet of the cab. To protect the calculation from bullets and shrapnel, an armored shield cover for the gun was used, which had a folding top. In the left half of the shield for observation there was a special window, which was closed by a movable shield.

Tank destroyer ZIS-30

Production of the ZIS-30 continued from 21 September to 15 October 1941. During this period, the plant produced 101 vehicles with a ZIS-2 cannon (including an experimental vehicle) and one installation with a 45-mm cannon. Further production of installations was stopped due to the lack of discontinued "Komsomol" and the cessation of production of 57-mm guns.

Self-propelled guns ZIS-30 began to enter the troops at the end of September 1941. They were equipped with anti-tank batteries of 20 tank brigades of the Western and Southwestern fronts.

In the course of intensive use, the self-propelled gun revealed a number of shortcomings, such as poor stability, congestion of the undercarriage, a small cruising range, and a small ammunition load.

By the summer of 1942, there were practically no tank destroyers ZIS-30 left in the troops. Some of the vehicles were lost in battles, and some were out of order for technical reasons.

Since January 1943, mass production of the created by N.A. Astrov based on the T-70 light tank, self-propelled 76-mm SU-76 (later Su-76M) mounts. Although this light self-propelled gun was very often used to fight enemy tanks, it cannot be considered anti-tank. Armor protection SU-76 (forehead: 26-35 mm, side and stern: 10-16 mm) protected the crew (4 people) from small arms fire and heavy fragments.

SAU SU-76M

With proper use, and this did not come immediately (self-propelled guns are not a tank), 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. The ZIS-3 divisional gun was mounted on an armored vehicle. Her sub-caliber projectile from a distance of 500 meters pierced armor up to 91 mm, that is, any place in the hull of German medium tanks and the side of the "Panther" and "Tiger".

According to the characteristics of weapons, the SU-76I self-propelled guns, created on the basis of captured German tanks Pz Kpfw III and StuG III self-propelled guns, were very close to the SU-76M. It was originally planned to install a 76.2-mm ZIS-3Sh (Sh - assault) cannon in the fighting compartment of the self-propelled guns, it was this modification of the gun that was installed on the serial self-propelled guns SU-76 and SU-76M on a machine fixed to the floor, but such an installation did not provide reliable protection of the gun embrasure from bullets and fragments, since when lifting and turning the gun, gaps invariably formed in the shield. This problem was solved by installing a special self-propelled 76.2-mm S-1 gun instead of the 76-mm divisional gun. This gun was designed on the basis of the design of the F-34 tank gun, which was equipped with T-34 tanks.

SAU SU-76I

With the same firepower as the SU-76M, the SU-76I was much more suitable for use as an anti-tank due to better security. The forehead of the hull had anti-shell armor with a thickness of 50 mm.

The production of the SU-76I was finally stopped at the end of November 1943 in favor of the SU-76M, which had already got rid of "childhood diseases" by that time. The decision to stop production of the SU-76I was due to a reduction in the number of Pz Kpfw III tanks used on the Eastern Front. In this regard, the number of captured tanks of this type decreased. A total of 201 SU-76I self-propelled guns were produced (including 1 experimental and 20 commanders), which took part in the battles of 1943-44, but due to the small number and difficulties with spare parts, they quickly disappeared from the Red Army.

The first specialized, domestic tank destroyer capable of operating in combat formations on a par with tanks was the SU-85. This vehicle became especially in demand after the appearance of the German tank PzKpfw VI "Tiger" on the battlefield. The Tiger's armor was so thick that with great difficulty and only at suicidally close distances, the F-34 and ZIS-5 guns mounted on the T-34 and KV-1 could penetrate it.

Special firing on a captured German tank showed that the M-30 howitzer mounted on the SU-122 had an insufficient rate of fire and low flatness. In general, it turned out to be poorly suited for firing at fast-moving targets, although it had good armor penetration after the introduction of cumulative ammunition.

By order of the GKO dated May 5, 1943, the design bureau under the leadership of F.F. Petrov launched work on installing an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun on the SU-122 chassis.

Tank destroyer SU-85 with D-5S gun

The D-5S gun had a barrel length of 48.8 calibers, the direct fire range reached 3.8 km, the maximum possible - 13.6 km. The range of elevation angles was from −5° to +25°, the horizontal firing sector was limited to ±10° from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The ammunition load of the gun was 48 rounds of unitary loading.

According to Soviet data, the 85-mm armor-piercing projectile BR-365 normally pierced an armor plate 111 mm thick at a distance of 500 m, at twice the distance under the same conditions - 102 mm. The BR-365P sub-caliber projectile at a distance of 500 m normally pierced an armor plate 140 mm thick.

The control compartment, engine and transmission compartments remained the same as those of the T-34 tank, which made it possible to recruit crews for new vehicles with virtually no retraining. For the commander, an armored cap with prismatic and periscopic devices was welded in the roof of the cabin. On later-produced self-propelled guns, the armor cap was replaced by a commander's cupola, like the T-34 tank.
The general layout of the vehicle was similar to the layout of the SU-122, the only difference was in armament. The security of the SU-85 was similar to that of the T-34.

Cars of this brand were produced at Uralmash from August 1943 to July 1944, in total 2337 self-propelled guns were built. After the development of a more powerful self-propelled gun SU-100 due to the delay in the release of 100-mm armor-piercing shells and the cessation of the production of armored hulls for the SU-85 from September to December 1944, a transitional version of the SU-85M was produced. In fact, it was a SU-100 with an 85-mm D-5S gun. The upgraded SU-85M differed from the original SU-85 in more powerful frontal armor and increased ammunition capacity. A total of 315 of these machines were built.

Thanks to the use of the SU-122 hull, it was possible to very quickly establish mass production of the SU-85 tank destroyer. Acting in battle formations of tanks, they effectively supported our troops with fire, hitting German armored vehicles from a distance of 800-1000 m. The crews of these self-propelled guns were especially distinguished during the crossing of the Dnieper, in the Kyiv operation and during the autumn-winter battles in Right-Bank Ukraine. Except for the few KV-85s and IS-1s, before the advent of the T-34-85 tanks, only the SU-85s could effectively deal with enemy medium tanks at distances of more than a kilometer. And at shorter distances, and pierce the frontal armor of heavy tanks. At the same time, already the first months of the use of the SU-85 showed that the power of its guns was insufficient to effectively combat heavy enemy tanks, such as the Panther and Tiger, which, having an advantage in firepower and protection, as well as effective aiming systems, imposed a fight from long distances.

Built in the middle of 1943, the SU-152 and the later ISU-122 and ISU-152 hit any German tank in the event of a hit. But due to the high cost, bulkiness and low rate of fire, they were not very suitable for fighting tanks.
The main purpose of these machines was the destruction of fortifications and engineering structures and the function of fire support for advancing units.

In the middle of 1944, under the leadership of F.F. Petrov, using shots from the B-34 naval anti-aircraft gun, an even more powerful 100-mm D-10S gun was designed. Gun D-10S arr. 1944 (index "C" - self-propelled version), had a barrel length of 56 calibers. The armor-piercing projectile of the cannon from a distance of 2000 meters hit armor 124 mm thick. A high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 16 kg made it possible to effectively hit manpower and destroy enemy fortifications.

Using this gun and the base of the T-34-85 tank, the designers of Uralmash quickly developed the SU-100 tank destroyer - the best anti-tank self-propelled gun of the Second World War. Compared to the T-34, the frontal armor was increased to 75 mm.
The gun was installed in the front plate of the cabin in a cast frame on double trunnions, which allowed it to be aimed in the vertical plane in the range from -3 to + 20 ° and in the horizontal ± 8 °. The aiming was carried out using a sector-type manual lifting mechanism and a screw-type rotary mechanism. The ammunition load of the gun consisted of 33 unitary shots, placed in five stacks in the wheelhouse.

The SU-100 possessed exceptional firepower for its time and was capable of fighting enemy tanks of all types at all ranges of aimed fire.
Serial production of the SU-100 began at Uralmash in September 1944. Until May 1945, the plant managed to produce more than 2,000 of these machines. The production of the SU-100 at Uralmash was carried out at least until March 1946. Omsk Plant No. 174 produced 198 SU-100s in 1947, and 6 more at the beginning of 1948, producing a total of 204 vehicles. The release of the SU-100 in the post-war period was also established in Czechoslovakia, where in 1951-1956 another 1420 self-propelled guns of this type were produced under license.

In the post-war years, a significant part of the SU-100 was modernized. They received night observation devices and sights, new fire-fighting and radio equipment. A shot was introduced into the ammunition load with a more effective armor-piercing projectile UBR-41D with protective and ballistic tips, and later with sub-caliber and non-rotating cumulative projectiles. The standard ammunition load of self-propelled guns in the 1960s consisted of 16 high-explosive fragmentation, 10 armor-piercing and 7 cumulative shells.

Having the same base with the T-34 tank, the SU-100 has spread widely around the world, being officially in service in more than 20 countries, they were actively used in numerous conflicts. In a number of countries they are still in service.
In Russia, the SU-100 could be found "in storage" until the end of the 90s.

According to materials:
http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc_tech/4200/SU
http://www.tankovedia.ru/catalog/sssr/su
http://voencomrus.ru/index.php?id=120

They call combat vehicles, which are nothing more than an artillery piece mounted on a self-propelled chassis. In everyday life, they are sometimes called self-propelled guns or self-propelled guns. In this article, we will understand what self-propelled guns are, where they are used, how they are classified and how they differ from other types of weapons.

Summary

So what is SAU? In a broad sense, all combat vehicles that are armed with guns can be considered as self-propelled guns. However, in a narrow sense, only those vehicles that are armed with guns or howitzers, but are not tanks or armored vehicles, belong to self-propelled guns.

The types of ACS are diverse, as well as the scope of their application. They may have a wheeled or tracked chassis, be protected or not protected by armor, have a fixed or turret mounted main gun. Many self-propelled artillery installations of the world, equipped with a turret installation, outwardly resemble tanks. However, they differ significantly from tanks in terms of tactical use and armor-weapon balance.

The self-propelled artillery installation (SAU) began its history at about the same time as the first cannon armored vehicles, at the beginning of the 20th century. Moreover, from the point of view of modern military science, the former were more like an analogue of later self-propelled guns than tanks. In the middle and second half of the twentieth century, a period of rapid development of all kinds of self-propelled artillery installations began in the leading states.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, thanks to an impressive leap in military science, self-propelled guns, according to many experts, began to claim superiority among other armored vehicles. Previously, it certainly belonged to the tanks. The role of self-propelled guns in the conditions of a modern military battle is growing every year.

History of development

On the battlefield of the First World War, self-propelled units built on the basis of trucks, tractors or tracked chassis were used. Later, with the development of tanks, engineers realized that a tank base was best suited for mounting powerful artillery systems. Guns on unarmored chassis were also not forgotten, because they were famous for their great mobility.

In Russia, the first armored self-propelled guns were proposed by the son of D. I. Mendeleev - V. D. Mendeleev. During the First World War and the Civil War, 72-mm Lender guns built on the basis of the Russo-Balt truck were actively used. The cabins of some of them were even partially armored. In the 20s of the last century, the USSR, Germany and the USA were engaged in the development of self-propelled guns, but most of the projects were nothing more than surrogate installations.

When the Soviet Union and Germany began to actively develop their tank forces, it became possible to massively install artillery mounts on tank chassis. So, in the USSR, a prototype of the SU-14 self-propelled guns was created on the basis of the T-35 and T-28 tanks. In Germany, outdated Pz Kpfw I tanks were used to convert them to self-propelled guns.

The Second World War required the use of all the resources of the participants. Germany massively produced self-propelled guns based on old and captured tanks. Based on their own machines, they made simpler and cheaper installations. The history included such German models: StuG III, and StuG IV, Hummel and Wespe, the Ferdinand self-propelled artillery mount (as the tank destroyers Hetzer and Elefant were called) and some others. Since the end of 1944, the production of self-propelled guns in Germany has exceeded the production of tanks in terms of volume.

The Red Army began to fight without mass-produced self-propelled artillery. The production of the only self-propelled howitzer SU-5 was stopped back in 1937. But already in July 1941, the ZiS-30 self-propelled guns of a surrogate type appeared. And the following year, assault guns of the SU-122 model rolled off the assembly line. Later, the famous SU-100 and ISU-152 appeared as a counterweight to German heavy armored vehicles.

The engineers of England and America concentrated their forces mainly on the production of self-propelled howitzers. So there were models: Sexton, Bishop, M12, and M7 Priest.

Due to the development of main battle tanks, the need to use assault guns has disappeared. systems, together with combat helicopters, can quite successfully replace anti-tank self-propelled guns. But howitzers and anti-aircraft installations are still being developed.

With the development of ACS, the scope of their application grew, and the classification expanded. Consider the types of self-propelled artillery installations that appear in military science today.

As the name implies, these combat vehicles are specialized in the destruction of armored vehicles. As a rule, they are armed with long-barreled semi-automatic guns with a caliber from 57 to 100 mm with a unitary loading method, which makes it possible to achieve a high rate of fire. Heavy tank destroyers, designed to fight similar enemy vehicles and heavy tanks, can be armed with long-barreled guns with separate loading, the caliber of which reaches 155 mm. Installations of this class are ineffective against fortifications and infantry. They got a jump in development during the Second World War. Characteristic representatives of tank destroyers of that time are the Soviet self-propelled guns of the SU-100 model and the German Jagdpanther. Currently, installations of this class have given way to anti-tank missile systems and combat helicopters, which are much more effective in dealing with tanks.

Assault guns

They are armored vehicles for fire support of tanks and infantry. Self-propelled guns of this type are armed with large-caliber (105-203 mm) short-barreled or long-barreled guns, which easily hit fortified infantry positions. In addition, assault guns could be effectively used against tanks. This type of self-propelled guns, like the previous one, was actively developed during the Second World War. The StuG III, StuG H42, and Brummbar were prominent examples of German assault self-propelled guns. Among the Soviet machines distinguished: Su-122 and Su-152. After the war, the development of main battle tanks led to the fact that they began to be armed with large-caliber guns that could easily hit enemy fortifications and unarmored targets. Thus, the need to use assault guns disappeared.

Self-propelled howitzers

They are mobile guns for indirect fire. In fact, this is a self-propelled analogue of towed artillery. Such self-propelled guns were armed with artillery systems with a caliber from 75 to 406 millimeters. They had light anti-fragmentation armor, which protected only from counter-battery fire. From the very beginning of the development of self-propelled artillery, self-propelled howitzers also developed. Large-caliber guns, together with high mobility and modern positioning systems, make this type of weapon one of the most effective to this day.

Self-propelled howitzers with a caliber of more than 152 millimeters are especially widespread. They can strike the enemy with nuclear weapons, which makes it possible to destroy large objects and entire groups of troops with a small number of shots. During World War II, the German Wespe and Hummel vehicles, the American M7 (Priest) and M12 howitzers, as well as the British Sexton and Bishop self-propelled guns became famous. The USSR tried to establish the production of such machines (model Su-5) back in the 40s, centuries passed, but this attempt was unsuccessful. Today, the modern Russian army is armed with one of the best self-propelled howitzers in the world - 2S19 "Msta-S" with a caliber of 152 mm. In the armies of the NATO countries, its alternative is the 155-mm self-propelled guns "Paladin".

anti-tank

Self-propelled guns of this class are semi-open or open vehicles armed with anti-tank weapons. Usually they are built on the basis of lightly armored tank chassis, which are already outdated for their intended purpose. Such machines were distinguished by a good combination of price and efficiency and were produced in fairly large volumes. At the same time, they still lost in terms of combat characteristics to machines of a narrower specialization. A good example of an anti-tank self-propelled guns of World War II are the German Marder II and the domestic SU-76M. As a rule, such installations were armed with small- or medium-caliber guns. However, sometimes more powerful versions were also encountered, for example, the German Nashorn in 128 mm caliber. In the modern army, such units are not used.

Anti-aircraft installations

These are specialized cannon and machine gun installations, the task of which is to defeat low-flying and medium-high aircraft, as well as enemy helicopters. Usually they were armed with small-caliber automatic cannons (20-40 mm) and / or large-caliber machine guns (12.7-14.5 mm). An important element was the guidance system for high-speed targets. Sometimes they were additionally armed with surface-to-air missiles. In urban battles and in cases where it is necessary to resist a large mass of infantry, anti-aircraft installations showed themselves as well as possible. During the Second World War, the German anti-aircraft installations Wirbelwind and Ostwind, as well as the Soviet ZSU-37, especially distinguished themselves. The modern Russian army is armed with two ZSU: 23-4 ("Shilka") and "Tunguska".

Surrogate

They are improvised combat vehicles designed on the basis of commercial or tractors. As a rule, surrogate self-propelled guns did not have reservations. Among domestic installations of this class, the 57-mm anti-tank self-propelled combat vehicle ZiS-30, built on the basis of the Komsomolets tracked artillery tractor, has become widespread. The most widely surrogate vehicles were used by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy due to the lack of other armored vehicles.

A typical Soviet self-propelled artillery mount successfully combined the functions of several classes at once. A clear example of this was the ISU-152 model. The Germans followed the strategy of creating highly specialized self-propelled guns. As a consequence, some German installations were the best in their classes.

Tactics of use

Having figured out what ACS are and what they are, let's find out how they are used in practice. The main task of a self-propelled artillery installation on the battlefield is to support other branches of the armed forces with artillery fire from closed positions. Due to the fact that self-propelled guns have high mobility, they can accompany tanks during breakthroughs through the enemy defense line, significantly increasing the combat capabilities of tank and motorized infantry troops.

High mobility also gives self-propelled artillery the ability to independently attack the enemy. To do this, all shooting parameters are calculated in advance. Then the self-propelled guns go to the firing position and, without zeroing in, conduct a massive attack on the enemy. After that, they quickly leave the firing line, and by the time the enemy calculates the place for a retaliatory strike, the positions will already be empty.

If enemy tanks and motorized infantry break through the line of defense, self-propelled artillery can act as a successful anti-tank weapon. To do this, some models of self-propelled guns receive special shells in their ammunition load.

In recent years, self-propelled artillery has been used to destroy snipers who hide in places that are inconvenient for attacking with other fire weapons.

Single self-propelled artillery mounts armed with nuclear projectiles can destroy large objects, fortified settlements, as well as places where enemy troops accumulate. At the same time, nuclear self-propelled guns are almost impossible to intercept. At the same time, the radius of possible targets hit by artillery ammunition is less than that of aviation or tactical missiles, as well as the power of the explosion.

Layout

The most common self-propelled vehicles today are usually built on the basis of a tank chassis or lightly armored tracked vehicles. In both cases, the layout of components and assemblies is similar. Unlike tanks, the SPG turret is located at the rear of the armored hull, and not in the middle. So the process of supplying ammunition from the ground is greatly facilitated. The engine-transmission group, respectively, is located in the front and middle parts of the body. Due to the fact that the transmission is located in the bow, it is advisable that the front wheels be driven. However, in modern self-propelled guns there is a tendency to use rear-wheel drive.

The control compartment, which is also the workplace of the driver, is located near the gearbox in the center of the machine or closer to its port side. The motor is located between the driver's seat and the fighting compartment. The fighting compartment includes ammunition and devices for aiming guns.

In addition to the described option for the placement of components and assemblies, the ZSU can be assembled according to a tank model. Sometimes they even represent a tank at all, the standard turret of which has been replaced with a special turret with a rapid-fire gun and guidance equipment. Here we have learned what ACS is.

Self-propelled artillery mount (ACS, colloquial self-propelled gun, mouth Artsamohod, sometimes used colloquially self-propelled gun) - a combat vehicle, which is artillery piece mounted on a self-propelled (self-propelled) chassis. In the broad sense of the word, all combat vehicles armed with guns can be considered as self-propelled guns. However, in a narrow sense, self-propelled guns include wheeled and tracked combat vehicles with cannon or howitzer weapons that are not tanks or armored vehicles. The types and purposes of self-propelled guns are very diverse: they can be both armored and unarmored, use a wheeled or tracked chassis, have a turret or fixed gun mount. Some of the self-propelled guns with a turret gun very much resemble a tank, but they differ from the tank in terms of armor-weapon balance and tactical use.

The history of self-propelled artillery installations begins with the history of heavy cannon armored vehicles at the beginning of the 20th century and the development of tanks in World War I. Moreover, from today's point of view, the first French tanks "Saint-Chamond" and "Schneider" are rather an analogue of later class self-propelled guns assault guns than real tanks. The middle and second half of the 20th century were a time of rapid development of various self-propelled artillery installations in the leading industrial and military developed countries. The achievements of military science at the beginning of the 21st century (high accuracy of fire, electronic positioning and guidance systems) allowed self-propelled guns, according to some experts, to take a leading place among other armored vehicles (which used to belong to tanks). Even more restrained assessments recognize the high role of self-propelled artillery in the conditions of modern combat.

Modern Russian self-propelled

artillery mount 2S19 "Msta-S"

Differences between self-propelled guns and tanks

Self-propelled guns are designed to perform other tasks than tanks, so they have some differences from them. First of all, this concerns the balance of "firepower / security".

Self-propelled artillery mounts have a much longer firing range than tank guns, and they do not need to approach the enemy so close, so they face less fire resistance - which determines a slightly lower level of protection and significantly larger dimensions (in particular, height). The armor of the self-propelled guns is primarily designed to protect enemy airborne and reconnaissance units from small arms, which determines the absence of dynamic and active protection.

At the same time, the power of weapons of artillery installations is much greater than that of tanks. This determines the greater length and weight of the barrel, more advanced navigation and sighting equipment, the presence of ballistic computers and other aids that improve the efficiency of shooting.

The tactics of using self-propelled guns are also different than tanks (“hit - retreated”, ambush attack, etc.)

Classification of self-propelled artillery installations

In the process of development, self-propelled guns were differentiated by the type of combat missions solved with their help and can be divided into the following classes:

Soviet medium tank destroyer SU-100

• tank destroyers - combat vehicles specialized for combating armored vehicles. As a rule, self-propelled guns of this class are armed with a long-barreled medium-caliber semi-automatic gun (57 - 100 mm) with a unitary loader to increase the rate of fire. Heavy tank destroyers can be equipped with long-barreled large-caliber guns (120-155 mm) with separate loading and are designed to deal with heavy tanks and similar enemy self-propelled guns. Self-propelled guns of this class are relatively ineffective against infantry and fortifications. Tank destroyers were most developed during World War II(characteristic representatives are the Soviet self-propelled guns SU-100 and the German "Jagdpanther"), but at present they have been supplanted by numerous anti-tank missile systems and combat helicopters, which are more effective anti-tank weapons.

Soviet heavy assault gun ISU-152

• Assault guns - fully armored vehicles for fire support of tanks and infantry, operating in their combat formations. They are armed with large-caliber guns (105-203 mm, both short-barreled and long-barreled), effective against fortifications and infantry. These self-propelled guns were often successfully used against tanks. The most developed during the Second World War in Germany (StuG III, StuH 42, Brummbar) and the Soviet Union (SU-122, ISU-152). In the post-war period, the development of the line main battle tank led to its armament with a large-caliber gun, which is capable of successfully hitting fortifications and unarmored targets. As a result, assault guns have disappeared from the ranks of modern armies, and their functions are successfully performed by main battle tanks.

British medium self-propelled howitzer Sexton

• Self-propelled howitzers- mobile guns for shooting from closed positions(self-propelled analogue of the classical towed artillery). They are armed with a wide variety of artillery systems of caliber 75 - 406 mm, have relatively light, anti-fragmentation armor, designed mainly to protect against counter-battery fire enemy. Actively developed from the very beginning of the history of self-propelled artillery up to the present. The equipment of these self-propelled guns with the latest positioning and guidance systems, combined with high mobility, makes them one of the most advanced combat systems. Self-propelled guns with a caliber of 152 mm and above are of particular importance - they are capable of delivering strikes with tactical nuclear weapons, which allows just one machine to destroy large objects and groupings of enemy troops. Prominent historical representatives of self-propelled guns of this class are the Soviet ISU-152 and SU-76M, German vehicles from the Second World War Wespe and Hummel, American M7 (Priest) and M12, British Sexton and Bishop. Modern Russian army is armed with one of the best machines of this class - 152.4-mm 2S19 "Msta-S". Its analogue in the armies of NATO countries is 155-mm self-propelled guns "Paladin".

Soviet light anti-tank self-propelled guns SU-76M

• Anti-tank self-propelled guns - open or semi-open machines with mounting anti-tank gun medium or small caliber (37 - 128 mm) based on a lightly armored (and usually outdated, but well-established in production) tank chassis. They have an excellent efficiency / cost ratio, they were produced in significant quantities, but they lose in terms of characteristics to more specialized combat vehicles. A good example is the German vehicle of the Second World War Marder II and the domestic SU-76 M. They are not used in modern armies.

37mm Chinese Air Defense System Type 65

• Anti-aircraft self-propelled guns (ZSU) - specialized cannon-machine-gun vehicles for combating low-flying and medium-high aircraft and enemy helicopters. As a rule, they are armed with automatic cannons of small (20 - 40 mm) caliber and / or heavy machine guns (12.7 - 14.5 mm). They are equipped with sophisticated guidance systems for fast-flying targets; sometimes, as an additional means, they are armed with surface-to-air missiles. They are exceptionally effective against large masses of infantry and in urban battles (for example, during the Second World War in Normandy, 1 German ZSU with 20-mm cannons destroyed up to 700 Allied soldiers in a marching column as a result of a short battle). Prominent representatives of World War II are the German ZSU Wirbelwind and Ostwind, the Soviet ZSU-37. The modern Russian Army is armed with one of the most advanced vehicles of this class - the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" and the rocket-gun ZSU "Tunguska".

ZSU-57-2 in Bosnia with a makeshift armored tube on top, which suggests its use as an infantry support weapon.

• Ersatz or surrogate self-propelled guns- improvised vehicles based on commercial trucks, agricultural tractors and artillery tractors sometimes without booking at all. The most widely used Nazi Germany and fascist Italy in World War II from a lack of other armored vehicles. The most famous domestic vehicle of this class is the 57-mm anti-tank self-propelled gun ZiS-30 based on a light tracked lightly armored artillery tractor. T-20 "Komsomolets".

Most domestic self-propelled guns of the times Great Patriotic War, such as the ISU-152, successfully combined the functions of several classes. The German design school focused on the narrow specialization of self-propelled guns; in their classes, some German self-propelled guns are among the best vehicles of their time.

SU-14 with 203 mm B-4 howitzer

The main areas of application of self-propelled artillery installations are the tasks of supporting artillery fire from closed firing positions units and subunits of other military branches. Due to their high mobility, self-propelled guns are able to accompany tanks during deep penetrations deep into the enemy defenses, dramatically increasing the combat capabilities of tank and motorized infantry units that have broken through. The same mobility makes it possible to launch sudden artillery raids on the enemy by self-propelled artillery forces independently, without the help of other branches of the armed forces. To do this, all the data for firing are calculated in advance using the full preparation method, the self-propelled guns are advanced to the firing position, fire at the enemy without zeroing and sometimes even without adjustment, then leave the firing position. Thus, when the enemy determines the location of the firing position and takes action, the self-propelled guns will no longer be there.

In the event of a breakthrough of enemy tanks and motorized infantry, self-propelled guns can be successfully used as an anti-tank weapon. To do this, their ammunition has special types of shells, such as guided winged 152.4-mm artillery shell "Krasnopol". Recently, self-propelled guns have mastered a new use for themselves in the role of the most powerful "anti-sniper rifle", destroying enemy snipers in shelters that are very difficult for other fire weapons.

armed tactical nuclear weapons, single self-propelled guns are capable of destroying large objects, such as airfields, railway stations, fortified settlements and concentrations of enemy troops. At the same time, their shells are practically uninterceptable, unlike tactical nuclear missiles or

SU-5

The currently most common self-propelled howitzers are usually built either on the basis of light multi-purpose lightly armored tracked vehicles, or on the basis of tank chassis. However, in both cases, the layout of components and assemblies is almost the same. Unlike a tank, the gun turret is located not in the middle, but in the rear part of the armored hull of the vehicle for more convenient supply of ammunition from the ground. Accordingly, the motor-transmission group is located in the middle and front of the armored hull. Due to the location of the transmission in the bow of the vehicle, the front wheels are driving (in modern tanks, as a rule, the opposite is true - the driving wheels are located at the back). The driver's workplace (control compartment) is located next to the gearbox in the center or left side of the vehicle, the engine is located between the control compartment and the fighting compartment. The fighting compartment contains the calculation of the gun, ammunition, mechanisms and devices for aiming the gun.

ZSU in their layout solutions are quite diverse: for them, both the above-described version of the layout scheme of a self-propelled howitzer, and the placement of units and assemblies according to a tank model can be used. Sometimes the ZSU is a tank whose regular turret has been replaced with a special one with rapid-fire air defense guns and guidance systems. There are designs on heavy automobile chassis, for example, Czech 152-mm self-propelled gun-howitzer vz.77 "Dana" on the chassis of the car Tatra-815 with the wheel formula 8 × 8.

Anti-tank self-propelled guns- a self-propelled artillery mount (ACS) specialized for combating enemy armored vehicles with incomplete bulletproof armor. Sometimes fighting vehicles of this type were classified as self-propelled anti-tank guns. Anti-tank self-propelled guns should be distinguished from tank destroyers similar in purpose, which have full and at least frontal projectile protection.

For the first time self-propelled guns of this type appeared during the Second World War as a mobile anti-tank defense, which allows you to dramatically increase the mobility of powerful anti-tank guns by mounting them on a self-propelled base. Initially conceived as a temporary measure, before specialized tank destroyers entered the troops, anti-tank self-propelled guns, due to their low cost and manufacturability, were produced and used until the end of the war. Subsequently, as the armies of various countries were saturated with modern models of tanks and tank destroyers, anti-tank self-propelled guns were withdrawn from service. A significant role in this was played by their unsuitability for the conditions of hostilities using weapons of mass destruction. Currently not applicable.

Story

During the Second World War, the massive use of tanks raised the question of creating effective countermeasures for all the warring parties. Before the war, the main means of combating tanks were towed anti-tank guns of 20-47 mm caliber. These guns had a small mass, did not require powerful tractors, could roll across the battlefield only by the forces of their crew, were easily camouflaged on the ground, and easily turned to any threatened direction. They were effective against most tanks of the mid-1930s, but even before the start of World War II, new models of armored vehicles appeared in a number of countries that were not vulnerable to their fire. To combat them, new models of anti-tank guns of 50-76 mm caliber were developed and put into service. However, the price for increased penetration was their increased weight and size. As a result, they rolled across the battlefield with difficulty, requiring powerful tractors for transportation over long distances and greater efforts to dig in and camouflage. The cost of both the guns themselves and the ammunition for them has also increased. The high recoil force led to such deepening of the coulters of powerful anti-tank guns into the ground that the crew could no longer turn the gun on their own to hit targets outside the current sector of fire. Thus, the exit of enemy tanks to the flank or to the rear became a deadly threat, which became impossible to fend off on their own.

Under such conditions, even powerful and long-range anti-tank guns represented only a partial solution to the problem. Towed anti-tank artillery, as a rule, was effective in the case of pre-prepared defense, saturated with a large number of engineering defensive structures, obstacles and minefields. Their presence, to some extent, made it possible to protect the crews of guns from rifle and machine-gun fire and deprive the enemy of freedom of maneuver. However, even with the presence of a sufficient number of tractors, towed anti-tank guns were not a highly mobile anti-tank defense (ATD). Outside the defensive structures, the crews and materiel of towed anti-tank guns in combat position are extremely vulnerable to enemy rifle and machine-gun fire, artillery and mortar shelling with fragmentation ammunition, as well as any air attacks. For the most effective action, anti-tank towed guns require well-functioning tactical interaction with their infantry and anti-aircraft gunners, which is far from always possible.

The solution to the problem was the development and launch into mass production of specialized tank destroyers, but this required time and significant resources, while the acute issue of organizing a mobile anti-tank gun was urgent. A good way out of this situation was the installation of field anti-tank guns on the chassis of obsolete or captured tanks, rather powerful tractors or armored personnel carriers. As a rule, both the gun and the tank base were subjected to the least possible alterations in order to speed up the conversion production processes. To ensure the convenience of the calculation, the cabin or tower of the anti-tank self-propelled guns were made open, in the vast majority of cases, the armor of the vehicle was bulletproof.

Anti-tank self-propelled guns could be equipped with very powerful (and therefore heavy) guns, up to such samples as the German 128-mm gun with anti-aircraft ballistics. Thus, the problems of their tactical and operational mobility, as well as a quick turn in a given direction, were solved. Cheapness in production often led to the fact that initially conceived as a temporary measure, anti-tank self-propelled guns were produced and fought until the end of the war.

The disadvantages of anti-tank self-propelled guns are largely common with the disadvantages of towed anti-tank guns, with the exception of the low mobility of the latter: they are still vulnerable to fragments of shells and mines during shelling, high-explosive and cumulative shells due to the "leakage" of the shock wave from the explosion into the open combat squad, any attacks from the air, and are also weak in close combat against enemy infantry - to destroy the calculation of such self-propelled guns, it is enough to throw a hand grenade into its fighting compartment. Also, anti-tank self-propelled guns are relatively ineffective against unarmored targets. On the other hand, the open fighting compartment allows you to interact very closely with your infantry in battle and quickly leave the padded vehicle.

Despite all the advantages, in the post-war period, due to their inherent shortcomings, anti-tank self-propelled guns quickly disappeared from the scene. The focus on the use of technology in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction played an important role in this - the crew receives basic protection from the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion, a mixture of air with toxic substances, toxins and formulations of infectious microorganisms only in a hermetically sealed combat vehicle with a filtering unit, which for anti-tank self-propelled guns is impossible in principle.

Below are considered particular features of the development of anti-tank self-propelled guns in various countries.

Third Reich

The combat experience of campaigns in Poland, France and the Balkans clearly showed the insufficiency of traditional towed anti-tank artillery in terms of mobility and security in joint operations with tank and mechanized units. The German military realized the benefits of having vehicles in tank groups armed with powerful anti-tank guns, with the same mobility and maneuverability as the tanks themselves. As a result, some of the obsolete Panzerkampfwagen I light tanks were converted into anti-tank self-propelled guns by dismantling the turret and turret box and installing a 47-mm captured Czech anti-tank gun with shield cover and aiming mechanisms in their place. The horizontal sector of fire, although not circular, turned out to be comparable to the aiming angles of towed anti-tank guns. This conversion received the designation Panzerjäger I and from 1941 was used quite successfully in North Africa and on the Eastern Front against numerous British and Soviet tanks with bulletproof armor. However, the heavily armored Matildas, Valentines, T-34s and KVs were less vulnerable to 47-mm shells. The problem of penetrating their armor was solved with the adoption of the 7.62 cm Pak 36(r) and 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns, however, both of these artillery systems were heavy and limited mobility. The logical next step was to install them on a self-propelled base, which used the chassis of captured French tanks, Panzerkampfwagen II and Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t) . This is how the well-known anti-tank self-propelled guns of the Marder family (it. marten) - Marder I, Marder II and Marder III respectively. The latter was produced in two versions, differing in the installation of a gun in the middle or rear of the vehicle. "Marders" fought on all fronts of the Second World War until its end.

An interesting experiment in giving mobility to extremely powerful 128-mm cannons with anti-aircraft ballistics was a pair of experienced Sturer Emil anti-tank self-propelled guns based on experienced DW2 breakthrough tanks. But it was not they who established themselves as powerful serial anti-tank self-propelled guns, but an 88-mm cannon with a barrel length of 71 calibers on a specialized chassis Geschützwagen III / IV, created on the basis of components and assemblies of two medium tanks Panzerkampfwagen III and . Initially, these self-propelled guns were called Hornisse (German. hornet), but on the personal instructions of the Fuhrer, they were renamed Nashorn (German. rhinoceros). Despite the weak bulletproof armor and high silhouette, these vehicles, due to their long-range and powerful guns, successfully hit heavily armored targets at a distance of more than 3 km (however, it should be borne in mind that such cases against the background of other clashes of the Second World War were very rare).

Toward the end of the war, when many Pak 40 guns were simply abandoned during the retreat of the Wehrmacht, anti-tank self-propelled guns began to appear on any suitable base: Sd.Kfz.234 armored vehicles, Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carriers, Ost. The latter can already be classified as an improvisation in the face of a shortage of more suitable chassis.

the USSR

Before the Great Patriotic War, work was underway on self-propelled artillery installations of all classes, there were plans to create anti-tank self-propelled guns based on the released T-26 and BT after equipping mechanized and tank corps with new equipment. The attack of the Third Reich on the USSR did not make it possible to translate them into reality. However, the need for machines of this class turned out to be so acute that already in December 1941, the ZiS-30 self-propelled guns were developed - the installation of the rotating part of the 57-mm anti-tank gun mod. 1941 (ZiS-2) to the base of the light semi-armored artillery tractor T-20 "Komsomolets". The resulting car turned out to be a “clean” ersatz self-propelled gun, but in the conditions of that time it would hardly have been possible to achieve a better one. The ZiS-30 received a good rating for the armor penetration of its gun and an extremely unsatisfactory rating for its stability when firing and the reliability of the self-propelled base. By the summer of 1942, due to losses and failures, they disappeared from the ranks of the Red Army.

The further development of anti-tank self-propelled guns in the USSR was to a certain extent associated with the SU-76 light multi-purpose installation. After it acquired its final appearance with an open fighting compartment and a pair of GAZ-202 engines, in essence this vehicle became an anti-tank self-propelled gun, similar to the German Marders, but was also used extremely widely for direct infantry support (i.e. . performed the tasks of assault guns), and sometimes for firing from closed positions (that is, it was also used as a self-propelled howitzer). There was an experimental version of it, armed with a 57-mm ZiS-4 cannon, which was already a “clean” anti-tank self-propelled gun, but the Soviet leadership preferred full-fledged tank destroyers, and therefore, despite its full suitability for such combat work, it was not accepted into service with the Red Army. An additional reason was the existing "de facto" status of all Soviet self-propelled guns as multi-purpose vehicles, and the 57-mm anti-tank gun had significantly worse firepower against manpower and field-type fortifications compared to the 76-mm ZiS-3 division of the SU -76.

Another attempt to create an anti-tank self-propelled guns was the desire of "non-tank" commanders to have divisional artillery (which very often worked as anti-tank) on a self-propelled base. As a result, an experimental OSA-76 self-propelled guns based on the T-60 appeared, which in many respects looked preferable to the serial SU-76M, which were run by “clean” tankers. As a result, the latter considered themselves disadvantaged by such "partisanism" and took control of the development into their own hands, which was reflected in the change of the index to OSU-76; however, the matter never reached mass production.

In the last months of the war and some time after it (until 1946, and in some cases possibly later), the captured Marders and Nashorns under the names SU-75 and SU-88, respectively, were officially in service with the Red Army.

USA

American anti-tank self-propelled guns were officially classified as "tank destroyers", however, incomplete and partial armor does not allow them to be classified as full-fledged tank destroyers. A characteristic feature of American vehicles was the placement of weapons in an open top rotating turret with a developed counterweight on its aft side.

• M18 Hellcat is a highly mobile and technologically advanced anti-tank self-propelled gun on a special base.
• M36 Jackson (or Slugger) - slow-moving, but very powerfully armed anti-tank self-propelled guns based on the M4 Sherman medium tank; had good frontal armor, but the side armor still remained bulletproof.

United Kingdom

At the very initial stage of the Second World War, there were no self-propelled artillery in the troops of His Majesty, but in the course of hostilities in the North African theater of operations, the first samples of it had already appeared. With the landing of the German African Corps, the British were faced with a highly initiative enemy, who made full use of the mobility potential inherent in tank and motorized troops. Accordingly, there was a need for highly mobile anti-tank weapons capable of parrying the threat posed by German mobile tank groups. The British solved this problem by installing their 6-pounder anti-tank gun in the body of a semi-armored AEC Matador wheeled all-wheel drive artillery tractor. The resulting wheeled self-propelled gun was named Deacon. deacon) and has proven itself well in battles.

However, Britain's own forces were not enough to solve many of the problems that arose during the war with the development and production of military equipment. Therefore, US assistance under the Lend-Lease Act came in very handy. So in the British troops appeared, among other things, anti-tank self-propelled guns 3inch Gun Motor Carriage M10, to which the soldiers assigned the nickname Wolverine (Eng. wolverine). However, the power of its 76-mm M7 cannon was found insufficient against German heavy tanks and some of the vehicles were re-equipped with their own 17-pounder guns of the same caliber, which had significantly greater penetration, especially using the latest armor-piercing sub-caliber shells with a detachable pallet at that time. This alteration was called "Achilles" (Eng. Achilles). Also, in connection with the end of the active career of the Valentine light infantry tanks, the same 17-pounder gun was installed on their base in a fixed wheelhouse open at the top. The new self-developed anti-tank self-propelled gun also had its own name "Archer" (Eng. archer).

Kingdom of Italy

Prior to World War II, Italian troops did not have any self-propelled guns at all. However, the situation changed quite quickly after joining it. The battles in North Africa clearly showed the weakness, on the verge of becoming useless, of the main armament of the Italian armored vehicles - 20-mm and 47-mm guns against the English Matildas and Valentines. Even the more lightly protected Crusaders had frontal armor that was difficult to penetrate with 47 mm shells. The solution was found quite quickly - according to the results of the battles in France, the Italian military "peeped" the idea of ​​​​self-propelled artillery from the Germans. In particular, the Carro Armato L6/40 light tank recently adopted by the Royal Army was found to be a suitable base for a 47 mm anti-tank gun. As a result of the installation of this gun in a fixed cabin open from above, in place of the turret and turret box, a light anti-tank self-propelled gun Semovente da 47/32 was obtained. However, its firepower was only sufficient against light British and Soviet tanks, and the Matildas, T-34s and KVs remained little vulnerable to it. This turned out to be especially tragic for the Italian army in Russia (ARMIR), which, due to the lack of powerful anti-tank weapons, was utterly defeated during the Battle of Stalingrad. This weakness did not go unnoticed, the Italian designers on a modified chassis of the Carro Armato M14 / 41 tank installed a rotating part of a powerful 90-mm cannon with anti-aircraft ballistics. The small dimensions of the resulting Semovente da 90/53 self-propelled guns forced us to limit the transportable ammunition to 6 shots; it is also difficult to recognize its protection as sufficient even against bullets and shrapnel. However, a special ammunition transporter was developed for it and it was supposed to be used as a long-range anti-tank weapon, when both of the mentioned negative factors were not, according to the Italian military, of particular importance. But they failed to test their ideas on the Eastern Front, the remnants of ARMIR "a were urgently recalled to Italy, and after the Anglo-American invasion of the Apennines, Semovente da 90/53 were confiscated by the Germans. The latter used them not so much as an anti-tank self-propelled guns (due to the mountainous terrain and the lack of plains where the 90-mm gun could best show itself), but as mobile field artillery.

Layout features

In terms of their layout, anti-tank self-propelled guns (with the placement of a gun in the wheelhouse) are quite typical - the wheelhouse with the gun is located in the stern, the engine is in the middle, and the control compartment is in the bow of the vehicle. An interesting exception is the Archer self-propelled guns, which outwardly resemble all other vehicles of this class, but are actually similar in layout to the Soviet SU-85 tank destroyer - the fighting compartment and the control compartment are located in the nose of the vehicle, and the engine is in the stern. The difference lies in the fact that the SU-85 gun is directed in the direction of the self-propelled gun, while the "Archer" - against. In the combat position, "Archer" turned stern forward and her driver did not see the battlefield. However, this made it possible to quickly leave the firing position moving forward without turning the car.

Self-propelled artillery pieces in World War II performed a wide variety of roles - from infantry support during defense to mobile anti-tank weapons capable of conducting an offensive in conjunction with other units.

The main weapons of the self-propelled guns, depending on their type, were anti-tank guns with a caliber of 47 to 128 millimeters or howitzers with a caliber of up to 380 millimeters. Depending on the power of the gun, the armor and the mass of self-propelled guns changed. At the "Sturmtigr" it reached 68 tons, and at the anti-tank self-propelled gun "Jagdtigr" - 70 tons, this self-propelled gun was the heaviest vehicle of the Second World War. Most often, self-propelled guns were designed on the chassis of various tanks, sometimes obsolete, but preserved in large numbers (like the German Pz-I and Pz-II by 1941). The main difference between self-propelled guns and tanks was the absence of a rotating turret, which reduced the height (and, accordingly, vulnerability) of the vehicle, but also reduced its combat characteristics. Most often, self-propelled guns were used in mobile units, especially in tank divisions when breaking through enemy defenses, as well as when repelling tank attacks. They showed their high efficiency, although heavy self-propelled guns with powerful guns (Ferdinand, Nashorn, Jagdpanther) were vulnerable to aviation and much more mobile medium tanks.
Assessing the successes of German troops in Africa, Millentin wrote:
“How then should the brilliant successes of the Afrika Korps be explained? In my opinion, our victories were determined by three factors: the qualitative superiority of our anti-tank guns, the systematic application of the principle of interaction between military branches and, last but not least, our tactical methods. while the British limited the role of their 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns (very powerful guns) to fighting aircraft, we used our 88-mm guns to shoot both tanks and aircraft.

The main means of anti-tank defense were considered tanks and artillery fire, primarily anti-tank in combination with the engineering equipment of the area and natural obstacles, aviation and minefields. The charters required the creation of anti-tank defense along the lines (battalion, regimental and divisional) and, first of all, in front of the front line. Defensive combat was required to begin on the distant approaches to the main strip, inflicting, on the enemy, air strikes and long-range artillery. In the supply zone, forward detachments entered the battle. And then the units allocated to combat guards. The main forces and firepower of rifle units and formations were introduced into the battle for the main line of defense. When enemy tanks break through into the depths of the main line of defense, the formation commander must organize a counterattack in order to delay the advance of the enemy.