Weapon stories. SU-76i: the first assault
Continuing the theme of creating our own combat vehicles on the basis of captured equipment in the USSR, we decided to talk about another machine that was created on the German chassis tank Pz.Kpfw.III.
The machine, which was released in fairly small quantities, but still mass. Alas, in Russia such machines in their original form have not survived. In Moscow, on Poklonnaya Hill there is a hybrid sample. This running and modern tower.
The only such machine that was actually produced during the Great Patriotic War and which participated in the hostilities is in the form of a monument on a pedestal in the Ukrainian city of Sarny. The car was found at the bottom of the river, raised and became a monument.
So, the hero of today's story is a self-propelled unit SU-76.
The machine, which is often undeservedly criticized. The machine, which in firepower is not inferior to the tank T-34. The machine, which was able to replace at the time of refinement completely Soviet SU-76. Total 201 SU-76. But this is the 201 hero and the 201 heroic crew.
Should not start with stories creation, and with the name. The fact is that for most fans of Soviet technology, there are two self-propelled guns. SU-76 and SU-76 (C-1). There are those who say that there was another ACS - SU-76 (T-III). Yes, all these cars were in the Red Army. But, in fact, this is one car. Just at different stages of development.
SU-76 (T-III) - this is just an intermediate designation of the machine, which was used at the beginning of the development of ACS. SU-С-1, in other documents SU-76 (С-1) is the designation under which the car was put into service. SU-76i is a modern name. The letter "and", by the way, means "foreign." We will use the modern designation ACS.
In the article on the SG-122 ACS, we touched upon the subject of further development of the design bureau of A. N. Kashtanov. Already in the development of self-propelled howitzers for designers, it became clear that the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III tank without serious refinement is difficult to use to create heavy SACs. Those SG-122 were clearly overloaded ahead. What created many problems for the crews.
Already in 1942, Kashtanov came out with a proposal to put an 76,2-mm ZiS-3Sh gun on the German chassis. Such a gun was installed on the SU-76. In another embodiment, it was proposed to use F-22USV. Both options were good and bad in their own way. The guns were fairly well composed and had good fire properties. However, there was a flaw that made their use problematic.
Fixing the machine to the floor when aiming the gun both vertically and horizontally resulted in a gap between the armor plate and the body of the wheelhouse. The crew was in danger of being hit not only by shells, but also by fragments and even small bullets. weapons.
Kashtanov also considered a classic solution - the use of a pedestal. But in this embodiment, the combat compartment decreased, which led to a decrease in ammunition ammunition. The "American" option of locating one of the crew members during combat work outside the car was not even considered.
The best solution was the installation of the C-1 gun mount, which was developed at the Central Design Bureau on the basis of the F-34. The gun was installed not inside the cabin, but on the front hull sheet. For this, the C-1 had a special gimbal frame. The car got the look of the usual self-propelled. Yes, and installing C-1 for designers was not a problem.
1942 year for SU-76 turned out to be difficult. Misuse of machines has led to huge losses. The machine was designed to directly support the infantry. Agree, it is difficult to object the commander of the Su-76 to the phrase of the commander of the rifle subunit like "you have armor and weapons, and my soldiers have only heaven and earth from the defense." That burned self-propelled guns, rolling out on direct fire against tanks.
But especially many complaints and, what a sin to conceal, deaths, were from two engines, which periodically were out of sync and incapacitated not only the power plant, but also the chassis. Moreover, this phenomenon was so frequent that the command of the Red Army demanded to remove the ACS from the front and send for revision.
It was then that an order appeared to develop Kashtanov! Begin 1943 of the year. More precisely, February 3 1943, the People’s Commissariat of Arms issued a decree on the preparation of the serial production of an assault self-propelled gun at the trophy base. Naturally, the development of the new ACS was commissioned by the Kashtanov Design Bureau.
By this time A. N. Kashtanov already had a full-fledged design bureau in Sverdlovsk. Yes, and two plants (№37 and №592), which by the same order were subordinate to the design bureau, significantly accelerated the work. And time, as always, was not at all. The first prototype was needed for March 1! It was necessary to remake 200 units of equipment! Alas, the prototype was completed only 6 March. And on the same day his tests began.
Often the question is about the caliber. Why such “mood swings” - from 122-mm howitzers to 76-mm guns? The answer is again in the appointment of machines and the availability of guns in the Red Army. SG-122 showed that large-caliber guns for this chassis are heavy. And it’s not a matter of infantry support vehicles to smash tanks and fortifications. And for field guns, bunkers and machine gun nests 76 mm enough.
And we did not have a larger, for example, 85-mm guns. D-5 has only been tested. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that Kashtanov offered to immediately equip the ACS with these tools. To which he received a reply (14 September 1943 of the year) with a refusal. The project was proposed to "freeze" for a while.
Consider the car more closely. Externally, SU-76 and very similar to SG-122. However, on closer examination it becomes clear that the alterations were still significant. Even though the case is almost preserved in its original form. Naturally, with the exception of the cut superstructure and tower. Therefore, we will not repeat.
Let's look at the conning tower. Cutting was going from sheets of rolled armored steel. The thickness of the sheets was different. Forehead - 35 mm, sides - 25 mm, feed and roof - 15 mm. Moreover, the upper armor was solid and fastened to the sides with bolts.
The crew had the opportunity to defend against the enemy infantry, using special openings on the forehead, in the sides and the left stern wheelhouse. Openings for firing from the PPSh (included in the self-propelled gun kit) were closed with special armor flaps. Also for shooting could be used and the upper double hatch. Normally, this hatch was used for embarkation and disembarkation of the crew.
An interesting solution was found by designers and to increase crew visibility. It is no secret that this moment was a serious shortcoming of many Soviet SAUs.
Let's start with the driver. Unlike other combat vehicles, the SU-76i mechanic looked not only forward, but also on the sides. Inspection hatches were located in such a way that the driver saw the frontal triplex, into the side what was happening on the flanks. Moreover, each triplex was protected from random bullets by a special armor flap.
For the crew in the wheelhouse, too, was the opportunity to inspect the area around. Those same holes for firing from the PCA perfectly served as gaps for inspecting the area. In addition, there was also the commanding panorama of the PTK-5. In general, by this indicator, SU-76 and surpassed the rest of the ACS of that period.
Now back to the C-1 installation. The designers, considering the option of a gas reservation, were dissatisfied with the complexity of this particular element of the C-1 design. The result of this dissatisfaction was a new molded mask, which allows directing a weapon in the range from -5 to + 15 degrees vertically and + (-) 10 degrees horizontally. Here you just can not go past the deadlines for putting the mask. Designers of the plant number 592 and UZTM developed and presented a mask for 5 (!) Days.
With sighting equipment issue was resolved about the same. Designers adapted for the new machine sight TMFD-7 from the field gun ZiS-3.
The choice of tools had its advantages. SU could use almost the entire range of tank shells of 76-mm caliber. The nomenclature of the Su-76 ammunition included unitary shots with a steel high-explosive fragmentation range grenade (RP-350, O-350A, F-354), an armor-piercing tracer (BR-350A, BR-350A, APB), APBI-IHI, I, I, I, I (BP-350A), sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer shell (BR-353P), bullet shrapnel (W-354, W-354T and W-354G) and buckshot (W-354).
SU had an impressive ammunition, allowing to fight for a long time without additional supplies. 96 shots for a gun - it's weighty. The placement of ammunition was as follows: 48 shots were in the right rear corner of the cabin on a horizontal rack, 38 - in vertical racks along the left side and 10 - in a vertical rack along the right side.
To protect the machine, the armament kit included two PPSh submachine guns (cartridge ammunition 994) and 25 grenade F-1 in cartridge pouches. And this is in addition to the crew’s personal weapons, that is, TT pistols. It is quite enough for a short bout at close range.
The machine was put into service on March 20 1943. And in early May, the first SU-76s were in the army. From the same time, the plants stopped sending to the army SU-76. All cars returned to the factories to eliminate the identified deficiencies.
The assembly of self-propelled guns on the German chassis continued until November 1943, inclusive. In total, they managed to collect 201 SU С-1. By months, they were distributed as follows:
March - 1;
April - 25;
May - 15;
June - 20;
July, August and September - on 26;
October and November - on 31.
And in August from 26 20 released by SU were commanding. The difference from conventional machines in the communication system. Commander cars were equipped with more powerful radio stations.
How did the new cars fight? The story would be incomplete without the combat episodes of the use of these SU. But we will start not with Soviet documents, but with German ones. A document from the archive of the administration "Foreign armies - East" of the army intelligence "Abwehr". The report is dated 25 October 1943 of the year. The sender is the headquarters of the Wehrmacht’s 1 Tank Army.
“The 177 tank regiment of the 64 mechanized brigade has four companies of 11 vehicles each. These combat vehicles are designated Sturmgeschütz (assault gun) 76mm. They are made on the chassis of a German Panzer III tank with a Maybach engine. in the frontal part of the 3-4 cm, on the sides - 1-1,5, see the deckhouse is open at the top. The tool has horizontal guidance angles 15 ° in each direction and vertical guidance ± 7 °. "
This is just about SU-76. More than once in German documents, the SU-76 was compared in efficiency with the T-34 tank. Agree, the comparison is more than honorable. In general, it is not surprising, since the machines were equal in firepower, because the weapon was one and the same.
Soviet documents of that period are often quite difficult to consider. The fact is that combat vehicles were not divided by titles. Su-76 could be any. The main thing is the caliber of the machine gun. However, there are reliable facts about the parts that used SU-76i. These are three self-propelled artillery regiments of the 5 th Guards Tank Army - 1901 th, 1902 th and 1903 th. It is also known and the place where these machines fought. South of Russia and the north of Ukraine.
A lot of controversy is the participation of these self-propelled guns in the Battle of Kursk. Alas, it was not possible to find reliable facts about this. At least about the battle in the Prokhorovka area. As there are no references to such participation from other authors. Most likely, the Soviet command took into account the weak booking of these vehicles and did not consider them as real opponents for German tanks and VET. By the way, this is indicated by further events. Su used more on the flanks.
Thus, the 13 Army of the Central Front, which defended the line in the Ponyrey area, initially simply did not enter the existing 16 SU-76 and into battle. Even in the most difficult days of defense. These cars were in reserve. Exactly until the moment when the Germans broke through the defenses. It was then that appeared SU-76i at the turn.
We will not talk about specific combat episodes. But the results for the SU themselves are more than difficult. Of the 16 machines, exactly half of them are hit - 8 units. Of which 3 machines burned out.
It is interesting to read the combat reports of the above-mentioned 1902-sap. The regiment arrived in 5-th Guards 2 August 1943 of the year. The regiment had 15 SU-76i. The regiment received its first baptism of fire only after 12 days. The reason for this delay was the lack of vehicles for the delivery of ammunition and fuel. However, the 14 August regiment became involved in the battles.
Almost from 14 to 31 of August, the regiment was constantly at the front line and participated in battles and clashes with the enemy. There were five major fights. In battles, the regiment destroyed two tanks, nine guns, 12 machine-gun nests and, up to 250, enemy soldiers.
20 August the Germans began to depart. SU-76 and began to pursue them. It was here that the advantage of lighter SUs over tanks affected. The speed of self-propelled guns was higher. As a result, six SU-76 and destroyed three more tanks.
However, fierce battles, especially with tanks and self-propelled guns, knocked out self-propelled guns with very high intensity. According to the reports, the main losses of the self-propelled guns were in September 1943. It was then that the machines began to be used for their intended purpose - to support the infantry. Machines were attached to rifle regiments and battalions in quantities of 2-7 pieces. And they went on the attack on a rich TCP defense of the Germans.
Be that as it may, these SUs made their contribution to the overall victory over the enemy. Yes, they fought only a year. But it was they who gave time to our engineers and designers to eliminate the shortcomings of the SU-76 and arm our army with good machines. By the way, in terms of the number of units issued, Su-34 occupies a solid second place (after T-76). Soviet design.
The effectiveness of these self-propelled guns was really great. In one of the sources we found such an interesting fact, for the authenticity of which we cannot vouch, but ... in one of the 1944 battles of the year, our troops destroyed the German self-propelled gun. After inspection, she was exactly SU-76i! It turns out this car was a double trophy. At the beginning of our, then German. What just does not happen in war ...
Well, traditional performance characteristics of the heroine, SU-76 and model 1943 of the year:
Weight: 22 500 kg.
Crew: 4 people.
Dimensions:
Length: 6 900 mm.
Width: 2 910 mm.
Height: 2 375 mm.
Clearance: 350 mm.
Armament:
- 76,2-mm gun C-1, ammunition 96 shells.
- 2 submachine gun PPSH, ammunition 994 (14 disks).
- 25 grenade F-1.
Booking:
forehead case: 30 mm.
Foreheading: 35 mm.
hull bead: 30 mm.
cabin deck: 25 mm.
feed, roof, bottom: 15 mm.
Engine: Maybach HL120TRM, 12-cylinder, liquid cooling, hp power 300
Speed: 50 km / h on the highway.
Cruising on the highway: 180 km.
Overcoming obstacles:
Lifting angle: 30 °.
Wall height: 1,00 m.
Wade depth: 1,00 m.
The width of the moat: 2,10 m.
The machine, which was released in fairly small quantities, but still mass. Alas, in Russia such machines in their original form have not survived. In Moscow, on Poklonnaya Hill there is a hybrid sample. This running and modern tower.
The only such machine that was actually produced during the Great Patriotic War and which participated in the hostilities is in the form of a monument on a pedestal in the Ukrainian city of Sarny. The car was found at the bottom of the river, raised and became a monument.
So, the hero of today's story is a self-propelled unit SU-76.
The machine, which is often undeservedly criticized. The machine, which in firepower is not inferior to the tank T-34. The machine, which was able to replace at the time of refinement completely Soviet SU-76. Total 201 SU-76. But this is the 201 hero and the 201 heroic crew.
Should not start with stories creation, and with the name. The fact is that for most fans of Soviet technology, there are two self-propelled guns. SU-76 and SU-76 (C-1). There are those who say that there was another ACS - SU-76 (T-III). Yes, all these cars were in the Red Army. But, in fact, this is one car. Just at different stages of development.
SU-76 (T-III) - this is just an intermediate designation of the machine, which was used at the beginning of the development of ACS. SU-С-1, in other documents SU-76 (С-1) is the designation under which the car was put into service. SU-76i is a modern name. The letter "and", by the way, means "foreign." We will use the modern designation ACS.
In the article on the SG-122 ACS, we touched upon the subject of further development of the design bureau of A. N. Kashtanov. Already in the development of self-propelled howitzers for designers, it became clear that the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III tank without serious refinement is difficult to use to create heavy SACs. Those SG-122 were clearly overloaded ahead. What created many problems for the crews.
Already in 1942, Kashtanov came out with a proposal to put an 76,2-mm ZiS-3Sh gun on the German chassis. Such a gun was installed on the SU-76. In another embodiment, it was proposed to use F-22USV. Both options were good and bad in their own way. The guns were fairly well composed and had good fire properties. However, there was a flaw that made their use problematic.
Fixing the machine to the floor when aiming the gun both vertically and horizontally resulted in a gap between the armor plate and the body of the wheelhouse. The crew was in danger of being hit not only by shells, but also by fragments and even small bullets. weapons.
Kashtanov also considered a classic solution - the use of a pedestal. But in this embodiment, the combat compartment decreased, which led to a decrease in ammunition ammunition. The "American" option of locating one of the crew members during combat work outside the car was not even considered.
The best solution was the installation of the C-1 gun mount, which was developed at the Central Design Bureau on the basis of the F-34. The gun was installed not inside the cabin, but on the front hull sheet. For this, the C-1 had a special gimbal frame. The car got the look of the usual self-propelled. Yes, and installing C-1 for designers was not a problem.
1942 year for SU-76 turned out to be difficult. Misuse of machines has led to huge losses. The machine was designed to directly support the infantry. Agree, it is difficult to object the commander of the Su-76 to the phrase of the commander of the rifle subunit like "you have armor and weapons, and my soldiers have only heaven and earth from the defense." That burned self-propelled guns, rolling out on direct fire against tanks.
But especially many complaints and, what a sin to conceal, deaths, were from two engines, which periodically were out of sync and incapacitated not only the power plant, but also the chassis. Moreover, this phenomenon was so frequent that the command of the Red Army demanded to remove the ACS from the front and send for revision.
It was then that an order appeared to develop Kashtanov! Begin 1943 of the year. More precisely, February 3 1943, the People’s Commissariat of Arms issued a decree on the preparation of the serial production of an assault self-propelled gun at the trophy base. Naturally, the development of the new ACS was commissioned by the Kashtanov Design Bureau.
By this time A. N. Kashtanov already had a full-fledged design bureau in Sverdlovsk. Yes, and two plants (№37 and №592), which by the same order were subordinate to the design bureau, significantly accelerated the work. And time, as always, was not at all. The first prototype was needed for March 1! It was necessary to remake 200 units of equipment! Alas, the prototype was completed only 6 March. And on the same day his tests began.
Often the question is about the caliber. Why such “mood swings” - from 122-mm howitzers to 76-mm guns? The answer is again in the appointment of machines and the availability of guns in the Red Army. SG-122 showed that large-caliber guns for this chassis are heavy. And it’s not a matter of infantry support vehicles to smash tanks and fortifications. And for field guns, bunkers and machine gun nests 76 mm enough.
And we did not have a larger, for example, 85-mm guns. D-5 has only been tested. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that Kashtanov offered to immediately equip the ACS with these tools. To which he received a reply (14 September 1943 of the year) with a refusal. The project was proposed to "freeze" for a while.
Consider the car more closely. Externally, SU-76 and very similar to SG-122. However, on closer examination it becomes clear that the alterations were still significant. Even though the case is almost preserved in its original form. Naturally, with the exception of the cut superstructure and tower. Therefore, we will not repeat.
Let's look at the conning tower. Cutting was going from sheets of rolled armored steel. The thickness of the sheets was different. Forehead - 35 mm, sides - 25 mm, feed and roof - 15 mm. Moreover, the upper armor was solid and fastened to the sides with bolts.
The crew had the opportunity to defend against the enemy infantry, using special openings on the forehead, in the sides and the left stern wheelhouse. Openings for firing from the PPSh (included in the self-propelled gun kit) were closed with special armor flaps. Also for shooting could be used and the upper double hatch. Normally, this hatch was used for embarkation and disembarkation of the crew.
An interesting solution was found by designers and to increase crew visibility. It is no secret that this moment was a serious shortcoming of many Soviet SAUs.
Let's start with the driver. Unlike other combat vehicles, the SU-76i mechanic looked not only forward, but also on the sides. Inspection hatches were located in such a way that the driver saw the frontal triplex, into the side what was happening on the flanks. Moreover, each triplex was protected from random bullets by a special armor flap.
For the crew in the wheelhouse, too, was the opportunity to inspect the area around. Those same holes for firing from the PCA perfectly served as gaps for inspecting the area. In addition, there was also the commanding panorama of the PTK-5. In general, by this indicator, SU-76 and surpassed the rest of the ACS of that period.
Now back to the C-1 installation. The designers, considering the option of a gas reservation, were dissatisfied with the complexity of this particular element of the C-1 design. The result of this dissatisfaction was a new molded mask, which allows directing a weapon in the range from -5 to + 15 degrees vertically and + (-) 10 degrees horizontally. Here you just can not go past the deadlines for putting the mask. Designers of the plant number 592 and UZTM developed and presented a mask for 5 (!) Days.
With sighting equipment issue was resolved about the same. Designers adapted for the new machine sight TMFD-7 from the field gun ZiS-3.
The choice of tools had its advantages. SU could use almost the entire range of tank shells of 76-mm caliber. The nomenclature of the Su-76 ammunition included unitary shots with a steel high-explosive fragmentation range grenade (RP-350, O-350A, F-354), an armor-piercing tracer (BR-350A, BR-350A, APB), APBI-IHI, I, I, I, I (BP-350A), sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer shell (BR-353P), bullet shrapnel (W-354, W-354T and W-354G) and buckshot (W-354).
SU had an impressive ammunition, allowing to fight for a long time without additional supplies. 96 shots for a gun - it's weighty. The placement of ammunition was as follows: 48 shots were in the right rear corner of the cabin on a horizontal rack, 38 - in vertical racks along the left side and 10 - in a vertical rack along the right side.
To protect the machine, the armament kit included two PPSh submachine guns (cartridge ammunition 994) and 25 grenade F-1 in cartridge pouches. And this is in addition to the crew’s personal weapons, that is, TT pistols. It is quite enough for a short bout at close range.
The machine was put into service on March 20 1943. And in early May, the first SU-76s were in the army. From the same time, the plants stopped sending to the army SU-76. All cars returned to the factories to eliminate the identified deficiencies.
The assembly of self-propelled guns on the German chassis continued until November 1943, inclusive. In total, they managed to collect 201 SU С-1. By months, they were distributed as follows:
March - 1;
April - 25;
May - 15;
June - 20;
July, August and September - on 26;
October and November - on 31.
And in August from 26 20 released by SU were commanding. The difference from conventional machines in the communication system. Commander cars were equipped with more powerful radio stations.
How did the new cars fight? The story would be incomplete without the combat episodes of the use of these SU. But we will start not with Soviet documents, but with German ones. A document from the archive of the administration "Foreign armies - East" of the army intelligence "Abwehr". The report is dated 25 October 1943 of the year. The sender is the headquarters of the Wehrmacht’s 1 Tank Army.
“The 177 tank regiment of the 64 mechanized brigade has four companies of 11 vehicles each. These combat vehicles are designated Sturmgeschütz (assault gun) 76mm. They are made on the chassis of a German Panzer III tank with a Maybach engine. in the frontal part of the 3-4 cm, on the sides - 1-1,5, see the deckhouse is open at the top. The tool has horizontal guidance angles 15 ° in each direction and vertical guidance ± 7 °. "
This is just about SU-76. More than once in German documents, the SU-76 was compared in efficiency with the T-34 tank. Agree, the comparison is more than honorable. In general, it is not surprising, since the machines were equal in firepower, because the weapon was one and the same.
Soviet documents of that period are often quite difficult to consider. The fact is that combat vehicles were not divided by titles. Su-76 could be any. The main thing is the caliber of the machine gun. However, there are reliable facts about the parts that used SU-76i. These are three self-propelled artillery regiments of the 5 th Guards Tank Army - 1901 th, 1902 th and 1903 th. It is also known and the place where these machines fought. South of Russia and the north of Ukraine.
A lot of controversy is the participation of these self-propelled guns in the Battle of Kursk. Alas, it was not possible to find reliable facts about this. At least about the battle in the Prokhorovka area. As there are no references to such participation from other authors. Most likely, the Soviet command took into account the weak booking of these vehicles and did not consider them as real opponents for German tanks and VET. By the way, this is indicated by further events. Su used more on the flanks.
Thus, the 13 Army of the Central Front, which defended the line in the Ponyrey area, initially simply did not enter the existing 16 SU-76 and into battle. Even in the most difficult days of defense. These cars were in reserve. Exactly until the moment when the Germans broke through the defenses. It was then that appeared SU-76i at the turn.
We will not talk about specific combat episodes. But the results for the SU themselves are more than difficult. Of the 16 machines, exactly half of them are hit - 8 units. Of which 3 machines burned out.
It is interesting to read the combat reports of the above-mentioned 1902-sap. The regiment arrived in 5-th Guards 2 August 1943 of the year. The regiment had 15 SU-76i. The regiment received its first baptism of fire only after 12 days. The reason for this delay was the lack of vehicles for the delivery of ammunition and fuel. However, the 14 August regiment became involved in the battles.
Almost from 14 to 31 of August, the regiment was constantly at the front line and participated in battles and clashes with the enemy. There were five major fights. In battles, the regiment destroyed two tanks, nine guns, 12 machine-gun nests and, up to 250, enemy soldiers.
20 August the Germans began to depart. SU-76 and began to pursue them. It was here that the advantage of lighter SUs over tanks affected. The speed of self-propelled guns was higher. As a result, six SU-76 and destroyed three more tanks.
However, fierce battles, especially with tanks and self-propelled guns, knocked out self-propelled guns with very high intensity. According to the reports, the main losses of the self-propelled guns were in September 1943. It was then that the machines began to be used for their intended purpose - to support the infantry. Machines were attached to rifle regiments and battalions in quantities of 2-7 pieces. And they went on the attack on a rich TCP defense of the Germans.
Be that as it may, these SUs made their contribution to the overall victory over the enemy. Yes, they fought only a year. But it was they who gave time to our engineers and designers to eliminate the shortcomings of the SU-76 and arm our army with good machines. By the way, in terms of the number of units issued, Su-34 occupies a solid second place (after T-76). Soviet design.
The effectiveness of these self-propelled guns was really great. In one of the sources we found such an interesting fact, for the authenticity of which we cannot vouch, but ... in one of the 1944 battles of the year, our troops destroyed the German self-propelled gun. After inspection, she was exactly SU-76i! It turns out this car was a double trophy. At the beginning of our, then German. What just does not happen in war ...
Well, traditional performance characteristics of the heroine, SU-76 and model 1943 of the year:
Weight: 22 500 kg.
Crew: 4 people.
Dimensions:
Length: 6 900 mm.
Width: 2 910 mm.
Height: 2 375 mm.
Clearance: 350 mm.
Armament:
- 76,2-mm gun C-1, ammunition 96 shells.
- 2 submachine gun PPSH, ammunition 994 (14 disks).
- 25 grenade F-1.
Booking:
forehead case: 30 mm.
Foreheading: 35 mm.
hull bead: 30 mm.
cabin deck: 25 mm.
feed, roof, bottom: 15 mm.
Engine: Maybach HL120TRM, 12-cylinder, liquid cooling, hp power 300
Speed: 50 km / h on the highway.
Cruising on the highway: 180 km.
Overcoming obstacles:
Lifting angle: 30 °.
Wall height: 1,00 m.
Wade depth: 1,00 m.
The width of the moat: 2,10 m.
Information