Soviet SAU of times of war (part 4) - Su-85
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Until the spring of 1943, the Soviet T-34 and KV tanks, there were no serious opponents among the Wehrmacht armored vehicles. Our tanks were superior to the enemy in armor protection and had sufficient armor penetration, but with the appearance of the new German Tiger and Panther tanks, all the advantages of Soviet tanks were lost. Although German armored vehicles had significant drawbacks: low mobility, large mass and, as a consequence, low maneuverability, difficulty in production, their appearance on the battlefield became a serious problem for the Soviet troops.
Considering the prevailing circumstances, the GKO of the USSR already 15 on April 1943 of the year outlined a series of measures to increase the firepower and armor protection of newly created models of armored vehicles. At the same time in April 1943, the artillery committee of the SAU of the Red Army sent tactical and tactical requirements to Uralmash to create a new SAU armed with an 85-mm cannon. In the shortest possible time, the factory created a new ACS SU-85, based on the base of the SU-122 machine. New self-propelled gun stood on the conveyor in August 1943 year and was made until June 1944 year. In all, 2329 SU-85 self-propelled guns were assembled during this time. After the production was completed, it was replaced with a new ACS SU-100, but due to the delay in the release of 100-mm armor-piercing shells and the discontinuation of production of armor corpses for SU-85 until December 1944, a transitional version of the SU-85M was released until December 100. In fact, it was the SU-5, only with the D85-C85 gun installed. From SU-315, such a model was distinguished by a large armor reservation of the hull and increased ammunition. A total of XNUMX such SAUs were assembled at the plant.
SAU SU-85 possessed the following features:
1. The ACS was created on the basis of the units and components of the T-34 tank and had high compatibility with it.
2. The undercarriage of the car, the engine, the units and the transmission assemblies were fully borrowed from the T-34 medium tank. Since the combat mass of the self-propelled gun did not exceed the combat mass of the medium tank T-34, the reliability of these nodes did not cause any doubts.
3. A new 85-mm cannon was mounted in the armored SAU armor, which used shots from an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun. The gun was installed in the SAU case using a frame structure that was attached to the upper front plate. The working conditions of the gun did not constrain the crew jobs.
4. The armor penetration capability of the 85-mm D-5-85 cannon projectile was 75% higher than the armor-piercing performance of a similar 76-mm cannon mounted on T-34 tanks and 45% higher than that of the 122-mm cannon-projectile XUUM-mm guns. All this made it possible to increase the effective range of fire on enemy armored vehicles 122 times. Possessing better mobility than heavy tanks and enemy assault guns, the SU-1,5 could withstand them even with a lower level of armor protection.
5. 73% parts of the ACS were borrowed from the medium tank T-34, 7% from the ACS SU-122 and only 20% parts were made anew.
Design features
The SU-85 ACS was a turretless, fully armored vehicle, with more powerful weapons than the T-34-76 medium tank, on the basis of which it was designed. At the same time, the nose of the hull was improved, and the height of the SAU relative to the tank was reduced. The conning tower was located in front of the hull and was made in the form of an experienced ACS SU-122M felling. SU-85 had a spate booking, the thickness of the frontal armor reached 45 mm, the angle of inclination was 50 degrees. The thickness of the weapon mask armor was 60 mm. The crew of the SAU was 4 person. At the same time, the control and combat compartments were combined. The driver and gunner were located to the left of the gun, the rear loader was located, the car commander was located to the right of the gun. On the right on the roof of the wheelhouse was a commander's turret with a panoramic view without an access hatch. The commander's turret was used by the SAU commander to observe the terrain and adjust the fire.
To observe the battlefield in the roof of the deckhouse, mirrored viewing instruments were installed on both sides, which were protected by special armored caps. Embarkation / disembarkation of the crew in self-propelled guns was carried out through the hatch of the driver and the double hatch located in the rear part of the roof and the aft sheet of the cabin building. The driver's hatch cover and the inspection devices installed in it were identical to the thirty-four hatch covers.
As the main weapons The ACS was a X-NUMX-mm rifled gun, the D-85C-5, or the D-85C-5А mounted in the front sheet of the armored shell. The length of the gun was 85 caliber. The weight of the gun without reservation was 48,8 kg. (D-1230C-5А - kg 85). The maximum length of the rollback was 1370 mm. The gun was equipped with a wedge gate with semiautomatic coponir type. The recoil devices, consisting of a hydropneumatic knurler and a hydraulic recoil brake, were located above the gun barrel - on the left is the recoil brake, on the right is the winder. The gun's rate of fire was 320-6 shots per minute. The angles of the vertical pickup ranged from -8 to + 5 degrees, the angles of the horizontal pickup 25 degrees (20 in each direction).
Ammunition guns consisted of 48 shells. The 17 shots were located in the ammunition in the left-side niche (besides this, two additional armor-piercing projectiles could be added here). 10 shots were placed in a vertical rack at the motor partition, 1 shot in a vertical rack at the left side. 14 shots were in a box under the gun (in addition to this, 4 armor-piercing shells could be additionally placed in the box's nests). For self-defense, the crew of the ACS used PPSh submachine guns and F-1 hand grenades.
For direct fire, the 10Т-15 telescopic sight was used (on a small part of the TSH-1 machines). The direct shot range was 3800 meters, the longest range of firing 13 600 meters. For firing were used regular ammunition 85-mm anti-aircraft guns 1939 samples of the year. In 1944, a new sub-caliber projectile, the BR-85P, was included in the SAU SU-365 ammunition.
In the engine compartment of the self-propelled guns on the under-frame, along the longitudinal axis of the hull, there was a B-2-34 diesel engine with a power 500 hp. On the engine were placed: fuel filter, fuel priming pump, fuel pump NK-1, high pressure fuel lines, oil filter, water pump and generator. As on the base medium tank, the 2 centrifugal air cleaner "Cyclone" mounted in the transmission compartment was installed on the ACS. The fuel system of the tank included 8 tanks with a total capacity of 465 liters. In addition to the internal tanks on the SAU case, it was possible to place 3 external fuel tanks with a capacity of 90 liters each.
Combat application
For its time, the ACS SU-85, armed with a powerful 85-mm cannon, was a formidable fighting machine, while the KV-85 tank, which was very limited in series, was armed with the same gun at that time. Self-propelled gun allowed her to fight with the German tanks "Tiger" and "Panther" at distances in 600-800 meters.
With the increase in production, the number of SAUs in the troops increased and from October 1943 to February 1944, all the regiments were transferred to the new state. According to the new staff, the self-propelled artillery regiment consisted of an 21 machine — the 4 battery according to 5 installations and the 1 machine the regiment commander. Additionally, the regiment received a company of machine gunners and a squad of sappers. In addition to individual self-propelled artillery regiments, new self-propelled guns were in service with regiments that were part of specially created anti-tank brigades.
With shortcomings and mistakes in the combat use of self-propelled guns was a serious struggle in all instances. In the orders of the front commanders, tank and all-arms commanders were instructed that in no case should the use of SAU in the role of tanks be permitted. In addition, it was forbidden to use self-propelled artillery regiments, which were part of anti-tank brigades, to escort tanks and infantry in isolation from the rest of the brigade units. These regiments most often had to serve as an artillery-anti-tank reserve.
The new ACS SU-85 in the troops was well received and was used quite effectively. Although the power of the high-explosive 85-mm projectile was sometimes not enough to destroy the enemy’s field fortifications, the SAU fought against the German tanks with sufficient confidence. At the same time, along with positive reviews, there were also parts from the parts and suggestions for improvements in the design of the ACS. For example, the commander of the 7 mechanized corps, Major General Katkov, evaluating the car, said: “The Su-85 self-propelled gun is currently quite an effective means of fighting Wehrmacht heavy tanks. In terms of maneuverability and maneuverability, it is not inferior to the T-34 tank, and with the new 85-mm gun it shows itself in combat fairly well. However, using the fire and armor of their tanks "Tiger", "Panther" and self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", the Germans are trying to impose a battle at long distances - 1500-2000 meters. In such conditions, the power of 85-mm guns and frontal armor of ACS SU-85 are insufficient. It is necessary to strengthen the booking and most importantly equip the self-propelled gun with a new weapon with increased armor penetration, so that it can confidently fight the “Tigers” at a distance of 1500 meters. ” The wishes of the military to increase the firepower of the ACS were taken into account, and a new self-propelled gun, armed with a 100-mm gun, the SU-100, was born.
Performance characteristics: SU-85
Mass: 29,2 t.
Dimensions:
Length 8,13 m., Width 3,0 m., Height 2,33 m.
Crew: 4 people.
Reservations: from 20 to 45 mm.
Armament: X-NUMX mm D-85C-5 cannon
Ammunition: 48 shells
Engine: a twelve-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine B-2-34 horsepower 500.
Maximum speed: on the highway - 47 km / h
Power reserve: on the highway - 400 km.
Sources used:
www.pro-tank.ru/bronetehnika-sssr/samohodnie-ustanovki/102-su-85
www.tank-tula.clan.su/publ/sovetskie_tanki/artillerija/sau_su_85/20-1-0-44
www.tank.itishistory.ru/2_tank_19.php
www.ormira.ru/encyclopedia/self-propelled-artillery/286-spa-su-85.html
www.all-tanks.ru/content/samokhodnaya-artilleriiskaya-ustanovka-su-85
Until the spring of 1943, the Soviet T-34 and KV tanks, there were no serious opponents among the Wehrmacht armored vehicles. Our tanks were superior to the enemy in armor protection and had sufficient armor penetration, but with the appearance of the new German Tiger and Panther tanks, all the advantages of Soviet tanks were lost. Although German armored vehicles had significant drawbacks: low mobility, large mass and, as a consequence, low maneuverability, difficulty in production, their appearance on the battlefield became a serious problem for the Soviet troops.
Considering the prevailing circumstances, the GKO of the USSR already 15 on April 1943 of the year outlined a series of measures to increase the firepower and armor protection of newly created models of armored vehicles. At the same time in April 1943, the artillery committee of the SAU of the Red Army sent tactical and tactical requirements to Uralmash to create a new SAU armed with an 85-mm cannon. In the shortest possible time, the factory created a new ACS SU-85, based on the base of the SU-122 machine. New self-propelled gun stood on the conveyor in August 1943 year and was made until June 1944 year. In all, 2329 SU-85 self-propelled guns were assembled during this time. After the production was completed, it was replaced with a new ACS SU-100, but due to the delay in the release of 100-mm armor-piercing shells and the discontinuation of production of armor corpses for SU-85 until December 1944, a transitional version of the SU-85M was released until December 100. In fact, it was the SU-5, only with the D85-C85 gun installed. From SU-315, such a model was distinguished by a large armor reservation of the hull and increased ammunition. A total of XNUMX such SAUs were assembled at the plant.
SAU SU-85 possessed the following features:
1. The ACS was created on the basis of the units and components of the T-34 tank and had high compatibility with it.
2. The undercarriage of the car, the engine, the units and the transmission assemblies were fully borrowed from the T-34 medium tank. Since the combat mass of the self-propelled gun did not exceed the combat mass of the medium tank T-34, the reliability of these nodes did not cause any doubts.
3. A new 85-mm cannon was mounted in the armored SAU armor, which used shots from an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun. The gun was installed in the SAU case using a frame structure that was attached to the upper front plate. The working conditions of the gun did not constrain the crew jobs.
4. The armor penetration capability of the 85-mm D-5-85 cannon projectile was 75% higher than the armor-piercing performance of a similar 76-mm cannon mounted on T-34 tanks and 45% higher than that of the 122-mm cannon-projectile XUUM-mm guns. All this made it possible to increase the effective range of fire on enemy armored vehicles 122 times. Possessing better mobility than heavy tanks and enemy assault guns, the SU-1,5 could withstand them even with a lower level of armor protection.
5. 73% parts of the ACS were borrowed from the medium tank T-34, 7% from the ACS SU-122 and only 20% parts were made anew.
Design features
The SU-85 ACS was a turretless, fully armored vehicle, with more powerful weapons than the T-34-76 medium tank, on the basis of which it was designed. At the same time, the nose of the hull was improved, and the height of the SAU relative to the tank was reduced. The conning tower was located in front of the hull and was made in the form of an experienced ACS SU-122M felling. SU-85 had a spate booking, the thickness of the frontal armor reached 45 mm, the angle of inclination was 50 degrees. The thickness of the weapon mask armor was 60 mm. The crew of the SAU was 4 person. At the same time, the control and combat compartments were combined. The driver and gunner were located to the left of the gun, the rear loader was located, the car commander was located to the right of the gun. On the right on the roof of the wheelhouse was a commander's turret with a panoramic view without an access hatch. The commander's turret was used by the SAU commander to observe the terrain and adjust the fire.
To observe the battlefield in the roof of the deckhouse, mirrored viewing instruments were installed on both sides, which were protected by special armored caps. Embarkation / disembarkation of the crew in self-propelled guns was carried out through the hatch of the driver and the double hatch located in the rear part of the roof and the aft sheet of the cabin building. The driver's hatch cover and the inspection devices installed in it were identical to the thirty-four hatch covers.
As the main weapons The ACS was a X-NUMX-mm rifled gun, the D-85C-5, or the D-85C-5А mounted in the front sheet of the armored shell. The length of the gun was 85 caliber. The weight of the gun without reservation was 48,8 kg. (D-1230C-5А - kg 85). The maximum length of the rollback was 1370 mm. The gun was equipped with a wedge gate with semiautomatic coponir type. The recoil devices, consisting of a hydropneumatic knurler and a hydraulic recoil brake, were located above the gun barrel - on the left is the recoil brake, on the right is the winder. The gun's rate of fire was 320-6 shots per minute. The angles of the vertical pickup ranged from -8 to + 5 degrees, the angles of the horizontal pickup 25 degrees (20 in each direction).
Ammunition guns consisted of 48 shells. The 17 shots were located in the ammunition in the left-side niche (besides this, two additional armor-piercing projectiles could be added here). 10 shots were placed in a vertical rack at the motor partition, 1 shot in a vertical rack at the left side. 14 shots were in a box under the gun (in addition to this, 4 armor-piercing shells could be additionally placed in the box's nests). For self-defense, the crew of the ACS used PPSh submachine guns and F-1 hand grenades.
For direct fire, the 10Т-15 telescopic sight was used (on a small part of the TSH-1 machines). The direct shot range was 3800 meters, the longest range of firing 13 600 meters. For firing were used regular ammunition 85-mm anti-aircraft guns 1939 samples of the year. In 1944, a new sub-caliber projectile, the BR-85P, was included in the SAU SU-365 ammunition.
In the engine compartment of the self-propelled guns on the under-frame, along the longitudinal axis of the hull, there was a B-2-34 diesel engine with a power 500 hp. On the engine were placed: fuel filter, fuel priming pump, fuel pump NK-1, high pressure fuel lines, oil filter, water pump and generator. As on the base medium tank, the 2 centrifugal air cleaner "Cyclone" mounted in the transmission compartment was installed on the ACS. The fuel system of the tank included 8 tanks with a total capacity of 465 liters. In addition to the internal tanks on the SAU case, it was possible to place 3 external fuel tanks with a capacity of 90 liters each.
Combat application
For its time, the ACS SU-85, armed with a powerful 85-mm cannon, was a formidable fighting machine, while the KV-85 tank, which was very limited in series, was armed with the same gun at that time. Self-propelled gun allowed her to fight with the German tanks "Tiger" and "Panther" at distances in 600-800 meters.
With the increase in production, the number of SAUs in the troops increased and from October 1943 to February 1944, all the regiments were transferred to the new state. According to the new staff, the self-propelled artillery regiment consisted of an 21 machine — the 4 battery according to 5 installations and the 1 machine the regiment commander. Additionally, the regiment received a company of machine gunners and a squad of sappers. In addition to individual self-propelled artillery regiments, new self-propelled guns were in service with regiments that were part of specially created anti-tank brigades.
With shortcomings and mistakes in the combat use of self-propelled guns was a serious struggle in all instances. In the orders of the front commanders, tank and all-arms commanders were instructed that in no case should the use of SAU in the role of tanks be permitted. In addition, it was forbidden to use self-propelled artillery regiments, which were part of anti-tank brigades, to escort tanks and infantry in isolation from the rest of the brigade units. These regiments most often had to serve as an artillery-anti-tank reserve.
The new ACS SU-85 in the troops was well received and was used quite effectively. Although the power of the high-explosive 85-mm projectile was sometimes not enough to destroy the enemy’s field fortifications, the SAU fought against the German tanks with sufficient confidence. At the same time, along with positive reviews, there were also parts from the parts and suggestions for improvements in the design of the ACS. For example, the commander of the 7 mechanized corps, Major General Katkov, evaluating the car, said: “The Su-85 self-propelled gun is currently quite an effective means of fighting Wehrmacht heavy tanks. In terms of maneuverability and maneuverability, it is not inferior to the T-34 tank, and with the new 85-mm gun it shows itself in combat fairly well. However, using the fire and armor of their tanks "Tiger", "Panther" and self-propelled guns "Ferdinand", the Germans are trying to impose a battle at long distances - 1500-2000 meters. In such conditions, the power of 85-mm guns and frontal armor of ACS SU-85 are insufficient. It is necessary to strengthen the booking and most importantly equip the self-propelled gun with a new weapon with increased armor penetration, so that it can confidently fight the “Tigers” at a distance of 1500 meters. ” The wishes of the military to increase the firepower of the ACS were taken into account, and a new self-propelled gun, armed with a 100-mm gun, the SU-100, was born.
Performance characteristics: SU-85
Mass: 29,2 t.
Dimensions:
Length 8,13 m., Width 3,0 m., Height 2,33 m.
Crew: 4 people.
Reservations: from 20 to 45 mm.
Armament: X-NUMX mm D-85C-5 cannon
Ammunition: 48 shells
Engine: a twelve-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine B-2-34 horsepower 500.
Maximum speed: on the highway - 47 km / h
Power reserve: on the highway - 400 km.
Sources used:
www.pro-tank.ru/bronetehnika-sssr/samohodnie-ustanovki/102-su-85
www.tank-tula.clan.su/publ/sovetskie_tanki/artillerija/sau_su_85/20-1-0-44
www.tank.itishistory.ru/2_tank_19.php
www.ormira.ru/encyclopedia/self-propelled-artillery/286-spa-su-85.html
www.all-tanks.ru/content/samokhodnaya-artilleriiskaya-ustanovka-su-85
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