57-mm anti-tank gun ZIS-2

In 1940, the leadership of the Soviet Union received misinformation, which said that Germany creates and launches a series of Tankshaving thick armor. The leadership took this "disu" at face value, since heavy and extra-heavy tanks were designed and created in the USSR itself. Therefore, the leadership of industry demanded the creation of super-powerful guns. Among artillery designers, this direction of thought of the authorities was most pleased with Grabin. He had an excellent design team, was better than in other domestic design bureaus, organized labor organization and, most importantly, the best pilot production in the USSR (plant No. 92). In this regard, Grabin practically abandoned the work on the creation of new 95-mm division and tank guns and quickly began to design 107-mm tank and division guns.

Soviet soldiers drive a Studebaker truck with an 57-mm anti-tank gun model 1941 of the year (ZIS-2) on a trailer through a German settlement on the outskirts of Berlin

In parallel with this, in May of the 40 of the year, Grabin begins to design a new powerful X-NUMX-millimeter anti-tank gun F-57. It is curious that the technical specifications for the design and manufacture of a prototype 31-mm anti-tank gun Grabin received only 57, when the design and manufacture of a prototype were in full swing.

When designing the ZIS-2, the design-technological scheme of the F-76 24-millimeter regimental gun was taken as the basis. This approach allowed to proceed immediately to those. project and working drawings. The design of the F-24 cannon, which showed high quality during the field tests, almost completely met the tactical and technical requirements put forward to the new 57-mm anti-tank gun. In addition to replacing the 76-mm tube with the 57-millimeter, only some mechanisms were required for radical processing, among which were the nakatnik (the ZIS-2 needed to be installed above the barrel, while the F-24 had it under it). Reducing the angle of vertical guidance to 25 ° (from 65 ° in F-24) made it possible to use a rollback brake having a constant rollback length in the new gun, which greatly simplified the task. The regimental cannon was equipped with folding coulters, while the ZIS-2 was fixed, which made it possible to reduce the transition time between marching and combat positions.

For ZIS-2, an armor-piercing projectile with a mass of 3,14 kg was adopted with an estimated initial speed of 1000 m / s. It was decided to use the sleeve from the 76 – mm divisional gun with re-compression of the sleeve sleeve from 76 to 57 mm. Thus, the sleeve is almost completely unified.

In October, 1940 of the plant No. 92 finished the prototype of the F-31 gun, and Grabin began his factory tests.

At the beginning of 1941, the factory index F-31 of the new 57-mm anti-tank gun was replaced by ZIS-2. This was due to the assignment of the plant number 92 them. Stalin.

Soviet 6 Tank Brigade artillerymen are inspecting padded German tanks Pz.Kpfw. IV (foreground) and Pz.Kpfw. Iii. Southwest Front

At the beginning of 41, the ZIS-2 gun was adopted under the name "57-mm anti-tank gun of the 1941 model of the year."

Interestingly, Grabin in parallel with the ZIS-2 created a more powerful 57-millimeter anti-tank gun ZIS-1KV. Its design was completed in December of 40. ZIS-1KV designed for caliber projectile weighing 3,14 kg under the initial speed of 1150 meters per second. The length of the barrel increased to 86 gauges (4902 mm). The top machine gun, gun carriage and sight for the ZIS-1KV gun were taken from the X-NUMX-millimeter divisional gun F-76USV.

Heavy tank Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B “The Royal Tiger” of the commander of the 2 Company of the 501 Heavy SS Tank Battalion, shot down by Soviet anti-tank artillery. Tactical machine number 205. Hungary, Lake Balaton area

Although Grabin tried to reduce the weight of the gun carriage, the weight of the new 57-mm anti-tank gun was 30 kg more than the mass of the F-22USV (approximately 1650 kg). In January, the 41 of the year the ZIS-1KB prototype was completed, and in February-May of the same year its ground tests were completed. Naturally, the survivability of the gun with such a ballistics was low. In the book "Weapon victories "Grabin wrote that the initial speed after 40 shots decreased sharply and accuracy became unsatisfactory. After 50 shots, the state of the barrel became such that the projectile stopped "spinning" in the barrel and simply tumbled during the flight. This experiment marked the limits of the capabilities of 57-millimeter anti-tank guns.

It should be noted that Grabin simplifies the situation, and the situation with the survivability of the ZIS-1KV was in fact not so deplorable. Further work on this gun was stopped due to the start of mass production of the ZIS-2.

Army General K.K. Rokossovsky examines the German heavy tank Pz.Kpfw. VI "Tiger", shot down by the gunners of the 307 Division under the Ponyri in July 1943

The mass production of ZIS-2 started on 1 on June 1941 of the year, and it was suspended on 1 of December of the same year. During this period, the 371 gun was produced. Production of ZIS-2 suspended for many reasons. The main one was the lack of worthy targets on the battlefield. Even at distances greater than 1500, the cannon easily penetrated the armor of any German tanks. In addition, the production of 57-millimeter shots was bad, and there was a risk that the ZIS-2 would simply be left without ammunition. Recall that after 1917 g. 57-millimeter cannons and shells in the USSR were not made. At the end of 1941, some figures from the GAU scolded 57 millimeter shells for small fragmentation. Finally, there were significant technological difficulties in manufacturing a barrel of this length (73 caliber).

In response to the last accusation, Grabin, after having removed the ZIS-2 from production, began to design a new 57-mm anti-tank cannon EC-1, which in fact was a ZIS-2 with a trunk shortened to 10 (up to the 63,5 club). The mass of the trunk has decreased slightly (to 317,5 kg), the internal structure of the trunk and its cutting remained the same. 6 June 1942, the prototype of the EC-1 was transferred for ground tests at the Gorokhovetsky landfill.

However, the anti-tank gun EC-1 did not enter service, however, Grabin himself and the Red Army only benefited from this. With the advent of the Germans tanks "Panther" and "Tiger" urgently needed powerful TAP.

15 On June 43 of the year, the ZIS-2 gun was again adopted, however, now under the name "57-mm anti-tank gun of the 1943 model of the year." A few weeks later the gun began to enter the troops.

Production of 57-mm guns ZIS-2 (Table. 38)

In 1950-1951, only ZIS-235 barrels were manufactured at plant 2, and in 57, the ZIS-2 guns at the factory began to be redone in ZIS-2Н.

At plant number 235 in 1948, they attempted to modernize ZIS-2. A new anti-tank gun was assigned a factory index B-22. In 1948, the plant No. 235 produced a prototype. After the factory tests in the scope of the 1000 km and 315 shots were carried out, the gun was allowed to be tested. The B-22 gun in the summer of 1949 was tested on the ANIOP. B-22, according to the landfill report, needed an increase in clearance for the coulters and finalizing the recoil devices. Concerning the financing of work on B-22, a dispute arose between the GAU and the plant, and at the beginning of 50, B-22 was excluded from the ROC plan.

Device gun ZIS-2

In 1941, two types of barrels were made - with a free pipe and a monoblock. Starting with 1943, only monoblocks were manufactured.
Vertical wedge gate with semiautomatic copying (mechanical) type.
Knuckle hydropneumatic, hydraulic recoil brake. The recoil devices are rolled away with a barrel when fired.
The lifting mechanism is two-sector. Rotary mechanism - push type screw.
The balancing mechanism of the spring type consisted of a pair of columns that were placed in the pipes of the upper machine.
Most of the ZIS-2 beds of the 1941 model were box-shaped, although tubular beds were also encountered. Since 1943, exclusively tubular beds have been manufactured.

On the gun mounted wheels from GAZ-AA. Suspension - spring. The combat axis is straight.
For the 57-mm guns of the 1943 model of the year, a unified front end of the 1942 model of the year from 76-millimeter field and divisional guns was used. In the front end box, there were 6 trays for the 24 cartridge. The weight of the system with the front end was about 1800 kg.
The 57 mm ZIS-2 gun was equipped with a PP1-2, OP2-55, OP4-55 or OP4М-55 optical sights.
Apart from the optical sight OP2-2, OP55-4 or OP55М-4, the ZIS-55H gun was equipped with the APN-57 or APNZ-55 night sight.

Unitary shots of ZIS-2 (from left to right): UBR-271, UBR-271SP, UBR-271K, UBR-271P, UO-271U, UShch-271

In March, 58 began to develop 57-millimeter rotating cumulative projectiles for ZIS-2, H-26 and H-51. Data on the adoption of cumulative shells into service the author does not have.

Comments

[AK-74-1]

Good article. Great weapon. Proof of the high level of development of the Soviet engineering school. The people who created the weapon of victory are true patriots and intellectuals. The Swamp is resting.

[Kars]

The trunk is long - life is short.
Glory to the anti-tank wars. To fight tanks, you need a lot of courage and courage.

[Kibb]

Quote: Kars

The trunk is long - life is short

This is about the PTR, intersnyh what lovers of the taoria "cans" will answer

[Kars]

I served in artillery as a gunner of a 76 mm gun. They usually say about us gunners: the barrel is long and life is short. The heaviest share in the war, of course, among the infantry, but we also do not have sugar.

I fought with the Panzervaffe. “Double salary - triple death! / Compiled by A. V. Drabkin. " - M .: Yauza, Eksmo, 2007 .-- 352 p. - (War and we). The circulation of 10 copies. ISBN 000–978–5–699–20524.
Publisher's abstract: “The barrel is long, life is short”, “Double salary - triple death!”, “Farewell, Motherland!” ... What epithets were not awarded to soldiers and commanders who fought in artillery, which stood on direct fire immediately behind, and even ahead of the infantry. The share of artillery guns of caliber 45, 57 and 76 millimeters fell the most responsible and deadly dangerous task - to knock out German tanks. Every battle, every wrecked tank was given in blood. Each change of position - then. Victory in the confrontation of an armored and well-armed tank with people hiding behind a gun’s shield requires tremendous endurance, courage and skill from the latter. We had such heroes, and it was they who entered the defeated Berlin. In this book you will meet with only ten fighters and commanders, each of whom made a feasible contribution to the cause of our Victory, but it is their stories that will help to understand how the war developed for many thousands of artillery soldiers.

[schta]

In principle, that ZIS-2, that ZIS-3 - all fulfilled their tasks with a bang (like anti-tank guns).
With a gun ZIS-4 ran 57-mm T-34 in 1941. However, not for long. The high explosiveness of the 57mm shot was not enough, and the tank’s enemies were not only enemy tanks.

[77bor1973]

In 1943, the T-34-57 company passed front-line tests!

[segamegament]

In 1941, the experimental company T-34-57 all fell to the west of Moscow in 1tb Katukova

[Stas57]

This is completely wrong.

[Smoke_9]

"Until the end of 41, 371 guns were produced. Later on, their production was discontinued, because" due to excess power in the absence of appropriate targets "the 57-mm gun turned out to be unnecessary for the army. harm to the crew. " Thing!!!

[apro]

Death to the enemy, reckoning, is not the most outstanding gun, but it did its job, it’s stupid to demand from the PTO and divisional qualities

[Vyalik]

My father has repeatedly said that these guns often saved their lives during attacks by German tanks.
HONOR AND GLORY TO OUR DESIGNERS AND SOLDIERS,

[Rascopov]

It is amazing to me how quickly weapons were developed and put into service at that time. Worked not for fear, but for conscience!

[borisst64]

Such a gun stood in front of our headquarters as a monument!
And I also saw on the "shot" course a 100 mm armor plate pierced at a distance of 1 km from this gun. The entrance is slightly larger than a matchbox, and on the back side there is a "rose" about half a meter. And the pieces of course fly inside the tank, so that the crew got sickly.

[Kibb]

Quote: borisst64

"100 mm armor plate, pierced at a distance of 1 km from this gun

This is likely to be caused by the armored hull that was burning once, and any BTR helicopter rifle pierces for departure.
On the cannon, she is very good - Grabin, indeed "the genius of Soviet artillery"

[loc.bejenari]

good article
but as always in the article and in the comments, the same mistake has already become one of the legends - that the gun was discontinued in 41 due to excessive projectile power
complete nonsense - power is never superfluous - moreover, when shooting into the frontal projection of T3 or T4, it will never pierce them through
moreover, STUG-with which 45 ka did not cope at all
the main reason for the cessation of production in 41 years is the evacuation of the plant producing ammunition for ZiS2
there for a long time they could not establish production
accordingly, they stopped producing a very successful T34-57 tank destroyer and a good quality ZiS 30 self-propelled gun in terms of price
By the way, if in our country Zis 3 is mainly used as a monument, then in Romania - ZiS2

[philosopher]

Let me object. I read the book of Grabin and in it the designer himself also cited exactly this version. A meeting was described at which Stalin raised the question of reducing a too long and powerful trunk. The chief designer, of course, did not agree and objected. Due to the fact that the Germans did not foresee well-armored tanks at that time, the gun was discontinued, all copiers and patterns were handed over to the warehouse, and ready-made components and parts were canned. The Germans drove the 45-mm anti-tank and 76-mm division guns. And as soon as heavy tanks went in 1943, the 57-mm anti-tank gun was quickly returned to the assembly line.
If the author, in your opinion, is not right, then please read Grabin himself. By the way, he writes very interestingly about the origin and creation of divisional artillery, including the 76-mm ZIS-3, "the best artillery system of the Second World War. (Not my words, but one German officer, quoted in one of the books in my library) ...

[segamegament]

Quote: loc.bejenari

power is never superfluous

Well, do you think you need to hit the drone from the S-300, if you can easily remove it with the Needle? Don't talk nonsense. In 1941, the Pz-3 and Pz-4 were coped well with the "forty-five", another thing is that the tactics were wretched and wrong, but that's another question.

[bazilio]

a good gun like a zis-3. By the way, the latter still remains in service with several armies of the countries of the former USSR

[AlexMH]

A wonderful anti-tank gun, one of the best in the world for 43 years (the English two-pound was also good), but:
1. An order of magnitude more expensive and more difficult to manufacture than forty-five
2. As a field gun significantly weaker than the 76 mm ZIS-3
3. The inter-shell action of 57 mm shells is somewhat weak.
That is why the ZIS-3 guns were produced in tens of thousands of copies, although their anti-tank properties are lower, and the ZIS-2 only in thousands.
Actually, this gun would not be suitable for our army. The trend of universalism has always prevailed in us, they say, a tool should do everything. The Germans have anti-tank guns against tanks, infantry guns against infantry and so on :)

[Region-25.rus]

Quote: AlexMH

The Germans have anti-tank guns against tanks, infantry guns against infantry and so on :)

And you probably forgot about the famous flak-88)) It was created as an anti-aircraft gun but worked on ground targets probably more often! )))
It was so especially good against armored vehicles) It was so good that it adapted to the heavy German Tigers, Panthers, Ferdinants and the royal tiger !!!))

[passmel34]

Did you see it? what is done with the country?
Imagine, they made the project a national data search http://ydn.ru/fpoisk
Here any information about each of us. As I found myself here, I was simply stunned, and the main thing is accessible to everyone.
Addresses, phone numbers, my correspondence in the social. networks, even photos.
You can delete the information, which is very good - you go through authorization, find it for yourself and delete it.
And then there is nobody who is looking for ...

[Sirius]

Well, what kind of negligence:
1.In addition to replacing a 76 mm pipe with a 57 mm one - when the gun has a barrel, not a pipe!
2.and there was a risk that the ZIS-2 would simply remain without cartridges. - not shells, but cartridges for guns!

[Andrey77]

1. The trunk is a pipe. :)
2. Well, actually this item is called "shot to ...". Or "unitary shot to ...".

[Region-25.rus]

I will allow myself to add - in Tsarist Russia, and even after the revolution, unitars of medium-caliber artillery were called so - "cartridges"))) It is likely that this term survived until the Second World War! )

[Langeo]

ZiS-2 in Volgograd in the panorama museum.

[lilian]

Isaev in his book also writes that they stopped releasing it because the gun was expensive and not universal. Against the infantry it was weak due to the small caliber and too persistent projectile flight path.

[NF68]

The mass production of ZIS-2 began on 1 on June 1941 of the year, and it was suspended on 1 on December of that year. An 371 gun was produced during this period. ZIS-2 production was suspended for many reasons. The main one was the lack of worthy goals on the battlefield. Even at distances over 1500 m, the cannon easily penetrated the armor of any German tanks.

Yeah. It was not in 1941 year for 57 mm. anti-tank guns of "worthy" targets. And for 76,2, mm. and 85 mm. anti-aircraft guns which in the 1941 year and at the beginning of the 1942 year in not small quantities were transferred to anti-tank units, and this, in conditions of a huge shortage of anti-aircraft guns of all calibres, were “worthy" of the target? Or the main problem in the production of 57 mm. the anti-tank gun in 1941 still consisted in the fact that there was a lot of marriage in the production of long 73-caliber barrels, in some of this gun and because of this, in these very difficult conditions for the country, some sources indicated 80% % of the defective barrel production, the leaders of the defense industry of the USSR and the Red Army simply had to abandon the production of this anti-tank gun, which was very necessary for the country, in favor of cheaper and easier anti-tank weapons in production as the most overshennaya while 57 mm. anti-tank gun and 45 mm. anti-tank guns and 76,2 mm. Division guns were equally effectively destroyed by German field artillery and aviation, and therefore the question is how many 76,2 mm anti-tank and division guns are produced. turned out to be decisive, albeit to the detriment of efficiency, at that very difficult time for the country?