Sau from the Second World War. American self-propelled artillery unit of World War II

Self-propelled artillery units (SPGs) occupy a prominent place in military history. As you can already guess from the name itself, these combat vehicles are an artillery piece, usually mounted on the tracked base of a tank. What is the fundamental difference between a self-propelled gun and a tank? The main thing in which self-propelled guns and tanks really differ from each other is the nature of the tasks being solved in real combat conditions. Let us note that “self-propelled guns” can be divided into several classes, which in themselves will provide an answer to the question posed. So Self-propelled howitzer-class self-propelled guns represent artillery system for firing at the enemy from closed positions, like conventional towed artillery. Such self-propelled guns can open fire on enemy positions tens of kilometers from the front line. Self-propelled guns of the tank destroyer class designed mainly to combat enemy armored vehicles, mostly well armored. "Self-propelled guns" related to class of assault guns fight directly on the front line, supporting infantry and tank units in breaking through enemy defensive lines. SPG class of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU) protect ground troops from enemy air raids.

It is quite obvious that self-propelled guns themselves have a more specialized purpose than tanks, which can often, although not always, be used as universal combat vehicles and can solve the same tasks, albeit worse than self-propelled guns. At the same time, self-propelled guns solve specific tasks - for example, suppressing enemy firing points or fighting enemy military equipment, more successfully than tanks. For example, the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank was very often used in the second half of the war during the assault on German cities - essentially playing the role of an assault gun firing at a fortified target. The powerful high-explosive shell of its 122-mm cannon was effective when firing at buildings in which enemy infantry had taken refuge. It also successfully hit long-term enemy firing points, quickly destroying them with a direct hit. At the same time, due to the low rate of fire of the D-25T gun, the capabilities of the IS-2 in confrontation with enemy tanks of equal class, for example, Tigers, were somewhat limited. The tasks of fighting enemy tanks were more successfully solved by the SU-100 self-propelled gun, which had a higher gun rate and a lower silhouette.

Speaking about a certain “specialization” of self-propelled guns to solve any problem, as well as classifying it as a specific class, one should not think that this self-propelled gun cannot perform other functions. Almost all howitzer self-propelled guns have the ability to fire at ground targets, if there are sufficient gun declination angles, and therefore, theoretically, in certain cases they can be used to combat enemy armored vehicles. As an example of “versatility”, let us again cite the Soviet self-propelled guns - this time the SU-152. This combat vehicle, which is nominally classified as an assault gun, quite successfully hit heavy German Tiger tanks and medium Panther tanks, for which it received the formidable nickname “St. John’s Wort.” Moreover, it could also perform the functions of howitzer artillery to a limited extent - the elevation angles of the gun were sufficient for fire from closed positions beyond the line of sight of the enemy.

Let's take a closer look at the classification of self-propelled artillery systems:

1. Tank destroyers

As already mentioned, the priority task of these combat vehicles is to fight enemy armored vehicles. Vivid examples of this class are German self-propelled guns“Marder”, “StuG”, “Ferdinand” and “Hetzer”; Soviet “SU-76”, “SU-85”, “SU-100”; English self-propelled gun “Archer”; American "self-propelled guns" with a rotating turret - "Wolverine", "Hellcat" and "Slugger". The main advantage of self-propelled artillery systems over conventional towed anti-tank artillery was, of course, their mobility. Battery deployment time anti-tank self-propelled guns in a certain area of combat operations, much less was required, which made it possible to effectively parry enemy tank attacks and launch counterattacks. During an offensive, self-propelled guns could quickly move behind advanced units or even in the battle formations of these units, providing anti-tank cover; if necessary, they could be quickly thrown into a tank-threat direction. Compared to tanks, self-propelled guns often had a simpler design; accordingly, their production was quickly and easily mastered, which made it possible to produce them in a very large quantities. In addition, self-propelled guns were often cheaper than tanks. As an example, we can cite the German light self-propelled gun Hetzer.

2. Self-propelled howitzers

The main tasks of these vehicles were to fire at enemy positions from long distances. For example, artillery preparation before an offensive or support fire to suppress enemy resistance units already during a clash. Examples: American “M7 Priest”, German “Hummel”, English “Sexton”. In the USSR, there were no specialized howitzer self-propelled guns, although their tasks could be performed to a limited extent by self-propelled guns of other classes, for example, SU-122. Howitzer self-propelled guns had the same advantages over conventional artillery - mobility and speed. Howitzer artillery fully embodied the strength and hurricane power of towed guns with the mobility and speed of tank formations. Ultimately, it is no coincidence that this branch of the military is called the “god of war” (the phrase is attributed to J.V. Stalin).

3. Assault weapons

The class of assault guns includes self-propelled guns intended for direct support of advancing units. Examples: “ISU-152” (USSR) and “StuG III” (Germany). Distinctive features These “self-propelled guns” have good armor and powerful weapons, sufficient to destroy long-term enemy firing points. These self-propelled guns found their use in breaking through heavily fortified enemy defense lines, where they successfully supported attacking units. As already mentioned, some self-propelled guns could successfully combine several functions. The aforementioned ISU-152, in addition to the tasks of an assault gun, could perform the functions of an anti-tank and howitzer self-propelled gun. The concept of assault guns completely became obsolete after the end of the war in 1945, since in the post-war period tanks appeared that successfully performed the tasks of this class of self-propelled guns.

4. Anti-aircraft self-propelled guns

Self-propelled artillery mounts with an installed anti-aircraft gun (ZSU) are another class of self-propelled guns. It is absolutely obvious that their key task is to repel enemy air raids. Let us give examples of such self-propelled guns – ZSU-37 (Soviet Union) and “Wirbelwind” (Germany). As a rule, ZSUs were distinguished by a high rate of fire and could be used not only against enemy aircraft, but also against manpower and lightly armored vehicles, and no less effectively. Such self-propelled guns could be especially dangerous when fired from ambushes at enemy columns moving in marching formations.

Self-propelled artillery played a very important role in World War II. Like tanks, they became the embodiment military power warring states. These cars are rightfully included in the world military history and interest in them has not subsided to this day.

The first months of the Great Patriotic War became a true and immense tragedy for the Soviet Union. Swift attacks by Wehrmacht troops in key directions, encirclement, the overwhelming superiority of the Luftwaffe in the air - the Red Army had to experience all this. The reality turned out to be sharply opposite to the film “If there is war tomorrow...”, which had an extremely negative impact on the morale and fighting spirit of the troops. German tanks played a huge and most important role in this whole unsightly picture for the Soviet command. With a massive blow, they broke through the defenses of the Soviet troops on a narrow section of the front and quickly rushed further, capturing rear warehouses and communications centers, depriving the encircled Red Army units of any supply, which they then mercilessly achieved with aviation, artillery and infantry. Fighting enemy tanks became a vital part of successfully defending the country, and there were almost no weapons against them. For a number of subjective reasons that deserve a separate discussion, before the war the production of 76.2 mm divisional guns and 45 mm anti-tank defense guns was curtailed. The exploits of Soviet tankers on the T-34 and KV could not change the situation in any way due to actions alone, a shortage of ammunition and fuel. In addition, these pre-war tanks had many defects in their mechanisms, which is why they often had to be abandoned during retreat. The infantry's only weapon was RGD-33 hand grenades.

All possible measures were taken to correct the current catastrophic situation. In the shortest possible time, production of 45 mm anti-tank guns was resumed, new 76.2-mm ZiS-3 divisional guns and 57-mm ZiS-2 anti-tank guns designed by V. G. Grabin were put on the conveyor. Weapon designers Degtyarev and Simonov developed samples of 14.5 mm anti-tank rifles. Supreme Commander-in-Chief J.V. Stalin personally signed instructions on the use of incendiary bottles. Already by the beginning of autumn 1941, this began to bring the first successes. But even before this, well understanding the importance of mobility for anti-tank guns, People's Commissar of Armaments Vannikov on July 1, 1941, gave an urgent order to develop self-propelled guns to fight Nazi tanks. Gorky plant No. 92 in the shortest possible time presented two prototypes of self-propelled guns - on the chassis of a light semi-armored artillery tractor T-20 "Komsomolets" (ZiS-30) and a truck (ZiS-31). Both variants were armed with a 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun. The best results during shooting were shown by the ZiS-31, but the choice of the state commission fell on the ZiS-30 due to its better maneuverability. By this time, the plant that produced Komsomolets had switched entirely to the production of light tanks, so the chassis had to be removed from existing units to convert them into self-propelled guns. In total, by December 1941, about 100 Komsomols were converted, which took part in the final stage of the battle for Moscow. Despite all their shortcomings, units liked them due to their mobility, better protection of materiel compared to the towed version, and the high efficiency of the ZiS-2 cannon, which sometimes penetrated German tanks of that period. But due to the small number, losses and breakdowns of mechanisms, the ZiS-30 quickly disappeared from the battlefields, without having any significant impact on the course of events.

Immediately before the war, Soviet designers at the Jet Research Institute developed launchers for 132 and 82 mm caliber rockets on the ZiS-6 truck chassis. July 1, 1941 became the date of the baptism of fire of the new weapon - the battery of captain I. A. Flerov wiped off the face of the earth the Orsha railway junction with German trains with manpower, military equipment and ammunition. The exceptional effectiveness of rocket artillery contributed to the rapid deployment of its production. But the chassis of the ZiS-6 truck was highly vulnerable even to rifle and machine-gun fire, so already in August 1941, the design bureau of the Kompressor plant began development jet system volley fire(MLRS) based light tank T-40. On September 13, the plant produced the first prototype, called BM-8-24. It was equipped with an artillery unit with guides for launching 24 M-8 rockets of 82 mm caliber. After the T-40 tanks were discontinued, production of this vehicle continued on the T-60 basis. Compared to variants based on trucks, the BM-8-24 was distinguished by high maneuverability, protection from small arms fire, low height, facilitating camouflage on the ground, and an increased horizontal firing angle. However, after the T-60 tank was discontinued, production of the BM-8-24 self-propelled guns was also discontinued. But this modest-looking combat vehicle became the progenitor of a whole class of the most highly effective combat installations of our time (for example, the Buratino MLRS based on the T-72 tank). It also demonstrated all the advantages of self-propelled artillery during the counter-offensive near Stalingrad - BM-8-24 found themselves next to the advancing infantry in winter off-road conditions and greatly facilitated the assault on German fortified positions. Not a single serious artillery system (with the exception of 45-mm and 57-mm anti-tank guns, which were carried by completely exhausted soldiers and horses) could accompany the advancing infantry units, not to mention the tank ones.

Despite the obvious need of the Red Army for self-propelled guns, until the very end of 1942, new models of equipment of this class (except for the ZiS-30 and BM-8-24) did not enter service, although work on their creation did not stop. The reason for this was the acute shortage of tanks in the troops after the spring-summer offensive of the Wehrmacht in 1942, when the Red Army again suffered heavy losses, and the factories evacuated to the East had not yet reached production capacity. The T-60s produced at that time by the Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ) (the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant (MMZ) was partially evacuated to Kirov and was only restoring the production of light tanks) were of little use for creating self-propelled guns on their basis. T-34s, produced by plants No. 112 "Krasnoe Sormovo", Ural Tank No. 183 in Nizhny Tagil, No. 174 in Omsk, Ural Heavy Engineering Plant (UZTM) and Stalingrad Tractor Plant (STZ), were urgently needed by the front. Allocation of their chassis for the needs of self-propelled artillery at that moment was simply impossible. The factories producing heavy tanks could not help in any way - the Leningrad Plant named after S. M. Kirov was cut off by the blockade, and the products of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ) - KV-1S heavy tanks - were entirely used to form guards heavy breakthrough tank regiments for the planned counter-offensive near Stalingrad.

A different situation developed on the other side of the front. KV and T-34 sowed fear in Wehrmacht units. But this could not last long; German designers hastily improved their vehicles and created new ones to fight Soviet tanks. Combat experience has shown that the StuG III Ausf B self-propelled gun is unable to fight the T-34 and KV. Therefore, it was urgently modernized by installing a long-barreled 75-mm StuK 40 cannon and strengthening the armor. Late autumn In 1941, a new modification was put into production under the designation StuG III Ausf F. 120 vehicles produced took part in the summer offensive of 1942. Another new product was the self-propelled tank destroyer "Marder" (Marder - German "marten") on the chassis of the Pz Kpfw tank 38(t), armed with... the Soviet 76.2-mm F-22 cannon designed by V.G. Grabin. Having captured a significant number of such guns in battles and in warehouses, German engineers modernized them according to Soviet plans and received a powerful anti-tank weapon. This gun, along with the 88-mm FlaK 18 anti-aircraft gun, for quite a long time were the only guns that were guaranteed to hit the T-34 and the KV quite well. To create self-propelled guns, the chassis of the outdated Pz Kpfw I light tank was actively used. On its basis, the PanzerJäger tank destroyer and self-propelled howitzer Sturm infanterie Geschutz (SiG) I. They did not win any special laurels on the Eastern Front, but were well used by Rommel’s corps in Africa

The turning point of the war (November 1942 - August 1943)

On November 19, 1942, crushing volleys of Soviet artillery and Guards rocket mortars heralded the start of the counteroffensive at Stalingrad. Since then, this day has become the professional holiday of the Soviet artillery soldier. During the operation to encircle and liquidate units of the German 6th Army and 4th Tank Army, artillery played one of the most important roles. With its fire, it ensured a successful assault on the Stalingrad defensive lines and city blocks by the advancing infantry. However, all the equipment of the cannon artillery at that time was towed, and this negatively affected the interaction of artillery with other branches of the military. Therefore, even before the start of the offensive, by order of the People's Commissar of Tank Industry No. 721 dated October 22, 1942, a special design group was organized at UZTM to develop a medium self-propelled gun based on the T-34 tank, armed with a 122 mm gun. This group, headed by L. I. Gorlitsky (as well as designers G. F. Ksyunin, A. D. Neklyudov, K. N. Ilyin, etc.), by December 1942 had already developed a prototype self-propelled gun, equipped with a very popular artillery parts of the 122-mm howitzer M-30. Its layout became standard for all Soviet medium and heavy self-propelled guns: the conning tower at the front of the vehicle combined the fighting compartment and the control compartment, and the engine-transmission unit was located at the rear of the vehicle. After testing the prototype, the State Defense Committee (GKO) on December 2, 1942 adopted resolution No. 4559 on the immediate serial production of a new self-propelled gun at UZTM, designated SU-122. From December 1942 to August 1943, Uralmashplant produced 638 SU-122 self-propelled guns. During production, changes were repeatedly made to the design of the vehicle aimed at improving manufacturability, combat qualities and crew comfort.

In the meantime, GAZ, MMZ and the plant in Kirov that connected to them switched to producing a more advanced model of the T-70 light tank. But it could not directly serve as a carrier for an artillery gun. The GAZ Design Bureau, headed by N. A. Astrov and A. A. Lipgart, developed a chassis based on the T-70 specifically for the self-propelled guns. In particular, it was necessary to lengthen the hull to accommodate it in the rear of the conning tower and add another road wheel on board. The divisional 76.2-mm ZiS-3 gun designed by V. G. Grabin, which had proven itself in battle, was mounted in the conning tower. Initially, the self-propelled gun, called SU-76, had a completely armored wheelhouse and two parallel six-cylinder automobile engines. But such power point turned out to be unreliable and difficult to manage. To solve this problem, Astrov and Lipgart, who had extensive experience working with automotive units in tank designs, proposed using two motors connected in series by crankshafts. This engine has already been used in the design of the T-70 light tank. At first, the resource of such a “spark” was low, but the developers overcame this difficulty, increasing it several times after modifying a number of components of the base engine. This unit is "GAZ-203" with a capacity of 170 hp. With. installed in an improved model of the SU-76M self-propelled gun. For the convenience of the crew and better ventilation of the fighting compartment, the SU-76M's armored roof and rear deckhouse were removed. A total of 360 SU-76 and 13,292 SU-76M were produced during the war years. Thus, it became the second largest combat armored tracked vehicle of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War. Despite all its shortcomings - gasoline engine and bulletproof armor, the SU-76M also had many positive qualities inherited from the T-70 light tank. It had a softer and quieter ride compared to the T-34; engine pre-heater, which greatly facilitated its start-up in conditions harsh winter; convenient track tensioning mechanism; was hardly noticeable on the ground. Low specific ground pressure allowed it to operate in swampy areas, where other types of tanks and self-propelled guns would inevitably get bogged down. 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. SU-76M could pass along hastily constructed roads along with infantry and attack the enemy where he least expected attacks from Soviet self-propelled guns. The SU-76M also performed quite well in urban battles - its open wheelhouse, despite the possibility of the crew being hit by small arms fire, provided better visibility and made it possible to interact very closely with the soldiers of infantry assault detachments. Finally, the SU-76M could hit with its fire all medium tanks and self-propelled guns of the Wehrmacht equivalent to it.

The Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant did not remain aloof from the creation of self-propelled guns. Having received a technical assignment in December 1942 for the development of a heavy self-propelled gun, in just 25 days the factory workers presented in metal a prototype based on the KV-1S heavy tank, armed with a powerful 152-mm howitzer ML-20 cannon designed by F. F. Petrov. Using the same layout as for the SU-122, ChKZ engineers were able to achieve greater efficiency in its use. In particular, instead of the pedestal mounting of the gun on the SU-122, the new vehicle, originally called the KV-14, received a frame mounting - the gun was attached to the front armor plate of the vehicle using a special frame. This design made it possible to significantly expand the useful volume of the fighting compartment and improve its habitability. Under the name SU-152, the self-propelled gun was immediately put into production after its demonstration by the State Defense Committee. This was simply necessary in light of the tests of the captured German tank Pz Kpfw VI "Tiger", because standard 45-mm and 76-mm tank and anti-tank guns turned out to be ineffective against its armor. In addition, according to intelligence data, the enemy was expected to have several more new models of tanks and self-propelled guns by the beginning of his massive summer offensive. According to this information, the new German vehicles will have armor comparable to or even more powerful than that of the Tiger.

Despite the heroic efforts of all tank factories in the country, the number of self-propelled guns in the Red Army did not increase as much. at a fast pace as I would like senior management armies and countries. On the other hand, during the Moscow and Stalingrad counter-offensives, the Red Army captured many serviceable or slightly damaged Pz Kpfw III tanks and StuG III self-propelled guns. They were quite combat-ready or repairable, but were hampered by the lack of shells of 37, 50 and 75 mm calibers. Therefore, it was decided to convert captured vehicles into self-propelled guns armed with domestic artillery systems. In total, about 1,200 of these machines were converted. These self-propelled guns, armed with the F-34 76.2 mm tank cannon, were called SU-76I. Soviet engineers also developed a 122-mm howitzer on a captured chassis, but after the creation of several prototypes, this direction was closed due to the launch of the domestic SU-122 into series.

The enemy, preparing for his summer offensive, also developed a number of new vehicles. Based on an experimental heavy tank designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, German designers created a heavy tank destroyer, originally named “Ferdinand” by Adolf Hitler himself in honor of its creator. The self-propelled gun was armed with a powerful 88-mm cannon and had the most powerful armor for that time, up to 200 mm thick with rational angles of inclination. However, later it was renamed “Elephant” (German Elefant - elephant) and under this name it is now more often mentioned in foreign, including German, sources. Also on the Pz Kpfw IV chassis were created the Brummbar assault mortar (German Brummbar - bear) and the Hummel self-propelled howitzer (German Hummel - bumblebee). The StuG III family of assault guns received another modification of the Ausf G. At the same time, attempts were made to install a more powerful artillery system on this chassis, which ended with the creation of the StuH 42 self-propelled gun. The Pz Kpfw II chassis also remained in use. They were equipped with heavy and light howitzers. These artillery self-propelled guns were respectively designated SiG II and "Wespe" (German: Wespe - wasp).

The confrontation between all these machines was the Battle of Kursk. The Soviet troops greeted the new self-propelled guns well (and in some places even with enthusiasm), although it took some time, experience, and, unfortunately, losses to learn how to use them correctly in battle. Summarizing them combat use, we can say that the SU-152 has proven itself to be an excellent fighter of enemy armored vehicles, earning the honorable nickname “St. John’s Wort.” Only they could irrevocably disable the formidable Tigers, Panthers and Elephants with one shell. But there were only 24 of them on the Kursk Bulge, consisting of two heavy self-propelled artillery regiments, which was clearly not enough to counter the new armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht. Subsequently, they were no less successfully used from Karelia to the Crimea to destroy tanks, self-propelled guns and long-term enemy fortifications. In anti-tank defense, Soviet commanders also relied on the SU-122 medium self-propelled guns. Combat experience showed that it was quite suitable for this task, but this was hampered by its low rate of fire. The M-30 howitzer, like the ML-20 gun, has separate-loading artillery rounds, which leads to a low rate of fire and little ammunition carried in the self-propelled gun. This circumstance, quite justified for a heavy self-propelled gun, was considered a drawback in the design of a medium one, which is intended to accompany tanks, cavalry and motorized infantry. The consequence of this was the discontinuation of the SU-122 in August 1943 and its replacement with the SU-85. But this solution also had its downside: the SU-122 was quite well suited for combating bunkers and machine gun nests in masonry buildings due to the effectiveness of its fragmentation high explosive projectile, and an 85-mm projectile of the same type was often not powerful enough against such targets.

German self-propelled guns only confirmed their reputation as a formidable and dangerous enemy, especially the Elefant. As a tank destroyer, it had no equal until the advent of the Jagdtiger (since the Jagdpanther was less armored, and the quality of the Germans' armor had seriously deteriorated towards the end of the war). With its fire it could hit any type of Soviet or Anglo-American armored vehicles from long distances (even over 2.5 km), being practically invulnerable to most of them. In 1943, only the SU-152 could fight them, later they were supplemented by its successors ISU-152 and ISU-122, as well as the IS-2 heavy tank with the SU-100 medium self-propelled gun. But even these vehicles were seriously inferior to the Elefant in terms of armor penetration at distances over 1.5 km. The ISU-152 had a relative advantage due to the heavy (43 kg) high-explosive projectile, which made it possible to disable the Elefant without penetrating its armor due to damage to the mechanisms from a powerful concussion, tearing of its gun from the trunnions and damage to the crew from internal spalls of the armor. At the same time, the power of the high-explosive projectile did not depend on the distance to the target, but the ISU-152 was several times inferior to the Elefant in rate of fire. The “duel battle” with him in most cases ended in victory for “Elephant”. However, the Germans themselves were forced to use them in a different role - the “ramming tip” - against the Soviet layered defense on the Kursk Bulge, since the density and accuracy of Soviet artillery fire was simply lethal for other types of German armored vehicles. Here the formidable self-propelled gun lost its advantages, and its large mass and clumsiness, coupled with the lack of a machine gun, were unsuitable for close combat with Soviet infantry. As a result, this led to the loss of about half of all vehicles involved. Some of them were destroyed by heavy artillery fire, including fire from SU-152 self-propelled guns; the other part was immobilized by explosions at minefields and destroyed by their own crews. Finally, several Elephants were burned by Soviet infantry using KS incendiary bottles. However, despite all this, they remained the most dangerous weapon enemy and for the destruction or capture of the "Elephant" they were given an order without further ado.

The Battle of Kursk clearly demonstrated the value of self-propelled artillery in both defensive and offensive combat operations. However, of the self-propelled guns of the first series, only the SU-76M, intended for close fire support of infantry in battle, was suitable for mass saturation of army units with them. Therefore, from mid-autumn 1943, factories in Mytishchi, Gorky and Kirov completely stopped production of light tanks T-70M and T-80 and switched to producing only SU-76M. UZTM, fulfilling the requirements for the development of a medium self-propelled gun capable of successfully fighting heavy enemy tanks, presented several prototypes armed with 85-mm guns of various designs in the period from May to June 1943. All these artillery systems were based on the ballistics of the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model (52-K). Thus, this anti-aircraft gun repeated the fate of its German “sister” FlaK 18, becoming the ancestor of a whole family of guns for tanks and self-propelled guns. At the beginning of August 1943, the SU-85-II version was adopted by the Red Army, armed with a D5-S cannon designed by plant No. 9, developed on its own initiative by a group of engineers from this plant led by F. F. Petrov. In the same month, the production of T-34 tanks and the previous model of the medium self-propelled gun SU-122 was curtailed at Uralmashzavod, and their place on the assembly line was taken by the SU-85. A total of 2,329 self-propelled guns of this type were produced.

SAU ISU-152

Despite the brilliant debut of the SU-152 heavy self-propelled gun on the Kursk Bulge, after about 620 vehicles were handed over to military acceptance, their production was stopped due to the discontinuation of the KV-1S tank, whose chassis served as the base for the SU-152. But ChKZ had already launched a new heavy IS tank into production and its base was immediately used to create a new heavy self-propelled gun, armed with the same ML-20 howitzer gun and called ISU-152. An important addition to its design was the anti-aircraft heavy-caliber 12.7-mm DShK machine gun. All its usefulness became clear later, in urban assault battles, when self-propelled guns used its fire to destroy enemy infantry, covered with rubble, barricades and entrenched on the upper floors of buildings (especially armor-piercing soldiers armed with Panzerfausts and other anti-tank weapons).

SAU ISU-122

The first ISU-152 were transferred to the army by December 1943 and were produced until the end of the war. But already in January 1944, it became clear that the existing barrels of the ML-20 howitzer guns were not enough to arm the newly produced heavy self-propelled guns. However, there were plenty of A-19 hull guns with a caliber of 122 mm and, starting in February 1944, some heavy self-propelled guns began to be equipped with them. This modification was called ISU-122. The A-19 gun had a relatively low rate of fire of 1.5 - 2 rounds per minute, due to the piston design of the bolt; therefore, by the summer of 1944, a version equipped with a wedge shutter was developed. The modernized gun, designated D-25, began to be installed on heavy IS-2 tanks and ISU-122S self-propelled guns. Its practical rate of fire increased to 2 - 2.5 (at the most better conditions up to 3) rounds per minute. Externally, the ISU-122S differed from the ISU-122 by the presence of a muzzle brake on the gun. All three types of heavy self-propelled guns remained in parallel production until the end of the war. In total, 4,030 vehicles based on the IS tank were produced before the end of the war. Combat use once again confirmed the effectiveness of new types of Soviet self-propelled guns. Any representative of the Wehrmacht's armored vehicles could be permanently disabled by one hit from a heavy self-propelled gun of the ISU family. The ISU-152 gained great popularity in assault battles. Their fire made it possible to destroy pillboxes, forts, resistance units in buildings with powerful and high-quality capital masonry and effectively counteract enemy tank counterattacks. Medium self-propelled guns SU-85 have earned themselves a real reputation effective means against new heavy German tanks at a distance of up to 1 km. The enemy quickly realized this and changed his tactics so as to fight against the SU-85 at long distances of 1.5 - 2 km. At this distance, the 85-mm sub-caliber projectile was already ineffective against 100-120 mm of armor, and German guns 75 and 88 mm calibers could defeat 45 mm armor of Soviet self-propelled guns. Therefore, along with good reviews, the plant received requests from the front to strengthen the vehicle’s armor and armament. The adoption of the T-34-85 tank into service in December 1943 made the task of modernizing the medium self-propelled gun even more urgent. The State Defense Committee, by its resolution No. 4851 of December 27, 1943, ordered UZTM to develop a medium self-propelled gun armed with a 100-mm gun based on a universal naval gun (they were equipped with submarines of the C and K series, light cruisers of the Kirov type had a six-gun anti-aircraft battery of such guns ). The design bureau of plant No. 9, under the leadership of F. F. Petrov, developed the D10-S gun specifically for the new self-propelled gun. The UZTM designers, led by L.I. Gorlitsky, tried to take into account the wishes of the front-line soldiers to the maximum - the frontal armor protection of the self-propelled gun was strengthened to 70 mm, a commander’s cupola with a Mk IV viewing device was installed on it, two exhaust fans for better cleaning of the fighting compartment from powder gases.

Self-propelled gun SU-100

On July 3, the State Defense Committee, by its resolution No. 6131, adopted new self-propelled gun under the symbol SU-100. In September, its production began, first in parallel with the SU-85, then the remaining 85-mm D5-S guns began to be installed in the SU-100 hull (a transitional version of the SU-85M, 315 vehicles were produced) and, finally, UZTM completely switched to the production of SU- 100. Until the end of the war, 2,495 self-propelled guns of this type were produced.

On the other side of the front, intensive work also continued on the creation of new and modernization of existing self-propelled guns. The continuous increase in the saturation of the Red Army with tanks and self-propelled guns, the constant increase in their armor protection and the power of weapons forced German designers to devote special attention class of self-propelled tank destroyers. Along with the StuG III, which was continuously produced and modernized since the beginning of the war, starting in the autumn of 1943, a series of self-propelled guns based on another medium German tank Pz Kpfw IV were launched: "Nashorn" (German: Nashorn - rhinoceros), JgdPz IV/48 and JgdPz IV/70. But the most formidable opponents were installations based on the German heavy tanks Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger. Successful easy The Hetzer self-propelled gun was created on the chassis of the Pz Kpfw 38(t) tank. Towards the end of 1944, the production of self-propelled guns in Germany even exceeded the production of tanks. Individual German crews, using these vehicles, sometimes accumulated very large personal accounts of damaged enemy armored vehicles. But the quality of German self-propelled guns was no longer the same as at the beginning and middle of the war. The shortage of components due to bombing and losses of related factories and their replacement with ersatz played a role. Supplies from Finland and Sweden of non-ferrous metals needed for alloying grades of armor steel have stopped. Finally, on the factory floors, many skilled workers were replaced by women or teenagers, and in some places by prisoners of war and “ostarbeiters” (the civilian population of the Soviet Union and Poland deported to work in Germany). All this led to the complete impossibility new technology save the Third Reich, but she remained capable of inflicting heavy losses on Soviet and Anglo-American troops until her death or surrender. (Note that all these problems were familiar to the Soviet Union. However, the design of Soviet machines was more technologically advanced than German ones. Their production could be established at any more or less serious machine-building plant with a significant use of unskilled labor. It should also be noted that that female and teenage labor was used in the USSR from the very beginning of the war, and by the middle of it, many of the workers and youth had become real masters of their craft. The victories of the Red Army further stimulated the productivity and quality of labor, and from the end of 1942, food supplies began to improve. In Germany, universal labor conscription was introduced in 1943, and new machines were still designed for highly skilled German workers, many of whom had long been drafted into the Wehrmacht or Volkssturm. The situation was worsened by bad news from the fronts, declining food standards and constant. bombings of Anglo-American aircraft.).

Self-propelled gun ZSU-37

Finally, the topic of equipping troops with self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU) deserves a separate discussion. Here it is definitely necessary to recognize the correct position of the leaders of the Wehrmacht and the German Ministry of Arms from the very beginning of the war. Already from Polish campaign In 1939, the Wehrmacht's mobile strike groups were equipped with anti-aircraft guns on the chassis of half-track transporters. Even such ZSU caused very significant damage to Polish (and later French, English, etc.) bombers. Subsequently, in Germany, ZSUs were developed on tank chassis, the most popular of which was the Pz Kpfw IV base: on its basis, the FlaK Pz IV, Ostwind, and Wirbelwind ZSUs were produced. A number of anti-aircraft self-propelled guns were produced based on the Pz Kpfw 38(t). There are known facts of converting captured T-34s into ZSUs. As for the Red Army, the protection of its mobile formations on the march from air strikes should be considered extremely unsatisfactory. According to the staff, the role of air defense systems in them was performed by towed 37-mm 61-K anti-aircraft guns. In places where Red Army troops were concentrated, they were an effective weapon against enemy Stuka Ju.87 dive bombers and various kinds low-altitude German attack aircraft, but could not help on the march. This was well understood in the army leadership at all levels, and as at least some means, variations on the theme “car” (GAZ-AAA, ZiS-6, Studebaker) + “anti-aircraft gun” (quadruple Maxim, 25 caliber and 37 mm). When guarding troops on the march along good roads, they coped well with their task, but their maneuverability left much to be desired, they were vulnerable even to rifle fire, and for more or less accurate shooting they still had to jack up the carrier vehicle. Significant assistance was provided by the M17 self-propelled guns supplied from the United States on the basis of a lightly armored half-track transporter, armed with four 12.7 mm machine guns. However, there were few of them, and the effective range of machine gun fire left much to be desired. Therefore, in 1944, a specialized ZSU was developed on the SU-76 chassis. Instead of a conning tower, a spacious circular rotation turret with a 37-mm 61-K machine gun installed in it was located in the rear part. Due to the large volume of the turret, it was possible to place a radio station, a sight with a rangefinder, and a large transportable ammunition load for the gun. This vehicle, designated ZSU-37, was put into production and 70 self-propelled guns were produced before the end of the war.

It must be said that during the course of the war, Soviet designers developed quite large number experienced self-propelled guns that were not mass-produced or served as prototypes for post-war production vehicles. In the list of these machines you can add the option further development SU-76M, armed with an 85 mm gun and equipped with 90 mm frontal armor; self-propelled gun ESU-100 with electric transmission based on the serial SU-100; Self-propelled gun "Uralmash-1" with a rear-mounted fighting compartment and record armor protection on a special chassis using units of the T-44 tank and many other interesting designs.
Summing up, it is necessary to note the fact that the Red Army, which did not have a single serial self-propelled gun at the beginning of the war, ended it with a large number(over 10,000 vehicles) Self-propelled guns of various types and purposes. Starting from the turning point battle on the Kursk Bulge, Soviet self-propelled guns traveled the entire difficult path of the war to Berlin and Prague. They made a significant contribution to the common victory over the Wehrmacht for all branches of the armed forces. This was the merit of absolutely everyone who was directly or indirectly related to Soviet self-propelled artillery: self-propelled gun crews, designers, workers, repairmen, and the list goes on and on. Many of them were awarded government awards and cash prizes. Particularly noteworthy is... the indirect contribution of German designers to the development of Soviet self-propelled artillery - after all, it was in the fiercest confrontation with the Tigers, Panthers, Elephants and other enemy equipment that Soviet engineers created their own, worthy response to the formidable German vehicles. However, in the author’s opinion, it would be inappropriate to raise the question of whose or which particular self-propelled gun was the best in World War II. The effectiveness of the vehicle, in addition to the stated performance characteristics, is determined by the training and experience of the crew, unit commander, the quality of optics, communications and many other factors, including the weather on the day of the combat operation. Naturally, it is simply impossible to find examples where all this would be equalized. Comparing only based on “pure” performance characteristics is also not entirely correct - many parameters in the USSR and Germany were determined based on different methods(for example, armor penetration), which forces the indicators to be brought to a single standard, which may be different for everyone. Moreover, the purpose of comparison is to identify the strongest, but in practice everything can turn out completely differently - there are cases when the weakest in class won by two orders of magnitude. For example, the StuG III, modest in its characteristics, knocked out the IS-2 quite well, and in the Battle of Kursk the crew of one T-70 even managed to burn down the Elefant! Both Soviet and German self-propelled guns in their classes could be considered one of the best: this can be said about the heavy ISU-152 and Elefant, the medium SU-100 and Jagdpanther, the light SU-76M and Hetzer. Therefore, the creation of such first-class Soviet equipment and equipping troops with it in extremely difficult war conditions should be unconditionally recognized as a feat of Soviet designers, technologists, engineers and workers, which was a significant contribution to the great Victory of the peoples of the Soviet Union and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition over Nazi Germany and its allies.

04/15/2015 7 021 0 Jadaha

Science and technology

Among the Wehrmacht's military equipment there is one self-propelled gun, which forever entered front-line folklore and became truly legendary. We are talking about the self-propelled gun "Ferdinand", the history of which is unique in itself.

The Ferdinand self-propelled gun was born quite by accident. The reason for its appearance was the rivalry between two engineering enterprises of the Third Reich - the Henschel company and the Ferdinand Porsche concern. But the most remarkable thing is that this rivalry flared up due to an order for the construction of a new super-heavy and super-powerful tank. Ferdinand Porsche played the competition, but as a consolation prize he was tasked with using the reserves for the construction of the tank - hull, armor, chassis parts - to make a tank destroyer, to which Hitler, who favored Porsche, gave the name of its creator ahead of time.

Unique design

The new self-propelled gun was one of a kind and was absolutely unlike others that existed before and after it. First of all, it had an electric transmission - armored vehicles with such units had not previously been mass-produced.

The car was driven by two carburetor 12-cylinder liquid-cooled Maybach HL 120 TRM engines with a displacement of 11,867 cc. cm and a power of 195 kW/265 hp. With. The total engine power was 530 hp. With. Carburetor engines drove electric current generators of the Siemens Tour aGV type, which, in turn, supplied Siemens D1495 aAC electric motors with a power of 230 kW each. The engines, through an electromechanical transmission, rotated the drive wheels located at the rear of the vehicle. In emergency mode or in the event of combat damage to one of the power supply branches, duplication of the other was provided.

Another feature of the new self-propelled gun was the most powerful anti-tank gun that existed at that time, 8.8 cm Rak 43/2 L/71 of 88 mm caliber, developed on the basis of the Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun. This weapon penetrated the armor of any tank of the anti-Hitler coalition at a direct shot distance .

And most importantly - ultra-thick armor, which, according to the creator of the self-propelled gun, was supposed to make combat vehicle completely invulnerable. The thickness of the frontal armor reached 200 mm. It could withstand hits from all anti-tank guns that existed at that time.

But all this had to be paid for by the enormous weight of the new self-propelled gun. The combat weight of the Ferdinand reached 65 tons. Not every bridge could withstand such a weight, and the self-propelled gun could only be transported on special reinforced eight-axle platforms.

TANK DESTROYER "FERDINAND" (ELEFANT)

Combat weight: 65 t

Crew: 6 people

Dimensions:

length - 8.14 m,
width - 3.38 m,
height - 2.97 m,
ground clearance - 0.48 m.
Reservations:
hull forehead and wheelhouse - 200 mm,
side and stern - 80 mm,
roof - 30 mm,
bottom - 20 mm.

Maximum speed:

on the highway - 20 km/h
on terrain - 11 km/h.

Power reserve:

by highway - 150 km
by terrain - 90 km

Weapons:

gun 8.8 cm Cancer 43/2 L/71
caliber 88 mm.

Ammunition: 55 shells.

An armor-piercing projectile weighing 10.16 kg and an initial speed of 1000 m/s penetrated 165 mm armor at a distance of 1000 m.
A sub-caliber projectile weighing 7 kg and an initial speed of 1130 m/s penetrated 193 mm armor at a distance of 1000 m.

How was it built?

The all-welded hull of the Ferdinand consisted of a frame assembled from steel profiles and armor plates. To assemble the hulls, heterogeneous armor plates were produced, the outer surface of which was harder than the inner. The armor plates were connected to each other by welding. Additional armor was attached to the frontal armor plate using 32 bolts. Additional armor consisted of three armor plates.

The self-propelled gun body was divided into a power compartment located in the central part, a fighting compartment in the stern and a control post in the front. The power compartment housed a gasoline engine and electric generators. Electric motors were located in the rear of the hull. The machine was controlled using levers and pedals.

To the right of the driver was the gunner-radio operator. The view from the gunner-radio operator's position was provided by a viewing slot cut into the starboard side. The radio station was located to the left of the radio operator's position.

Access to the control station was through two rectangular hatches located in the roof of the hull. The remaining crew members were located at the rear of the hull: on the left was the gunner, on the right was the commander, and behind the breech were both loaders. There were hatches on the roof of the cabin: on the right there was a double-leaf rectangular hatch for the commander, on the left there was a double-leaf round hatch for the gunner and two small round single-leaf hatches for the loaders.

In addition, in the rear wall of the cabin there was a large round single-leaf hatch intended for loading ammunition. In the center of the hatch was a small port through which machine gun fire could be fired to protect the rear of the tank. Two more loopholes were located in the right and left walls of the fighting compartment.

Two Maybach HL 120 TRM carburetor engines were installed in the power compartment. Gas tanks were located along the sides of the power compartment. The engines, through an electromechanical transmission, rotated the drive wheels located at the rear of the vehicle. Ferdinand had three forward and three reverse gears.

The Ferdinand-Elephant chassis consisted (for one side) of three two-wheeled bogies, a drive wheel and a steering wheel. Each support roller had an independent suspension.

The main armament of the Ferdinands was the 8.8 cm Rak 43/2 L/71 anti-tank gun, 88 mm caliber. Ammunition capacity: 50-55 rounds, placed along the sides of the hull and wheelhouse. Horizontal firing sector 30° (15° left and right), elevation/declination angle +187-8°. If necessary, up to 90 shells could be loaded inside the fighting compartment. The crew's personal weapons consisted of MP 38/40 machine guns, pistols, rifles and hand grenades, stored inside the fighting compartment.

In the spring of 1943, from the eighty-nine self-propelled guns built, two divisions of tank destroyers were formed: the 653rd and 654th. In June 1943, after training and combat coordination, they were sent to the Eastern Front.

On the eve of the start of the offensive German army near Kursk, the 653rd division included 45 Ferdinands, and the 654th division included 44 self-propelled guns. During the battles near Kursk, the divisions operated as part of the 41st Tank Corps. Together with him, the Ferdinands advanced in the direction of Ponyri, and later towards Olkhovatka.

The battles on the Kursk Bulge showed both the advantages and disadvantages of heavy tank destroyers. The advantages were thick frontal armor and a powerful gun, which made it possible to fight all types of Soviet tanks. But also during the battles it became clear that the Ferdinands had too thin side armor. Powerful self-propelled guns sometimes penetrated deep into the defensive formations of the Red Army, and the infantry covering the flanks could not keep up with the vehicles. As a result, Soviet tanks and anti-tank guns fired freely at the sides of German vehicles.

Numerous technical shortcomings were also revealed, caused by the too hasty adoption of the Ferdinands into service. The frames of the current generators were not strong enough - often the generators were torn off the frames. The caterpillar tracks constantly burst, and the on-board communications failed every now and then. In addition, the Red Army now had at its disposal a formidable opponent of the German “menagerie” - the SU-152 “St. John’s Wort”, armed with a 152.4 mm howitzer cannon. On July 8, 1943, the SU-152 division ambushed an Elephants column from the 653rd division. The Germans lost four self-propelled guns. It also turned out that the Ferdinand chassis is very sensitive to mine explosions. The Germans lost approximately half of the 89 Ferdinands to minefields.

The 653rd and 654th divisions did not have powerful enough tugs capable of evacuating damaged vehicles from the battlefield, so many, even slightly damaged, Ferdinands had to be abandoned on the battlefield or blown up.

Name change

Based on the experience of combat use of the Ferdinands near Kursk, it was decided to make changes to the design of the self-propelled gun. It was proposed to install a machine gun in the front deckhouse. Without it, the giant self-propelled gun was helpless in close combat with infantry. In December 1943, 48 surviving Ferdinands were sent to the Austrian city of Linz on the 21st train. There, at the Nibelungenwerke plant, they underwent re-equipment.

By that time, the "Ferdinands" had changed their name. On November 29, 1943, Hitler proposed changing the names of armored vehicles, giving them “brutal” names. His proposals for the name were accepted and legalized by order of February 1, 1944, and duplicated by order of February 27, 1944. In accordance with these documents, "Ferdinand" received a new designation - "Elephant" 8.8 cm Porsche assault gun. So “Ferdinand” turned into “Elephant” (elephant in German for “elephant”). Although many continued to call the self-propelled gun “Ferdinand” until the end of the war.

The Italian army was not far behind the German in recognizing the need for armament with assault guns and developed a whole range of installations that were superficially reminiscent of the German StuG 3. These guns were produced in significant quantities, since they were easier to produce than the new Italian tanks, which had more armor. But by the time there were already enough of them, Italy had practically withdrawn from the war, and the assault guns went to the Germans. Most Italian self-propelled guns, known as "semovente", had 75 mm or 105 mm guns or howitzers with barrels of different lengths, but they were all mounted on firing frames.

The Japanese lagged behind other countries in the development of armored vehicles throughout World War II. Their first military campaigns in China and Manchuria left them with the erroneous idea that heavy armored vehicles were unnecessary; instead they concentrated their efforts on what are considered worldwide to be light tanks and wedges. This was also facilitated by the state of Japanese industry, which was at an early stage of development and did not have large production facilities. So Japan lagged behind in the development of self-propelled artillery; Only a small one was released.

The first example of the mobile SIG 33 was tested in the French campaign of 1940. It was still extremely simple: the howitzer was directly attached, along with the frame and wheels, to the Pz.Kpfw light tank with the turret removed. The crew of four was protected by armored shields. In general, the installation was not very successful: the center of gravity was located quite high, and the chassis was overloaded. All these shortcomings were eliminated in 1942. When creating the PzKpfw II Ausf C (SdKfz 121) model, the howitzer was placed much lower in the chassis, which turned out to be the right decision, and by the end of 1943.

Back in 1939, it became clear that the days of the small PzKpfw II tank were numbered: it lacked weapons and armor. But it continued to be produced as quite reliable, and when the need for self-propelled artillery arose, the PzKpfw II was chosen as the carrier of the 105-mm leFH 18 field howitzer. The modification of the tank hull was simple: the howitzer was installed behind an open armored shield in the rear of the hull, and the area where there had previously been a tower, it was armored on top and adapted to accommodate ammunition. The armor thickness was no more than 18 mm. The resulting self-propelled howitzer...

The Hummel was a hybrid of the chassis and components of two light tanks called GWIII/IV. The first model of 1941 used an extended suspension and rollers from the PzKpfw IV, and the drivetrain, gearbox and tracks were from PzKpfw III. On this hull an open structure was built from light armored shields, into which one of two types of guns could be installed. Self-propelled units intended to destroy tanks, received a modified 88-mm anti-tank gun, and to provide artillery support - a special 80-mm model...

The concept of this specialized gun transporter was new to Germany when it was first discussed in 1942. What was needed was not just another self-propelled gun, but a transporter for a gun housed in a turret. At the position, the gun had to be removed from the tank hull and installed on it after the battle. The exact tactical purpose of this type of weapon remains unclear to this day - after all, in 1942, the Wehrmacht tank divisions dictated the rules of maneuver warfare to all their opponents and there was no need for separate and static artillery...

The Karl series is represented by the largest self-propelled guns ever produced. One of the transporter options, “Geret” 040, with a 600 mm barrel installed on it; the second is “Geret” 041, with a 540 mm barrel. In the army they were called "Thor". The guns had a firing range of 4500 m and 6240 m, respectively. To achieve maximum effect, the shells were capable of exploding, penetrating a layer of concrete from 2.5 to 3.5 m. The shells themselves were very heavy: the 600 mm had a mass of at least 2170 kg, and the 540 mm - 1250 kg. Both Karls were huge, intimidating weapons. Weight and dimensions of the guns...

Despite their excellent reputation, the StuG III assault guns by 1943 were considered too light for this role, and a new heavy assault gun was needed. The existing 150-mm slG 33 self-propelled guns had insufficient armor for close combat; therefore, with the gradual replacement of the PzKpfw IV tank by “Panthers” and “Tigers”, a real opportunity arose to create such a unit based on the latest models of the PzKpfw IV tank. Prototypes appeared in 1943 under the name Assault Howitzer IV "Brümmbär" ("Grizzly Bear"). They represented a box-like structure formed by armor plates descending to the ground, covering the front part of the PzKpfw IV tank with the turret removed.

Stalingrad taught the German army many lessons, not the least of which was the Germans’ unwillingness to fight in urban conditions, which was also associated with the lack of adequate close combat weapons. In their usual manner, they intended to cope with combat operations in large cities by the method of total destruction of enemy personnel with massive fire from super-heavy guns. At the same time, it seemed that it was possible to simply raze all the enemy’s fortified points and firing points to the ground. This is what the ground-based analogue was intended for. naval weapons, the projectile of which was like a depth charge.

Based on the experience of the First World War, the German army saw the need to have a mobile armored gun to advance along with the infantry and provide fire support to it, suppressing fortified points and destroying enemy bunkers. At the end of the 30s, such an installation was developed on the basis of the chassis, suspension and running gear of the PzKpfw III tank. It was known as StuG III. The standard upper part of the hull along with the tank's turret were replaced with a thick armor plate, on which a short-barreled 75-mm gun was mounted in the front part. StuG III Ausf A entered service in 1940; Models B, C and O soon appeared, and in 1942 the StuG III Ausf F.

When in 1941 the Red Army lost a significant part of its weapons, the establishment of mass production military equipment became a top priority. Only a few types of weapons were selected for use in the near future and were designated for release. Among them was the famous 3IS-3, a 76.2 mm gun, which was not only an excellent field weapon, but also an anti-tank weapon. By adopting the 3IS-3, the Red Army not only received an excellent weapon, but subsequently made it self-propelled.

The first of the heavy Soviet self-propelled guns, SU-152, appeared in 1943, before the battle of Kursk. The 152 mm M-1937 howitzer was attached to the large and heavy protective ring of the front armor shield of the KV-2 tank hull. There were hatches in the upper hull plate, one of which had a mount for an anti-aircraft machine gun. The first examples were planned as anti-tank and assault weapons - these two tasks were never separated by Soviet tactics - especially since in combat the SU-152 relied mainly on the large mass of the projectile and its kinetic energy.

In early 1941, the British Purchasing Commission in Washington found that the chassis of the American M7 Priest tank, which carried a non-standard Royal Army 105mm gun, could be modified to accommodate a British 25-pounder howitzer. The United States fulfilled the order, but due to its full production capacity, they refused to set up serial production. The order was accepted by the Canadians, using the REM type tank as a basis, which was soon replaced by the American MZ and M4. This is how Sexton was born. Sexton retained the basic design of the M7 Priest tank, modified to British standards.

The idea for the Bishop self-propelled gun arose at a time when batteries of 25-pounder guns were being used to fight Rommel's tanks in the North African desert. To protect the crews, they decided to install the guns on the chassis of the Valentine infantry tank. Unfortunately, the tactical objectives of such a combination of gun and combat vehicle were uncertain from the very beginning. The 25-pounder Valentine Mk 1 is the result of a direct modification: the tank's turret was replaced with a larger one and a gun was installed in it. It turned out to be too noticeable for the enemy on the battlefield, and there was not enough space inside for crews.

The experience gained by the US Army when installing 105 mm howitzers on half-track vehicles suggested that it was better to adapt fully tracked carriers for this purpose. So the chassis of the M3 medium tank was chosen, significantly modified to accommodate an open-top superstructure with a gun mounted in front. Prototype was named T32; After field testing, a machine gun turret was installed to the right of the fighting compartment, and the M7 mount was put into service. The armor thickness was 25.4 mm.

The M 12 was the first production self-propelled gun of World War II made in the United States. This self-propelled gun with a 155-mm cannon was created according to the T6 project, based on the chassis of the M3 medium tank. A new combination of the 155 mm M1A1 gun, known as the “Long Tom” (with 20 rounds of ammunition) and the M4A3 medium tank chassis, appeared in December 1943. The chassis width was increased, more powerful suspension springs were installed, the engine was moved forward, and a coulter was provided to dampen rollback forces. The firing range of the 43-kg projectile was 23514 m.

Artillery of Russia and the world, guns photos, videos, pictures watch online, along with other states, introduced the most significant innovations - the transformation of a smooth-bore gun, loaded from the muzzle, into a rifled gun, loaded from the breech (lock). The use of streamlined projectiles and various types of fuses with adjustable settings for the response time; more powerful propellants such as cordite, which appeared in Britain before the First World War; the development of rolling systems, which made it possible to increase the rate of fire and saved the gun crew from the hard work of rolling into the firing position after each shot; connection in one assembly of a projectile, propellant charge and fuse; usage shrapnel shells, after the explosion, scattering small steel particles in all directions.

Russian artillery, capable of firing large shells, acutely highlighted the problem of weapon durability. In 1854, during the Crimean War, Sir William Armstrong, a British hydraulic engineer, proposed a method of scooping wrought iron gun barrels by first twisting iron rods and then welding them together using a forging technique. The gun barrel was additionally reinforced with wrought iron rings. Armstrong created a company where they made guns of several sizes. One of the most famous was his 12-pounder rifled gun with a 7.6 cm (3 in) barrel and a screw lock mechanism.

The artillery of the Second World War (WWII), in particular the Soviet Union, probably had the largest potential among European armies. At the same time, the Red Army experienced the purges of Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin and endured a difficult Winter War with Finland at the end of the decade. During this period, Soviet design bureaus adhered to a conservative approach to technology.
The first modernization efforts came with the improvement of the 76.2 mm M00/02 field gun in 1930, which included improved ammunition and replacement barrels on parts of the gun fleet, the new version of the gun was called the M02/30. Six years later, the 76.2 mm M1936 field gun appeared, with a carriage from the 107 mm.

Heavy artilleryall armies, and quite rare materials from the time of Hitler’s blitzkrieg, whose army crossed the Polish border smoothly and without delay. The German army was the most modern and best equipped army in the world. The Wehrmacht artillery operated in close cooperation with infantry and aviation, trying to quickly occupy territory and deprive Polish army ways of communication. The world shuddered upon learning of a new armed conflict in Europe.

USSR artillery in positional warfare Western Front in the last war and the horror in the trenches, the military leaders of some countries created new priorities in the tactics of using artillery. They believed that in the second global conflict of the 20th century, mobile firepower and precision fire would be the decisive factors.