The experience of using the Soviet Stalinets-2 tractor was taken into account: about the German self-propelled guns of 7,5 cm

Many people know the anecdote about "a Soviet tractor peacefully plowing, responding to enemy fire with a powerful salvo." History comic. But, as they say, in every joke there is a certain grain of truth.

During the Second World War, designers of military equipment were solving an important task of creating relatively inexpensive and at the same time effective means of destruction. At times, to install what today would be called a "combat module", a variety of platforms were used, including those that fit the definition of a tractor on a caterpillar track.

Something similar was a very peculiar German self-propelled gun with a 7,5 cm cannon. It is in this format that the caliber is indicated in its very ornate name: 7,5cm Pak 40/4 auf gep. Selbstfahrlafette Raupenschlepper Ost. This self-propelled guns appeared due to the fact that the war on the Eastern Front, let's say, began to present the Nazis with surprises. Instead of smooth autobahns, sometimes it was necessary to wade through impassable mud, in which even units of equipment that were considered "highly passable" in the Wehrmacht were stalled. I had to use tracked tractors to pull out the stuck equipment. The usefulness of the tractors was also evaluated in terms of their possible use as a chassis for cannons.

It is also important that the Germans created a special commission to study the achievements of Soviet developers. In particular, the capabilities of the Soviet Stalinets-2 tractor with a 105 hp engine were studied in detail. This is a medium artillery tractor that has been used in the USSR since 1938. This development gave the Germans a reason to develop their own lines of tractors for military needs.

The plot of the channel Starina:

Comments

[Snail N9]

What? It turns out that "Shtuga" appeared as a result of studying the Soviet "Stalinist"? Well, yes, how did I forget, because everyone knows that: "Russia is the homeland of elephants" ...

[Peak]

the war on the Eastern Front, let's say, began to surprise the Nazis. Instead of smooth autobahns, sometimes it was necessary to wade through impassable mud, in which even units of equipment that were considered "highly passable" in the Wehrmacht were stalled. I had to use tracked tractors to pull out stuck vehicles

Used, including the aforementioned "Stalinist", "number of units "which went to the Wehrmacht as trophies in the initial period of the invasion of the USSR.

But even these "all-round" tracked vehicles sometimes also gave way to the Russian off-road ...

In the photo, the Nazis are trying to clear the chassis of the tractor from the dirt that has accumulated there, which impedes the movement.

[Dmitry Vladimirovich]

Quote: PiK

In the photo, the Nazis are trying to clear the chassis of the tractor from the dirt that has accumulated there, which impedes the movement.

But why?
It tightens the tensioning mechanism (sloth) - Fritz has a key to tension the caterpillar

[Dmitry Vladimirovich]

And in this photo, a German seems to be injecting grease into the sloth's sleeve with a syringe. Regularly it was necessary to inject the bearings of the rollers and the sloth.

[Yuriy71]

To the author of the article - Do they measure the caliber in centimeters? )))

[Understanding]

The Germans measured in centimeters.