SAU 152 mm in WWII. Military review and politics. You might be interested

POWERFUL SELF-PROPELLED UNIT ISU-152 (SU-152)

SELF-PROPELLED UNIT ISU-152 (SU-152) NAMED

SELF-PROPELLED UNIT ISU-152 (SU-152) CALLED

Introduction

When I was preparing an article about my beloved, it suddenly turned out that almost everyone was interested ONLY in the ISU-152 (SU-152). Moreover, the requests are not technical, but emotional - tell me about the POWERFUL self-propelled gun. And be sure to voice the legend about the fact that the soldiers called her ST. At the very beginning of the article, examples of such requests are given.
At first I was surprised, but then I realized that these were apparently apologists for a very popular game in which tanks stupidly fight tanks.
For those who are not aware of the basics of tactics, I will tell you. Air combat is normal - some fly to bomb, others destroy them. Even a fighter-to-fighter fight is normal - the more we shoot down strangers now (and not so much planes as pilots), the calmer our bombers will be in the future.
But if there was a battle between tanks, then one hundred percent that at least one of the commanders is a fool who does not understand tactics. Why? Read the articles - WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DARK GERMAN GENIUS AFTER THE WINTER OF '41? and T-44 THE BEST TANK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

Well, as for fans of one tank game, they exclusively love everything very BIG AND POWERFUL, and therefore they search for an exceptionally POWERFUL self-propelled gun SU-152 (SU-152), forgetting to indicate that it was not only self-propelled but also ARTILLERY.

This is what they think something worthy of attention looks like.
It’s a shame that there are almost no requests for the SU-76 self-propelled artillery mount, although it had a more modern layout and was produced in the amount of twelve thousand versus six hundred SU-152 and one and a half thousand ISU-152. Well, what can you do, because she was not POWERFUL and was called not a St. John's wort but a bitch.
The most important thing is that many people confuse these two artillery installations. And this is not surprising. Both have the same weapons - a one hundred and fifty-two millimeter ML-20 howitzer cannon. These numbers are naturally included in the names of both self-propelled units. The conning tower of both self-propelled guns resembles an armored box. And the box is also a box in Africa.
Well, let's not talk about sad things. Let's just look at the design of the ISU-152 (SU-152) self-propelled gun and try to determine who has a better chance with a tiger or a hunter.

Design of self-propelled gun ISU-152 and (SU-152)

I read the articles in the top ten. The authors have a mess in their heads. One mixed the description of the SU-152 and the modern AKATSIA howitzer, at the same time giving it a rotating turret and an electric gun drive and a wedge breech instead of a piston one. Another, his article on photographs, voiced a legend that goes something like this. The self-propelled gun was created on the basis of the KV tank in the spring of forty-three. She defeated everyone on the Kursk Bulge. And of course about the flying towers of panthers and tigers. Below I will explain why this is not possible in principle. The author also confused the effective range of a telescopic optical SIGHT with the DIRECT SHOT range of a gun and announced fantastic figures exceeding three kilometers.
Unfortunately, he is not the only one. Now every day on TV they talk about how Bandera’s supporters are DIRECTLY firing at Donetsk, Lugansk, and further down the list, using MORMORS. In general, for those who are not at all literate, I’ll explain - A DIRECT FIRE SHOT is when the trajectory of the projectile does not EXCEED THE HEIGHT OF THE TARGET.

A mortar, by definition, cannot fire direct fire, because any trajectory it has exceeds the height of the target.
And the distance of a direct shot also depends on the height of the target. If the person in the bottom photo gets down on all fours, the direct shot distance will be reduced from six hundred to three hundred meters. When referring to the direct firing range for tank guns, the target height is usually taken to be two meters.

Let's clarify. By the summer of '43, literally several SU-152s based on the KV tank were produced, and they may have participated in the Battle of Kursk. Then they stopped producing the KV tank, replacing it with a tank from the Joseph Stalin series. Accordingly, the history of the SU-152 self-propelled artillery mount ended there. By this time, just over six hundred of them had been produced. Much later, the same gun and almost the same conning tower were installed on the new chassis of the IS-2 tank, and legally the new self-propelled gun should be called ISU-152. But few people know these details and the name ISU-152 did not stick. Hence the confusion in the heads of many authors.

The ISU-152 self-propelled gun has a simple box-shaped body. The IS-2 tank is used as a basis. The tank had a modern chassis with torsion bar suspension and an engine from a T-34, supposedly an uprated one.

Accordingly, all this was inherited by the ISU-152 self-propelled artillery mount.
The layout of the self-propelled gun was the most primitive - a stationary wheelhouse with a cannon was simply placed on the tank's hull. Moreover, the conning tower was located in the front part of the hull. The designers had before their eyes both German samples and their own developments with a more rational layout. But there was neither time nor opportunity to produce a self-propelled gun of a different configuration.

The photographs show that our designers had an idea of ​​rational layouts. In both cases, the fixed conning tower is located at the rear of the hull.
The weapon chosen was powerful enough to destroy field fortifications. The tiger was the last thing on our minds. What is my belief based on? There was simply a special anti-tank version with a powerful 122 mm gun, but it was not put into production. Apparently at the end of the war the tigers didn’t bother us much.

Anti-tank version of a self-propelled gun based on the IS-2 tank. True, there were cases when, instead of an ML-20 howitzer, a one hundred and twenty-two millimeter caliber gun was installed, but this happened because the ML-20 barrels were sorely lacking.

The barrel with a primitive shel muzzle brake and an equally primitive piston bolt was taken from the ML-20 long-range howitzer

This is an outstanding gun, its barrel was used on many post-war systems.

The D-20 cannon and the AKATSIA self-propelled howitzer have an ancient barrel from the ML-20. The history of this barrel can be read in the article THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GUN.

The bolt with recoil devices occupied most of the fighting compartment. The heavy projectile and primitive piston bolt did not allow more than two aimed shots per minute. The barrel could deviate twelve degrees in both directions horizontally and eighteen degrees up and five down. This limited the firing range to six kilometers; the ML-20 howitzer, without such restrictions on vertical aiming, fired at eighteen kilometers. The ammunition load was only twenty shells.

Combat use of the ISU-152 self-propelled gun

I don’t know whether SU-152 self-propelled guns met tigers on the Kursk Bulge, there were very few of them.
Subsequently, the ISU-152 and SU-152 self-propelled guns were mainly used against field fortifications. There were cases of its use in battles in the city. True, in the city, along with the ISU-152, there was always an infantry assault group that tried to protect the combat vehicle from grenade launchers. The main advantage of the self-propelled gun was its powerful projectile, which could bring down half a house or make a passage through the rubble blocking the street.
But what about the tiger towers flying through the air and blocking the sun? The self-propelled gun appeared at the front in the summer of 1944, when massive tank battles were a thing of the past and encounters with tigers were the exception rather than the rule. But of course there were meetings, what chances of victory did the opposing sides have?

St. John's wort vs tiger

First, let's go over the terms. The real firing distance is the distance at which the hit was meaningful and not accidental. For that time it was approximately one thousand eight hundred meters.
So, at real fire range, the tiger’s cannon easily penetrated the sixty-millimeter armor of the SU-152. The self-propelled gun penetrated the tiger's one hundred millimeter frontal armor even more easily. So both the tiger and the St. John's wort were completely naked to each other. The main thing was to get there first. But here the tiger had a HUGE advantage. First of all, the sight. Zeiss is still superior to the sights of the VOLOGDA OPTICAL PLANT, but there is nothing to say about those times. I read about the moral torment of the commander St. John's wort who knocked out several tanks from a distance of two kilometers, and then drove for a whole kilometer and thought that he would be rewarded or shot. The poor quality of the optics did not allow him to identify the panthers he shot down or the T-34.
Both guns had a muzzle brake that directed the powder gases to the sides and made it difficult to observe the tracer of an armor-piercing projectile. Our muzzle brake still managed to throw dirt from the ground onto the optical sight. The caliber and power of the gun had an impact here. When shooting in the city at a distance of fifty meters from the muzzle brake, all the window glass was guaranteed to fly out.
The second point is the rate of fire - two shots from St. John's wort versus at least six aimed shots from a tiger. It's even worse at close range. The ISU-152 self-propelled gun had a low initial projectile velocity and, accordingly, a short direct shot range. Many articles indicate a direct fire range of 3800 meters, but this is due to illiteracy. This refers to the range at which the TELESCOPIC SIGHT allowed you to shoot. And direct fire assumes that the trajectory of the projectile does not exceed the target height. For long-range shooting, the HERTZ PANORAMA was used.
True, sometimes it helped. The tiger crew tried to block the forest road and violated the main rule of defense - you cannot take up defensive positions along the border of the forest, since the forest is an excellent reference point for artillery. Moreover, the tiger itself was placed with its stern against a pine tree. Our crew hid the self-propelled gun behind a tiny mound and fired at the trunk of a pine tree without seeing the enemy tank. Due to the steep trajectory of the projectile, the tiger was caught.
Well, the last thing - the tiger’s gun was in a rotating turret with a wonderful electric drive, ours has a gun facing straight forward. And the number of shells is ninety for the tiger and twenty for the ISU-152.
In general, if you take an open field, the St. John's wort had a chance against a tiger, but it was very small.

Why couldn't tiger towers fly over the battlefield?

Blame the damned laws of physics. If the turret does not fly off when fired from a tank, then the turret should not fly off when hit by a shell. It may be objected to me that the ISU-152 self-propelled gun did not have a turret and the gun was very powerful.

Here in the photo is a modern self-propelled artillery mount. Moreover, for the purity of the experiment, it was made on the basis of a tank. The gun is twice as powerful as that of the ISU-152 with the same caliber. The tower has virtually no armor. That is, by definition it is lighter than a tiger tower. And when fired, it doesn’t fly anywhere. Why should the tower fly away when hit by a shell? If I haven’t convinced you, then try to knock out the window frame yourself by hitting the glass with a hammer. The example is, of course, a little exaggerated, but it illustrates the physical meaning of the phenomenon.
But what about the numerous photographs of torn tank turrets, you ask? The towers simply fall off after the ammunition explodes.

It is not for nothing that the Great Patriotic War, among other things, is also called the “war of engines.” The outcome of the largest military operations during the war years directly depended on the availability of tanks and self-propelled guns in the arsenal of the armies of the warring countries. Many books and films have been created about the combat vehicles used by the parties. The most legendary installations are the German Ferdinand and the Soviet tank destroyer ISU-152 St. John's Wort. The debut of these steel giants took place in the battle of Kursk.

ISU-152 "St. John's wort" is one of the heaviest Soviet self-propelled artillery units. Many people often confuse this combat vehicle with the SU-152, the chassis of which was created using the rollers of the KV-1S tank. The designers equipped the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” with rollers from the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank. Since a self-propelled artillery mount (SU) was designed on its basis, it was decided to add the first letter of the tank’s name to it. The index 152 indicates the caliber of ammunition used by the main armament of this combat vehicle. The tank was intended to destroy such German counterparts as the Tiger and Panther.

Historical and many other literary sources present the popular slang name for the legendary Soviet combat vehicle - “St. John’s wort”. Wehrmacht soldiers called the ISU-152 tank Dosenoffner (“can opener”).

Start of creation of self-propelled guns

The debut of self-propelled artillery mounts took place already in the First World War. But they were not widely used in those years. However, the need for powerful artillery systems was felt by all warring parties, especially Germany and the Soviet Union. During the short period of time between the First and Second World Wars, weapons designers and engineers of these two countries intensively developed variants of powerful self-propelled artillery guns.

Soviet gunsmiths used the tank base of such models as the T-28 and T-35 for this purpose. However, these works were never completed. In 1941, design work was again intensified. The reason was numerous requests to the Soviet leadership from the active army, which especially needed artillery support to storm enemy fortifications in the offensive near Stalingrad. The problem was that at that time the Red Army had only towed artillery, which negatively affected its mobility and made it vulnerable.

In 1942, design work began on the SU-152. In 1943, Soviet troops already received the first batch - twelve combat vehicles. However, their mass production did not last long.

The production of this tank turned out to be too expensive, and its effectiveness was low. According to eyewitnesses, these combat vehicles were not reliable enough. It was technical malfunctions, and not enemy fire, that were the reason that tanks often had to be left on the battlefield.

In the same year, the model used to create the chassis of the self-propelled guns - the KV-1S - was removed from service, and it was decided to modify the installation itself. The SU-152, like the tank, was removed from the assembly line. Its place was taken by the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort”. The history of the creation of this combat vehicle begins in 1943. The IS-2 was now used as the tank basis instead of the KV-1S. The ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was assembled on its basis.

The production of the new self-propelled gun mount was not widespread. In total, no more than 670 units were produced. All design and creation work was completed in the shortest possible time. Within 25 days the first ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was ready. A photo of the combat vehicle is presented in the article.

Who developed the tank?

Work on the creation of the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was carried out by the design bureau of pilot plant No. 100 in the city of Chelyabinsk. Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin became the head. Under his leadership, the entire line of Soviet heavy tanks was created. The chief designer of the ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” is G. N. Moskvin. The first cars were produced by the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ) in 1943. Several units were manufactured by workers of the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ). For only three years (from 1943 to 1946), serial production of the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was carried out.

Description of design

The layout of this self-propelled gun mount is no different from other Soviet self-propelled guns. The combat vehicle is protected by an armored hull. The design of the tank consists of two parts: the armored cabin and the stern.

The crew consisted of five people. The front part of the hull, being a combat and at the same time management compartment (armored room), became the location of the driver, gunner and loader, all ammunition and the main gun. The aft part became the location of the engine and transmission. The commander and castle commander were located to the right of the gun. According to eyewitnesses, the crew’s chances of getting out alive when the tank was hit were minimal. The reason for this was the presence of a fuel tank in the wheelhouse.

How was the armor protection provided?

The frontal parts of the first ISU-152 were cast. The armor casting was then replaced by a welded structure. For this purpose, armored rolled plates were used in the production of hulls and deckhouses, which provided the tank with differentiated projectile protection. Their thickness was 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 cm and 5 mm. When installing them, rational angles of inclination were taken into account. As a result, this was reflected in the height and volume of the armored cabin in the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort”.

The characteristics of the degree of protection of the sides of this tank, compared to the SU-152, were slightly lower. But the designers managed to compensate for this by thickening the armor. To protect the recoil devices, fixed cast armored casings and movable cast spherical armored masks were used, which were also used as a balancing element.

Structure of a tank corps

For boarding and egress of the crew, the ISU-152 is equipped with a special rectangular double-leaf hatch located in the upper part of the hull between the roof and rear sheet of the armored cabin. On the right side of the tank gun there was also a round hatch. There was also a hatch to the left of the gun, but it was not intended for the crew. Only the extensions of the panoramic sights were brought out through these hatches. If necessary, the crew could leave the ISU-152 using an emergency hatch in the bottom of the hull. The combat kit was loaded into the tank through small hatches. The combat vehicle was equipped with small repair hatches, which provided quick access to the neck of the fuel tank, the tank unit or any other component.

What was the combat vehicle armed with?

The 152-mm ML-20S gun-howitzer, which was previously used as a towed version (model 1937), was used as the main tank gun.

To mount the gun on the tank, a frame mounted on the armor plate of the frontal part was used. Unlike the towed version, howitzers on the ISU-152 are installed so that the flywheels that provide vertical and horizontal guidance are not located on both sides of the gun, but are moved to the left side. This design solution ensured comfortable work for the crew. In the ISU-152, vertical aiming ranged from -3 to +20 degrees, horizontal - 10. Firing was carried out at a height of 180 cm. Firing was carried out using electric or manual mechanical triggers.

In 1945, weapons designers decided to equip the tank with a DShK 12.7 mm large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun. It could have an open or K-8T anti-aircraft sight and was designed to fire 250 rounds. The mounting location for the machine gun was the turret on the right commander's hatch.

In addition to the tank cannon and machine gun, the crew was armed with two PPSh or PPS machine guns for self-defense. Their ammunition consisted of 1491 rounds of ammunition, which were contained in twenty discs. The crew also had 20 F-1 hand grenades at their disposal.

Ammunition

Unlike the ML-20S towed gun, only two types of shells were provided for the tank gun:

• Armor-piercing tracer. Such ammunition weighed almost fifty kilograms. It was capable of reaching a maximum speed of up to 600 m/s. This type could be replaced by armor-piercing tracer blunt-headed projectiles containing ballistic tips.
• High-explosive fragmentation. The mass of the projectile was 44 kg. The ammunition had an initial speed of 650 m/s.

In addition to the ammunition, concrete-piercing cannon shells were included. The tank howitzer was adapted to fire various types of projectiles.

Engine

The ISU-152 was powered by a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2-IS, the power of which was 520 hp. With. It was started using an inertia starter, using both manual and electric drives, as well as compressed air collected in two tanks. The V-2IS diesel engine was supplied with an NK-1 fuel pump and a fuel supply corrector. Using the Multicyclone filter, the air entering the engine was cleaned. The engine and transmission compartment was equipped with heating devices to facilitate engine starting at sub-zero temperatures. In addition, they were used to heat the tank's fighting compartment. In total, the combat vehicle had three fuel tanks and four additional external ones, which were not connected to the entire fuel system.

Transmission

A mechanical transmission was provided for the combat vehicle. It consisted of the following elements:

• Multi-disc main clutch.
• Four-speed gearbox.
• Two onboard two-stage planetary rotation mechanisms.
• Two combined final drives (double-row).

The tank was equipped with mechanical control drives. The ISU-152 tank differed from the previous model by the presence of planetary rotation mechanisms. Due to these components, the transmission has become more reliable, which cannot be said about combat vehicles created on the basis of the KV tank.

Chassis design

The ISU-152 was equipped with an individual torsion bar chassis. On each side of the side there were solid cast dual-slope road wheels (6 pieces). For each of them, a special travel stop was provided, which was connected to the armored hull by welding. To support the tank track, three small solid-cast support rollers were used. The SU-152 had a similar design. The caterpillar tension was carried out using a screw mechanism. The tracks were equipped with special single-ridge tracks, 986 pieces), the width of which was 65 cm.

Electrical equipment

The power source for single-wire wiring in the ISU-152 was the P-4563A generator using a 1 kW RRA-24F relay generator. Also, power supply could be provided using two series-connected 6-STE-128 batteries. Their total capacity was 128 A/h. The energy in the tank was necessary to provide:

• External and internal lighting of a combat vehicle.
• Illuminated sighting devices.
• External sound signal.
• Operation of control and measuring instruments (ammeter and voltmeter).
• Operation of the radio station and tank intercom.
• Operation of the inertia starter electric motor, spark plug spools used for winter engine starting.

Design of sights and surveillance equipment

The crew of the ISU-152 tank could monitor the environment through the landing and disembarking hatches, which were equipped with special periscope devices. A viewing device with a triplex was provided for the driver. Protection for this device was provided by an armored flap. The location for installing the device was a plug hatch located on the left side of the tank howitzer. In a non-combat situation, this hatch moved forward, due to which the driver’s viewing radius increased.

During direct fire at a distance of 900 meters, ST-10 telescopic sights were developed for the guns. When firing from a closed position, as well as during direct fire at a distance exceeding 900 meters, the Hertz panorama was used. For this purpose, special extensions were developed that provided visibility through the hatch in the tank roof. Thanks to the presence of special illuminating devices, firing from the ISU-152 was also possible at night.

How did you ensure communication with the crew?

A 10P radio station was used as a means of communication in the tank. It included a transmitter, receiver and umformer (single-armature motor-generator), with the help of which the radio station in the St. John's Wort combat vehicle was powered. The ISU-152 tank, unlike its predecessor, had a technologically improved 10P model: the radio station was equipped with a smooth frequency selection function. Its production was much simpler and less expensive. Using the TPU-4-BisF tank intercom, high-quality communication between crew members was ensured. This device also supported external communication. To do this, a headset was connected to the radio station.

Application of a combat vehicle

The Battle of Kursk became a baptism of fire for the ISU-152 St. John's Wort. The use of these tanks did not play a decisive role in the outcome of the battle. However, the model went down in history as almost the only type of armored vehicle capable of hitting German self-propelled guns at any distance. Only 24 “St. John’s wort” took part in the Battle of Kursk. This tank turned out to be lethal for many types of Wehrmacht armored vehicles. With the help of armor-piercing shells, the armored defense of the German Tigers and Panthers was easily penetrated.

If there was not enough armor-piercing ammunition, they were replaced with concrete-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation ammunition. Although such shells were unable to penetrate armor, they nevertheless turned out to be very effective in disabling sights and guns in enemy tanks. Soviet concrete-piercing shells had very high energy, capable of tearing the turret off its shoulder strap if it hit a combat vehicle directly.

The main task of the ISU-152 was to provide fire support to tanks and infantry during the offensive. This combat vehicle was very effective during battles in urban environments. During the Great Patriotic War, Budapest, Berlin and Koenigsberg were stormed using "St. John's Killers".

After the modernization, the ISU-152 was used by the Soviet army for some time. It was withdrawn from service in 1970. For some time, unmodernized units of "St. John's Boys" were supplied to Egypt. There they were used in the Middle East armed Arab-Israeli conflict.

In 1956, St. John's Worts were used by Soviet troops to suppress the Hungarian Uprising. The tank especially distinguished itself when destroying snipers holed up in residential buildings. The very fact of the participation of the legendary tank in the battle had a strong psychological impact on their residents: fearing that the tank would destroy the facade, the inhabitants of the house forcibly pushed the Hungarian snipers out of it.

Prefabricated model ISU-152 “St. John’s wort”

For those who are interested in modeling, today there is a children's gift option created on the basis of the legendary Soviet tank. The ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” model is produced by the Zvezda manufacturer specifically for children over eight years old. The product comes with special step-by-step instructions. The gift set ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” (“Star”), in addition to 120 plastic parts, includes glue and paints with a brush. According to consumer reviews, all plastic elements hold up quite well, are made of very high quality and are highly detailed.

The ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” (“Zvezda”) model has successful imitation of welding seams, MTO grilles and hatch hinges on the body. The imitation of the DShK anti-aircraft machine gun is highly appreciated. If desired, the ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” model can be assembled with both open and closed hatches. The set has a scale of 1:35. Model size: 30 cm (length), 0.88 cm (width) and 0.82 cm (height). The children's set ISU-152 "St. John's wort" ("Star") will become a useful toy: the fascinating process of assembling the legendary tank will familiarize the child with the basics of engineering specialization.

Conclusion

ISU "St. John's wort" was used by the Soviet army until the very end of the Great Patriotic War. Towards the end of the war, these tanks became fewer and fewer. The reason for this was the wear and tear of their engines and chassis. Many "St. John's worts" were cut into metal.

After the victory, several units survived. Now their location has become museums in cities of Russia and other CIS countries.

Developer: KB ChKZ
Year of commencement of work: 1942
Year of production of the first prototype: 1943
Serially produced in 1943-1944, remained in service until 1946.

The appearance of new heavy tanks Pz.VI Ausf.H “Tiger” on the Soviet-German front in September 1942 somewhat took the Soviet command by surprise. Until this point, it was believed that Germany would increase production of modified Pz.VI medium tanks, and heavy vehicles could appear in service before 1943. The blow was also more painful because Soviet anti-tank artillery turned out to be practically powerless against the thick frontal armor of the “tiger”. The most common army guns ZiS-2 (57 mm) and ZiS-3 (76.2 mm) could successfully fight heavy tanks only at extremely close distances, not exceeding 300-500 meters, and 45 mm guns could penetrate the side “tiger” armor only at point blank range. Much better performance could have been achieved using howitzer guns of the ML-20 or M-30 type.

However, a few months before this moment (in March 1942), designers G.N. Rybin and K.N. Ilyin developed the U-18 self-propelled gun, based on the design of the KV-7 heavy assault tank. Then, abandoning the idea of ​​a multi-gun installation, the possibility of replacing it with one ML-20 howitzer was calculated. A mock-up of the U-18 was even built, but it did not receive approval from the military.

A month later, on April 18, 1942, on behalf of the head of the 2nd department of the NKTP, design engineer S.A. Ginzburg, a memo was sent to Stalin (GKO), Molotov (SNK), Fedorenko (NKO) and Goreglyad (NKTP) “ On the issue of creating a modern heavy breakthrough tank IS,” which stated the following:

“The experience of the Patriotic War has shown that one of the characteristic features of modern combat operations is the overcoming of powerful fortifications - bunkers and bunkers on the most important strategic lines.

There is no doubt that as our troops advance to the West, they will encounter fortifications that are increasingly powerful and better armed with artillery and equipped with minefields.

By what means is it possible to overcome and gnaw through these obstacles with little bloodshed and minimal consumption of metal and time?
After in-depth analysis and taking into account the resources at our disposal, I have come to the firm conviction of the need to make the following proposal.
A comprehensive solution to this problem requires a powerful artillery installation with a caliber of at least 152 mm. This installation must be protected by heavy armor and have high cross-country ability and maneuverability. Only a heavy tank armed with a 152 mm cannon and heavy armor 120-150 mm thick can satisfy such requirements.

Selection of artillery system.

a) The most suitable weapon for this tank would be the 152-mm BR-2 cannon, but the dimensions and weight of the gun are so significant that they will not allow this problem to be solved in a version that is sufficiently protected, with a maximum permissible weight for transportation of the non-demountable part of about 60 t.

In 1935, I installed and tested the BR-2 system on the SU-14 self-propelled gun weighing 48 tons with main armor up to 20 mm thick. In 1940, this self-propelled gun was additionally armored with armor up to 10 mm thick, which caused an increase in weight of over 60 tons and led to a significant loss of maneuverability and maneuverability.

Modern anti-tank weapons and armor-piercing shells (combined) already require today to protect this type of self-propelled gun a minimum armor thickness of 100 mm, with
In this case, the weight of the non-dismountable part of the self-propelled gun will be at least 100 tons, which, of course, is unacceptable.

b) Another type of artillery system suitable for solving this problem is the 152 mm ML-20 gun-howitzer. This gun is significantly inferior to the BR-2 in terms of power, but it is much more constructive for installation in terms of its dimensions. The BR-2 cannon, having an initial speed of 800 m/s, solves the problem of hitting a bunker at a distance of 400-500 m with one shot, the ML-20 cannon, having an initial speed of 610 m/s, will require a hit to solve the same problem two shells into the same crater, which will be possible when firing at a target at point-blank range at 100-200m.

To achieve the latter, it is necessary to reliably book this system so that it can come close to the target without much risk, withstanding not only anti-tank artillery fire, but also without fear of crossing even minefields. The ML-20 gun makes it possible to create a self-propelled gun of this type with sufficient security. Therefore, when choosing a system, you need to choose the ML-20 gun.

Selecting the type of self-propelled vehicle.

With the chosen type of gun ML-20, the solution to the problem of creating a heavy self-propelled gun is possible in two options.
a) Compromise solution: a 152-mm ML-20 cannon is mounted on a KB tank chassis without a turret with limited horizontal aiming angles. In this case, the front armor plates must be thickened to at least 100-110 mm. In the sum of all the changes, this artillery self-propelled gun will have a weight of 50-56 tons. Thus, the resulting solution to the issue is not fundamental, and here’s why. Our modern heavy tank KV-1, by its type as a first-class combat vehicle, is inherent, like the first-born, with organic design defects (insufficient strength of individual units, low maneuverability, etc.).

The KB-1 tank itself, through modification, can be largely cured of these shortcomings, but the prospect of further use of its chassis, with its weight, will still remain limited due to non-compliance with the reliability conditions and a sharp drop in the maneuverability of the tank itself.

Considering the urgent need for this self-propelled gun, I consider it acceptable to manufacture a small series of these tanks with the ML-20 cannon, because this can be done very quickly, within 1.5-2 months.

b) A radical solution to this problem can only be a new type of heavy breakthrough tank, armed with the main ML-20 artillery system and protected by 120-130 mm armor. Based on existing experience, it is possible to guarantee the construction of this tank using V-2 diesel engines with sufficient security, maneuverability and all-round fire from a 152-mm ML-20 cannon with a combat weight of up to 100 tons and a weight of e/o non-demountable part for transportation by rail of no more than 60 tons. I am attaching the draft characteristics of this type of tank “IS”.

Weighing my personal 13-year experience as a tank designer and head of a tank design bureau, which has had a number of similar works completed over the last ten years (T-26, B-T, T-28, T-35, SU-14, SU-5 , ATZ-1, T-23, T-37 and T-50), I consider it possible to solve the problem of building a new tank with a full guarantee for quality and in the shortest possible time.

When entrusting me with this task and providing minor assistance with a full guarantee, I undertake, together with the team of designers and satellites of plant No. 174 who worked with me, to carry out the work of designing and building a small series of 5 such tanks at once by 1.IX.1942. At the same time, it may be Preparations for the subsequent release of small series of this type of tank have been completed. The clear organization of the implementation of this task will be helped to a large extent by the collective experience in carrying out the construction of the T-50 tank using high-speed methods, which this team has.
I ask you to consider accepting my proposal, because, I am sure, reflecting the tasks of the coming days, it will allow our Red Army, just like the screened T-26 tanks used at my suggestion in the Finnish campaign, to reliably gnaw through enemy fortified areas with foam of little blood and great saving time and metal.

Comrade Stalin, please allow me to personally report to you on this proposal.

Suggestion: brief tactical and technical characteristics of the IS tank.

Design engineer, military engineer 1st rank Ginzburg.”

Thus, the “progenitor” of the famous “St. John’s wort” was by no means J.Ya. Kotin, as is still commonly believed. In turn, Ginzburg’s note coincided in time with the resolutions of the plenum of the GAU Artillery Committee, which recognized the highly desirable creation of self-propelled artillery systems equipped with ZiS-3 guns, a 122-mm howitzer model 1938 and a 152.4-mm howitzer-gun model. 1937 (“DOT destroyer”). By and large, it was proposed to return to the topic of heavy assault tanks, to replace the retired KV-2 and rejected KV-9, which were armed with artillery systems of similar calibers.

In addition, in the spring of 1942, the option of equipping the self-propelled gun with a 203.4 mm B-4 howitzer weighing 12,700 kg, which fired 100 kg of ammunition and was intended to destroy long-term enemy firing points, primarily concrete bunkers, was studied in detail. This modification, which received the index U-19, also remained only at the project level due to its greatly increased size and weight, according to the most rough estimates reaching up to 66 tons.

The solution to the first problem (76.2-mm self-propelled guns) was entrusted to the Ginzburg team, which by June 1942 presented a prototype of the SU-12 self-propelled gun, which later became better known under the designation SU-76. There were also no special problems with installing the 122-mm howitzer - the chassis of the T-34 tank model 1942 was chosen as the base, on which a fixed wheelhouse and the equipment necessary for the self-propelled guns were installed. But the issue with the 152.4 mm howitzer-gun remained open for another six months. To a large extent, the delay was due to the defeat of the Soviet armies at the Barvenkovsky salient and near Leningrad, which entailed huge losses in tanks and self-propelled guns. The main resources were devoted to making up for losses and for some time they forgot about high-power self-propelled guns.

The installation of a 152.4 mm gun on a tank chassis was remembered again only in the fall of 1942, when the situation in critical sectors of the front had more or less stabilized. Actually, then the specialization “dillbox destroyer” faded into the background. The primary task was to fight German heavy tanks such as Pz.V “Panther” and Pz.VI “Tiger”. As mentioned earlier, shooting at captured tanks showed the insufficient effectiveness of existing anti-tank weapons. At the same time, the Soviet side did not have artillery systems like the German PaK43 or PaK43\41 88-mm caliber, which had high power. The only way out of this situation was to increase the caliber, but this inevitably entailed a decrease in the initial velocity of the projectile and a deterioration in its armor penetration. The calculation was made that even if the shell did not penetrate the frontal armor of the same “tiger,” it would cause enormous damage to its less protected parts, or as a result of a dynamic impact, the crew of the enemy vehicle would be shell-shocked and unable to continue the battle. Similar conclusions were drawn based on the combat use of large-caliber guns, and not only on the Soviet side. However, a much bigger problem was the lack of reliable armor-piercing and cumulative shells, which appeared in sufficient quantities only at the end of the war.

In November 1942, on the initiative of the head of the GABTU, Lieutenant General Ya.N. Fedorenko and the People's Commissar of Armaments D.F. Ustinov, the development of a self-propelled artillery mount armed with an ML-20S howitzer gun began. Moreover, the chief designer of ChKZ, Zh.Ya. Kotin, was given only a few days for this. By special order of the NKTP No. 764 of November 13, 1942, a special group was created at the ChKZ Design Bureau for the development of self-propelled guns, to which designers N.V. Kurin, G.N. Rybin, K.N. Ilyin and V. were transferred for permanent work with UZTM. A. Vishnyakov, who already had experience in designing high-power self-propelled guns.
The assigned task assumed that the gun should be installed on the KV-1s chassis while maintaining the dimensions and most of the performance characteristics of this tank. Without wasting any time, Kotin flew to the Motovilikha gun factory, where a day later he managed to place one of the ML-20S howitzers for loading. At the same time, under the leadership of Deputy Chief Designer N.M. Sinev, the process of modifying the KV-1s for installing a large-caliber gun on it began.

In just a few days, the ChTZ design team, based on sketch drawings, built a plywood mock-up of the combat hull in the maximum permissible dimensions around the ML-20S, which was standing on a stand. Despite the cramped conditions in the fighting compartment, the engineers managed to find room for 20 separate-loading rounds.

Having examined the project, the NKTP concluded that installing a large-caliber gun on the chassis of the KV-1s tank was quite advisable, but then it was decided to design the self-propelled guns through a competition. Three self-propelled gun projects were presented for discussion on January 2, 1943.

The Uralmash version, brought to Chelyabinsk by chief designer F.F. Petrov, retained all the tank components on the proposed chassis, but provided for the modernization of the gun itself, which required additional time. The second project, proposed by L.S. Troyanov, kept the artillery system unchanged, but required lengthening the hull, taken from the serial KV-1S heavy tank.

According to the third project, put forward by Zh.Ya. Kotin already at the time of discussion, the swinging part of the 152-mm ML-20 howitzer gun was installed practically unchanged in a frame and, together with ammunition and the crew, was placed in a specially designed conning tower on the KV tank chassis. The design of the artillery system has undergone virtually no changes, with the exception of minor modifications to the recoil devices and the location of the gun trunnions. This technique made it possible to reduce the recoil force when fired and shorten the length of the cradle, on which a reinforced clip with trunnions was installed. At the same time, the armor shield, in addition to protection from shells, also served as a balancing element.

The selection committee chose Kotin's option, not taking into account the objections of F.F. Petrov, who insisted on modifying the weapon. The arguments of the “artillerymen” were more than weighty - first of all, it was necessary to increase the initial velocity of the projectile, which was only 600 m/s, to modernize the recoil devices and, in general, to make the ML-20S more acceptable for installation on a tank chassis. At the same time, D.F. Ustinov and V.A. Malyshev, who insisted on the speedy establishment of a heavy self-propelled gun, refused to take these factors into account, which did not prevent them from obliging Petrov to make every effort to install the ML-20S. All this led to several major miscalculations in the design of the self-propelled guns, originally designated as KV-14.

The self-propelled gun, with the exception of the new conning tower, was not very different from the serial KV-1s. The chassis of the self-propelled gun consisted of 6 double road wheels on each side with torsion bar suspension, 3 support rollers, a front guide wheel and a rear drive wheel. The track tension mechanism was screw-type and for each track it consisted of 86-90 single-ridge tracks with a width of 608 mm and a pitch of 160 mm.

The KV-14 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2K with a power of 600 hp. Engine starting was ensured by two SMT-4628 starters with a power of 6 hp. each or compressed air from two tanks with a capacity of 5 liters in the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The self-propelled guns had a dense layout, in which the main fuel tanks with a volume of 600 and 615 liters were located in both the combat and engine compartments.

The armored body of the self-propelled gun was welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 75, 60, 30 and 20 mm, and the vertical frontal plates of the conning tower had rational angles of inclination. The gun was mounted in a frame-type installation to the right of the center line of the vehicle. The ML-20S recoil devices were protected by a fixed cast armor casing and a movable cast spherical armor mask. The crew entered and exited through a rectangular double-leaf hatch at the junction of the roof and rear sheets of the armored cabin and through a round hatch to the right of the gun. The round hatch to the left of the gun was not intended for the crew to get in and out; it was required to bring the panoramic sight extension out. The hull also had a bottom hatch for emergency escape by the crew of the self-propelled gun and a number of small hatches for loading ammunition, access to the necks of the fuel tanks, and other components and assemblies of the vehicle.

The transmission of the self-propelled gun was mechanical and consisted of the following components: a multi-disc dry friction clutch “steel on ferodo”, a 4-speed gearbox with a range multiplier (8 forward gears and 2 reverse), two multi-disc onboard clutches with “steel on steel” friction and two onboard planetary gears gearbox

The crew of the SU-14 consisted of 5 people. To the left of the gun was the driver (in front), then the gunner, and behind – the loader. The vehicle commander and the castle commander were located to the right of the gun.

The self-propelled gun's armament consisted only of the ML-20S howitzer gun, which differed from the conventional ML-20 only in the barrel length reduced to 32 calibers. The gun had vertical aiming angles from -5° to +18°, and the horizontal aiming sector was 12°. The height of the firing line was 1.8 m, the direct shot range was 800-900 m at a target 2.5-3 m high, the direct fire range was 3.8 km, the longest firing range was 13 km. The shot was fired using an electric or manual mechanical trigger. The arsenal of ML-20S shells turned out to be significantly smaller: the gun could only fire armor-piercing sharp-headed tracer shells BR-240 weighing 48.8 kg and an initial speed of 600 m/s (or blunt-headed BR-240B with similar indicators) and high-explosive fragmentation shells -540 weighing 43.56 kg and an initial speed of 655 m/s when fully charged. In addition, G-545 concrete-piercing shells could be included in the ammunition load. Light small arms were supposed to include a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on a turret on the commander's hatch, but it was not installed on production vehicles.

The means of monitoring the environment on the KV-14 were quite varied. Three prismatic viewing devices with protective armor covers were installed on the roof of the fighting compartment; two more such devices were installed on the left round hatch and the top flap of the rectangular double-leaf hatch. The vehicle commander's workplace was equipped with a PTK-4 periscope. During combat, the driver-mechanic conducted observation through a viewing device with a triplex mounted in a plug hatch to the left of the gun, which was protected by an armored flap. For firing, the SU-152 was equipped with two gun sights - a telescopic ST-10 for direct fire at a distance of up to 900 meters and a Hertz panorama for firing from closed positions.

Communication equipment included a 9P radio station (later replaced by the newer 10P and 10RK-26), as well as a TPU-4-Bis intercom for 4 subscribers.

According to the submission of the GAU RKKA, the State Defense Committee, by resolution No. 2692 of January 4, 1943, ordered plant No. 100 NKTP and plant No. 172 NKV to develop and manufacture, on the basis of the KV-1 C heavy tank, a prototype installation armed with a 152-mm cannon within 25 days. howitzer model 1937. However, the development of working drawings began on January 3, 1943, even before the official approval of the project by Zh.Ya. Kotin. At the same time, the entire leading staff of designers was transferred to a barracks position. For 10 days they were in the design bureau and did not go home. Drawings were sent straight from the drawing boards to the workshops.

Since Kotin was simultaneously appointed responsible for establishing the production of the SU-122 in Sverdlovsk at ChKZ, he appeared for the purpose of inspection only several times a week, entrusting the main work to the Chelyabinsk Design Bureau (by order of Ustinov, the right to make appropriate changes to the design of the KV-14, without the consent of KB, given to engineer K.N. Ilyin). This made it possible to make all the necessary changes in the shortest possible time, and already on January 24, 1943, the first prototype of the KV-14, which by that time had received the designation “Object 236”, was completely assembled.

Testing of the KV-14 began at a test site near Chelyabinsk the very next day. In terms of weight-dimensional characteristics and armor, the self-propelled gun completely satisfied the customer. The gunners also liked that the KV-14 fully retained the capabilities of the firing modes, which were identical to the conventional ML-20 howitzer, but otherwise the self-propelled gun was not so successful.

The unreliable operation of the overloaded transmission still caused a lot of criticism. The fighting compartment, which had greatly reduced dimensions, was clearly cramped for a crew of 5 people. The ammunition load of 20 shells was rightly considered insufficient, but the biggest inconvenience was the maintenance of the ML-20S gun and its separate loading.

However, the ballistic characteristics of the gun turned out to be impressive. If you believe the official data, then during direct fire fire tests, 50-kg blanks were fired (which were supposed to simulate a shot from a high-explosive fragmentation projectile) at a plywood shield measuring 2x2 meters from a distance of 500, 800, 1000 and 1200 meters. All the shells hit the target exactly. Aiming in this case was carried out using a conventional optical sight. During further tests, shooting was carried out at a captured Pz.IV tank - after the next shot, the shell hit the turret and knocked it off its shoulder strap. The test cycle was completed on February 7, after which the self-propelled gun was adopted by the Red Army under the designation SU-152.

Production of the SU-152 continued until November 1943, inclusive, until the KV-1s was replaced on the production line by the more advanced IS-1 heavy tank. and then the IS-2, which had an identical chassis. A total of 671 self-propelled guns were built, of which 666 entered service with the troops. Name "St. John's wort" The SU-152 became a favorite even before the start of its combat use - the propaganda of the new self-propelled gun and the effectiveness of its 152-mm gun did its job.

By the end of March, ChKZ managed to assemble the first batch of 35 vehicles, which were immediately sent to the heavy self-propelled artillery regiments (tsap), which were supposed to have 12 SU-152 and one KV-1s command tank. The command did not dare to throw untrained crews of heavy self-propelled guns into battle, so the SU-152s reached the front only at the beginning of the Battle of Kursk. Official sources claim that as of July 5, 1943, the 2nd Army of the Central Front had only two regiments with heavy self-propelled guns (the 1540th and 1541st fully equipped tsap), which took an active part in the battles with the Germans , However, this is not the case.

Contrary to popular belief, the use of the SU-152 during the Battle of Kursk was very limited, since only the 1529th TsAP, operationally subordinate to the 7th Guards Army, but actually part of the RKG of the Voronezh Front, was advanced directly to the front line. As of July 1, 1943, it consisted of 12 SU-152 and 1 KV-1s command tank - this composition did not change over the next two weeks, with the exception of the period from July 7 to July 9, when one self-propelled gun was under current repair. The command tried not to introduce heavy self-propelled guns into battle unless absolutely necessary, depriving tank and infantry units of mobile artillery support. Such extreme frugality soon bore its bitter fruits - during July 7, 1529, the 1529th TsAP was involved in artillery support for the defending troops on the agricultural line Polyana - Batratskaya Dacha - Soloviev Farm. The further actions of the self-propelled gunners were reflected in operational report No. 39, transmitted by the regiment headquarters at the end of July 8th.

“...During the day, the regiment fired: 07/8/1943 at 16.00 at a battery of assault guns on the southern outskirts of the Polyana storage farm.” 7 self-propelled guns were knocked out and burned and 2 bunkers were destroyed, 12 HE grenades were consumed. At 17.00, enemy tanks (up to 10 units) entered the grader road 2 km southwest of the farm “Batratskaya Dacha”. Direct fire from the SU-152 of the 3rd battery set fire to 2 tanks and knocked out 2 tanks, one of them T-6. Consumption of 15 HE grenades. At 18.00, the commander of the 7th Guards A, Lieutenant General Shumilov, visited the 3rd battery and thanked the crews for their excellent shooting at tanks. At 19.00, a column of vehicles and carts with infantry was fired upon on the road south of the Polyana farm; 2 cars and 6 carts with infantry were destroyed. Up to a company of infantry was scattered and partially destroyed. Consumption of 6 HE grenades.”

From the description of the combat operations of the crews of the 1529th glanders, it is clearly seen that the SU-152 fully justified the name “St. John’s wort” given to them even before the Battle of Kursk. Without introducing the vehicles into direct combat with enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, the regiment command achieved good results even when using only high-explosive fragmentation (HE) grenades, which had little effectiveness when firing at heavily armored targets, such as the Pz.VI “Tiger”. However, it is possible that the regiment simply did not receive other ammunition.

Then, during the offensive planned for the morning of July 9, which was supposed to be carried out by the 25th Guards Rifles, the strike group consisted of only 36 tanks (another 18 were in mobile reserve) and only 4 self-propelled guns, among which there was only one SU-122. The remaining self-propelled guns were destroyed during previous battles or were under repair. We could not find any mention of the use of the SU-152 in this operation.
There were no SU-152s during the famous battle of Prokhorovka, since the order to allocate a regiment of heavy self-propelled guns to strengthen the strike force of the 5th Tank Army was received only on June 12, when, after a series of local battles, both sides suffered heavy losses and temporarily went on the defensive . SU-152 appeared on this section of the front much later, when the Germans began a systematic retreat.

At the same time, the crew under the command of Major Sankovsky was able to achieve impressive results, knocking out 10 enemy tanks in the July battles, thus showing the best result among self-propelled guns.

However, even during such a short period of combat operation, the self-propelled guns fully developed a number of shortcomings that were a consequence of their simplified design. Due to their large mass, the SU-152 had low mobility and required more careful maintenance than the SU-76 and SU-122. Moreover, in an effort to make the SU-152 as technologically advanced and easy to manufacture as possible, Kotin did not take into account such a factor as the convenience of the crew. In addition to the fact that the conning tower was overly cramped, there was no normal ventilation in it. Because of this, after just a few minutes of battle, tankers began to get tired, which affected the effectiveness of their actions. A lot of complaints were caused by the lack of machine gun armament, which precluded the fight against enemy infantry. The DShK turret machine gun provided for in the project was not installed at the enterprise, so the self-propelled guns were supplemented with machine gun armament already at the front. Subsequently, most of these problems were solved with the new self-propelled gun ISU-152, but in the summer and autumn of 1943 the artillerymen had no choice.

Two months later, SU-152 self-propelled guns distinguished themselves during the liberation of right-bank Ukraine, although there were still very few vehicles of this type. The 1540th Tsap, previously introduced into the 19th Tank Corps, was used to repel the German counteroffensive in the 70th Army's combat zone. For example, during one of the counterattacks, a group of 15 Pz.IV and 6 Pz.VI “Tiger” began to approach the Soviet position. The SU-152s, urgently advanced to the front edge of the front, opened fire from a distance of 2000 meters, knocking out three German tanks without their own losses. Among the destroyed tanks there was one “tiger”, which once again convinced the Soviet command of the effectiveness of the SU-152 weapons.

During the Kyiv offensive operation, the 52nd Tank Brigade of the 16th Tank Corps received the 1835th TsAP for reinforcement. By the morning of November 7, 1943, separate units of the brigade, including SU-152, captured the city of Fastov and switched to defensive actions. Although only three self-propelled guns and one KV-1s regiment remained in service for two days, they held the defense at a dominant height, repelling several attacks, which involved not only tanks and infantry, but also 20-mm anti-aircraft guns. Having lost the only KV, the self-propelled guns destroyed two German tanks and self-propelled guns, four guns and up to a company of soldiers. By the end of the battle, the SU-152 knocked out and burned 16 enemy tanks, after which the Germans were forced to stop their fruitless attacks and retreat back.

At the end of 1943, the 40th TsAP, equipped with only nine SU-152s, operated as part of the 28th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front. In the period from November 20 to 25, the regiment, together with the 34th Guards TPP (20 KV-85 tanks), fought heavy battles in the area of ​​​​the village of Ekaterinovka. On the very first day, the “self-propelled guns” lost six vehicles, which were hit by enemy artillery fire and blown up by mines, but together with tanks and infantry they managed to occupy the first lines of German trenches. The next day, the enemy launched a counterattack, using ten Pz.IV Ausf.H tanks, but having lost five vehicles and not reaching the intended target, he was forced to go on the defensive again. On the morning of November 23, Soviet troops again went on the offensive and broke through the German defenses to a depth of 5 km. The success of the operation was overshadowed by the loss of three KV-85s, one of which burned out. Subsequently, until November 28, only the 40th TsAP fought in this sector of the front, which was withdrawn to the rear after the loss of all self-propelled guns, most of which could not be restored.

No less fierce battles broke out during the liberation of Crimea. Attached to the 19th Tank Corps as a reinforcement, the 1452nd TsAP was armed with 11 KV-85, 5 KV-1s, 6 SU-152 and 3 SU-76. The presence of such a large number of tanks in the “self-propelled” unit was due to their powerful weapons - the 85-mm D-5T cannon mounted on the KV-85 quite successfully hit all types of targets, including heavy tanks and field fortifications. On April 8, 1944, a tank regiment, including 11 KV-85, 5 KV-1s and SU-152, was transferred to the command of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division - with these forces, the Soviet infantry went on the offensive in the area of ​​​​the Turkish Wall with the aim of capturing p Armyansk. Almost immediately the tanks ran into a minefield not indicated on the map; they managed to make a passage through it after 3 hours. The German defense was broken through, but during the battle the regiment lost 13 tanks and 2 self-propelled guns (hit by artillery), while destroying 11 bunkers, 5 anti-tank guns and up to 200 enemy soldiers. Then, until April 10, the 1542nd TsAP was under repair, and the next day a combined tank-self-propelled group consisting of 3 KV-85, 2 SU-152 and 2 SU-76, with the support of infantry from the 3rd State Duma, went on the offensive in the Ishuni region. Without accurate intelligence information about the enemy’s defensive structures, the tankers found themselves in front of an 8-meter anti-tank ditch and camouflaged pit traps, into which several vehicles fell. Stuck tanks and self-propelled guns were immediately covered with artillery fire, which led to unjustified losses.

Self-propelled guns from the 1824th TsAP that fought nearby took part in the liberation of Bakhchisarai and Simferopol in March-April 1944, and subsequently the only surviving SU-152 and KV-85 took part in the battles for Sevastopol and on May 9 were the first to break into the city.

Throughout 1943-1944, self-propelled guns actively participated in battles in the Baltic states and on the Karelian Isthmus, where the 1539th TsAP actively fought along with the newer ISU-152. During this period, part of the self-propelled guns was transferred to the heavy breakthrough tank regiments, where they temporarily replaced the old KV-1, KV-85 and Churchill tanks that had failed.

Self-propelled guns SU-152 were officially withdrawn from service only after the end of the war. The overall assessment of the self-propelled guns was positive, but a number of significant shortcomings prevented the full use of the combat potential of the self-propelled gun. In an effort to make the SU-152 as technologically advanced and easy to manufacture as possible, Kotin did not take into account such a factor as the convenience of the crew. In addition to the fact that the conning tower was overly cramped, there was no normal ventilation in it. Because of this, after just a few minutes of battle, tankers began to get tired, which affected the effectiveness of their actions. A lot of complaints were caused by the lack of machine gun armament, which precluded the fight against enemy infantry. The DShK turret machine gun provided for in the project was not installed at the enterprise, so the self-propelled guns were supplemented with machine gun armament already at the front. And yet, the SU-152 turned out to be a powerful anti-tank weapon, which certainly played a positive role in the battles of 1943-1944.

Sources:
“SU-152 is the founder of the “Zveroboev” clan” I. Moshchansky M-Hobbi, No. 2(24)\2000
“Heavy self-propelled guns of the Red Army”, M. Baryatinsky, Armored Collection No. 2\2006
“KV-85” Kolomiets M., Moshchansky I. M-Hobbi, No. 5\1999
M. Svirin “Stalin’s self-propelled guns. History of the Soviet self-propelled guns 1919-1945". Moscow. Yauza\EXMO. 2008
"Soviet heavy self-propelled artillery mounts 1941-1945." Solyankin A. G., Pavlov M. V., Pavlov I. V., Zheltov I. G., Eksprint, 2005
Dishmodels: SU-152. "St. John's wort"
VIF: Photos of captured Soviet equipment

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA OF A HEAVY SELF-PROPELLED UNIT
SU-152 model 1943

COMBAT WEIGHT	45500 kg
CREW, people	5
DIMENSIONS
Length, mm	8950 (with gun)
Width, mm	3250
Height, mm	2450
Ground clearance, mm	440
WEAPONS	one 152.4 mm ML-20S howitzer gun and one 12.7 mm DShK machine gun/td>
AMMUNITION	20 shots and 250 rounds
AIMING DEVICES	telescopic sight - TOD-6 periscope sight - PT-6 commander's panorama - PT-1
RESERVATION	turret forehead - 60 mm hull side - 60 mm hull rear - 60 mm cutting edge - 75 mm side and stern of the cabin - 60 mm gun mask - 60-65 mm bottom - 20-30 mm body roof - 30 mm cabin roof - 20 mm
ENGINE	V-2K, V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel liquid cooled with a power of 600 hp.
TRANSMISSION	mechanical type with an onboard planetary gearbox, multi-disc dry friction clutches and a 4-speed gearbox with a range multiplier (8+2)
CHASSIS	(per side) 6 double main rollers, 3 support rollers, front drive and rear idler wheels, large-link caterpillar track made of steel tracks
SPEED	42 km/h on the highway ? km/h on ground
POWER RESERVE	330 km by highway
OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME
Elevation angle, degrees.	36
Wall height, m	1,20
Fording depth, m	0,90
Ditch width, m	2,50
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION	radio station R-9 (R10 or 10RK-26) and intercom TPU-4bis

First of all, it is necessary to point out some of the discrepancies floating around the WEB.
1. ISU – 152, did not participate in the Battle of Kursk.
The Battle of Kursk took place from July 5, 1943 to August 23, 1943.
Only on November 6, 1943, by decree of the State Defense Committee, a new self-propelled gun was adopted by the Red Army under the final name ISU-152. It was in November that serial production of the ISU-152 began at the Kirov plant in the city of Chelyabinsk.

For reference , in our city of St. Petersburg (Leningrad), in 1945, ISU-152 was also built at the plant of the same name. In total, from November 1943 to May 1945, 1885 ISU-152 units.

2. SU-152 actually took part in the battle of Kursk. At one of the sites. According to information, there were only 24 units, according to some sources there were even six units in the third line of defense.
Gun rate of fire: 1-2 rounds per minute. The ammunition load could include almost all 152-mm cannon and howitzer shells, but in practice only a limited subset of them was used, but more on that later.
However, there are no clear grounds to evaluate the nickname “St. John’s wort” specifically for the SU-152 and specifically in the battle on the Kursk Bulge.


The main participants in the battle were SU-76 and SU-122. They were in the first line, covering our tanks. However, due to the effective destruction of the heavy Tiger tank and the medium Panther tank only from a distance of up to 1000 meters, the SU-85 was unlikely to be awarded the title of St. John's Wort.

Most likely, it was the SU-152 that was given this title in view of raising the morale of these self-propelled guns, which were still quite new to the front. The Pz.Kpfw.-IV Ausf.H with on-board anti-cumulative shields also looked new. They were often mistaken for “Tigers” in view of not only their numerical strength, but also the unusual appearance that they were given for the decisive battle, in order to somehow protect their inferior characteristics to Soviet tanks.

3. Another passionate opinion, that soldiers and tank crews of the Red Army experienced attacks of “Tiger Fear” and other tank phobias. In reality, everything is not so emotional and much more prosaic. Those of you who served in the Armed Forces will understand me. The Tiger tank was no secret, and its second appearance in the Battle of Kursk in mass numbers (according to various sources, from 100-140 units) could not intimidate the entire group of the Red Army. This is fantasy, uncontrollable antics of someone’s brain, or simply echoes of Goebbels’ propaganda. After the defeat at Kursk, the Nazi military machine began to retreat, so the Tiger tank was always a single or small enemy, and by the standards of the Eastern Front, the actual number of these tanks was minuscule.

Let's try to be realistic.
In the summer of 1941, the T-34 appeared on the battlefield, which could not be penetrated by the main 37 mm anti-tank and Pak 35/36 guns, but this did not cause any tank phobias among the Wehrmacht or German tankers. The tactics simply changed. The same is fair to say about the heavy KV-1, which had already seen combat in the Finnish War.
Here you involuntarily ask yourself a question. Didn’t the allies of Nazi Germany, the Finns, before the invasion of Soviet Russia whisper to the Germans about the presence of the same KV? And the Germans, as if for the first time, dragged their useless guns and tanks into battle, knowing full well that this iron was not their help, but a mass grave? The Nazi generals were somehow not at all interested in what the Russians were doing to break through the line of Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim.
The joint stay in the captured city of Brest by the Red Army and the allied Wehrmacht did not draw the attention of the Wehrmacht generals to the armament of the Red Army. And it’s true... There were a lot of strange things at the beginning of the war.

All of the above means that fear of tanks itself has existed since the First World War, with the appearance of the English monsters. As a property of the instinct of self-preservation, in front of the tank, this property was transformed into another. Either you destroy this piece of iron or it destroys you. This is why any mention of tank fear seems logical, regardless of the type or name of the tank. And it is in no way connected with the KV-1, T-5, Pz.VIH, or T-34. And tank fear is overcome by the most ordinary combat experience.

4. Now let’s turn to the next gem of the Internet, but this time in relation to the ISU-152. The pearl goes like this: “The slang name for ISU-152 is “St. John’s wort.” In the Wehrmacht they called it a “can opener.”
When the Tiger tank appeared at the front, Wehrmacht soldiers called the turret of this tank “Tin Can.” There are similarities. And here you don’t have to be a purebred Aryan to not see the obvious similarities. However, can you imagine a Soviet soldier or a soldier of any army in the world who would allow himself to call an enemy weapon destroying his colleagues, compatriots and equipment in such a cynical manner? Of course, this is a story that came to someone’s mind after drawing an association between a closed tin can and an opener.

So what exactly from the self-propelled guns was “St. John’s wort” for the German tankers? In fact, any self-propelled gun and SU-152 and subsequently ISU-152, which suddenly opened fire from an ambush, could receive such a respectful nickname.

From memories
“Volley-gone! Volley-gone!” This was painted in our wheelhouse with white paint. In general, it took us about forty minutes to disguise ourselves. If there's something suitable, we'll disguise it. When there was more time, we dug in the middle of the skating rinks. Masking is required! After the shot, they backed up and sometimes made a U-turn, changing position.

The other crews and I divided our positions into squares for self-propelled guns to withdraw. Almost a chess board. Each crew knew where their place would be after the fire.
The distance between cars is 150-200 meters. Here's a square for you! Dance in this square. Our shell was very smoky. What's outside, what's inside. You will also charge your blind man's buff. Bang and it fell. Of course, we got used to it. We're okay, but what about the German?

In good weather the visibility is brilliant. It was as if after a salvo we immediately opened up, after each shot, and our camouflage lost its meaning. And he received a parcel from us. And he doesn’t want a second one.
The Germans were not indifferent to our brother. They recognized us by the salvo and tried in every possible way to disable us...”

From memories
“We were always provided with a very detailed description of enemy equipment. Leaflets with diagrams and instructions. The Bolsheviks always had enough self-propelled guns. They actively used them when advancing with tank formations, after leaving self-propelled guns and artillery in the positions they occupied. Then, having regrouped, there was an operational pause and they went on the attack again.

By the end of 1944, our divisions and battalions existed only on headquarters maps. Essentially, these were only units of combat-ready equipment from different periods of the Eastern Company. Captured equipment was also available. The rest is junk beyond repair. Even combat-ready equipment caused headaches due to lack of fuel. Our crews, left without combat vehicles, became replacement tank grenadiers. Infantry!
We reorganized into small detachments. The best thing that could be done was a detachment of the next formation. One “Tiger”, at best, in an unimportant case – “Panther”. They include 2-3 Pz-III units and two platoons of grenadiers.

The Russians guarded their artillery in large numbers. Armed to the teeth, with ample capabilities: fuel, manpower, ammunition, weapons technology, and even American and English, they became careless and self-confident. What destroyed our armies in Russia during the battles of the beginning of '42. Now these strong capabilities have become their Achilles heel.

The Pz-III, light and maneuverable, quickly bypassed their artillery on the flanks, while the “Tiger” came forward, tickling their nerves. Such desperate attacks did not always end in a good shake-up for the enemies.

One high-explosive shell fired from a Russian self-propelled gun from 500 meters, with any hit, could disable the Pz-III without penetration. The crew suffered concussion, broken bones, and internal bleeding. The equipment of the tanks failed, the hull, and the turret became warped. Rarely, but sometimes the tank simply burst into flames. I remember after the battle, we inspected our tank.

During the battle, one of the howitzer shells ricocheted across the gun mantlet, creating a through crack in it that covered half a sheet. The gun was not hit, otherwise we would have lost our “Tiger”…”.

Now it is becoming clearly clear how correct the decision was made by the Soviet command in placing its bet on the ISU-152.

WEAPON:
The main weapon of the ISU-152 is a 152-mm howitzer-cannon ML-20S mod. 1937/43 (GAU index - 52-PS-544S). The gun was mounted in a frame on the front armor plate of the wheelhouse and had vertical aiming angles from 03 to +20°, the horizontal aiming sector was 10°. The height of the firing line was 1.8 m; direct shot range - 800-900 m, at a target height of 2.5-3 m, direct fire range - 3800 m, longest firing range - 6200 m.

The shot was fired using an electric or manual mechanical trigger. The gun's ammunition load was 21 rounds of separate loading.


AMMUNITION TYPE:
1. Armor-piercing tracer sharp-headed projectile 53-BR-540 weighing 48.8 kg, initial speed 600 m/s;

2. High-explosive fragmentation cannon projectile 53-OF-540 weighing 43.56 kg, initial speed 655 m/s when fully charged.

3. Instead of 53-BR-540 armor-piercing tracer shells, blunt-headed armor-piercing tracer shells with a 53-BR-540B ballistic tip could be used (from the beginning of 1945).

4. To destroy reinforced concrete bunkers, a concrete-piercing cannon shell 53-G-545 could be introduced into the ammunition load. The range of propellant charges was also significantly reduced - it included a special charge 54-Zh-545B for an armor-piercing projectile and a full charge 54-ZhN-545 for a high-explosive fragmentation projectile.

Of course, the appearance of the ISU-152, replacing the no less excellent SU-152, was not, as some on the Internet “put it,” the panache of Stalin. This was a transition to a new combat level. The ISU was created on the promising platform of the Joseph Stalin tank, which replaced the Klim Voroshilov tank base.

Even during the Winter War, it became obvious that deeply echeloned enemy fortifications needed to be quickly and effectively suppressed. Conventional tanks coped with this task, but the losses were quite large and, as seditious as it may sound, they were expensive from an economic point of view. For an extensive offensive operation, where the enemy in each sector during retreat goes into long-term defense, powerful, well-protected self-propelled guns were needed.
Moreover. Easy to mass produce and reliable on long marches. In addition, the ISU-152 was in no hurry to go into production, as the designers were busy “polishing” the project.


Like any new type of weapon, the ISU-152 had to comply with the changes that had occurred, including in the tank theater of military operations. One important reason is the capture of the new heavy German Tiger tank, which was stuck in the mud.
He was captured in January '43 near St. Petersburg (Leningrad).
In the photo, you can see the towing of this New Year's gift to our engineers. "Tiger" is dragged by its mustache along Leningradsky Prospekt. For a tugboat (based on the KV-1) this is a difficult case.

However, there was one rather serious miscalculation made during the release of the ISU-152, which resulted in the death of many soldiers defending the self-propelled guns on the march.


From memories, Fyodor Martynovich Veresov. Rank - Corporal. Position - Loading self-propelled gun - ISU-152, 390th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, 1st Ukrainian Front.
“My most terrible memories are of those people who accompanied our self-propelled guns. Everyone has seen dashing guys in the movies sitting on armor, music playing, a red flag flying. That’s how it was, looking from the outside. Only we know what really happened.

It was like that. You won’t have time to take a smoke break, remember the peaceful times, and just get to know the guys who are accompanying you from village A to village B. By the evening, the whole crew, with a grinding noise, scrapes pieces of meat from these guys from the armor. It was... A piece of flesh stuck together in a lump with a cloth with a photograph of his mother, small children... It was terribly painful for me to see all this. Our armor rusted not from rain, but from blood. I will never forget this. Never. These people were our second armor. Afterwards, of course, even special teams appeared that dealt with this. It was necessary to somehow support us morally, not just with alcohol infusion.

By the end of 44, the German had gone mad. They themselves had already lost relatives under British bombs. Many of them didn't care. Few people gave up during the battle. Sometimes they simply committed suicide. We didn't see them as people, they saw us. Such continuous continuous merciless destruction of each other, as in the Stone Age. They threw everything that burned or exploded into our self-propelled gun. They planted mines right under the tracks. And they knew that either they wouldn’t make it, or they would even die in an explosion. But magnetic mines especially annoyed us. This is the most dangerous thing that could harm the car or kill us. That's why those guys were on our armor.
It was also extremely dangerous in urban battles. The task is simple. Suppress machine gun nests and camouflaged guns. They were firing at houses, even though there seemed to be no one there. Everyone remembers from Stalingrad that the Germans were killed there because of their own stupidity. They destroyed the city and reduced the effects of their equipment to zero. Well, we also turned out to be no weaker in hindsight. They repeated their stupidity. The lucky thing is that cities in Europe are no match for ours. They have tiny cities.
Once our rollers jammed. The commander got out, and lo and behold, there were telegraph wires and a bicycle. The engine roars, there is smoke, the tracks clack-clack. And then we hear the commander. - Leave the car! He screamed so loudly that he shouted over everything. And from above we hit the armor, such a dull sound, boom and boom again. What did the Fritz throw at us from the roof of the house? Only a quarter of a quarter was left of the house, where were they hiding? It doesn't matter anymore. I don’t remember how I jumped out of our self-propelled gun. It's like being in a fog. He ran to the commander's cry. And our self-propelled gun trembled three times. She swayed, and then everything flew up from her. Ammunition scattered our car along the street. Well, the ammunition was insignificant. Five left. Just like in the movie, it all happened in slow motion. A piece of this three-story house collapsed dustily on top of the flames. I'm lucky. Only his neck was cut with brick chips, his ears were bleeding, but the mechanic got a piece of iron in his shoulder. Large, it stuck out. We got it from the general then. He should have shot at our armor and the Nazis... There were many such cases in cities with our equipment. The commanders came to their senses and gave the crews machine gunners and even snipers, but the most dangerous places in cities are not even houses and their basements. Sewerage. Mines under the city! The Germans, like toadstools, will appear out of the hatch, seemingly out of nowhere, throw grenades and then back again, yurk...”

Fyodor Martynovich correctly noted: “The commanders came to their senses...”.


Indeed, only from the beginning of 1945, the crew (ISU-152 crew: 1 - driver; 2 - commander; 3 - gunner; 4 - lock; 5 - loader) was provided with the following additional weapons: large-caliber anti-aircraft 12.7 mm a DShK machine gun with a K-8T collimator sight on a turret mounted on the right round hatch of the vehicle commander. As well as the following additional weapons:

Ammunition for the DShK is 250 rounds. For self-defense, the crew had two PPSh or PPS machine guns (submachine guns) with 1,491 rounds of ammunition (21 disks) and 20 F-1 hand grenades.

In February 1945, in western Hungary , the last major battle took place (the Battle of Balaton), where the German command tried to counterattack the advance of the Red Army.

From memories, Clemens Stauberg, Title - Unterfeldwebel. Position – Driver. 502nd heavy tank battalion, 1st company.
“At the beginning of February 1945, our Tiger was confiscated from us under the pretext of major repairs. Repairs were needed. But we could still fight on it! We called it “Burger's grater.” This is how he began to look outwardly after a series of meetings with the Bolsheviks. It became clear that we would never see our tank again.

Soon our battalion was reinforced with eight PzKpfw IV tanks, five StuG IV tanks and two Jagdpanthers. Our self-propelled guns were close in appearance to Russian self-propelled guns. And the same weak points! I'm talking about the location of the engine and fuel tanks. Hit the side in the middle and the self-propelled gun is destroyed.

The rate of fire of our self-propelled guns was higher. This didn’t help us tankers much. The first short clash with the vanguard confirmed this. The armor of the Bolshevik tanks and self-propelled guns had long been equal to our new tanks, and surpassed them in quality. On one of the narrow sections of the front line, near the road, our self-propelled guns tried in every possible way to stop the sudden advance of a dozen T-34s. They partially succeeded. In order to reduce the consumption of self-propelled gun ammunition, an order was given to simply deprive the T-34 of movement. Our task was to finish.
Our crews already consisted half or entirely of untrained boys. In one of the tanks, the youngest was 14, the eldest was 17. In appearance, they could be considered 20-25 years old. It didn't fit in my head. They were hastily prepared and simply thrown into battle. After two hours of a short battle, we stopped the rapid attack of the T-34, and then drove off their infantry with artillery fire.
One of our tanks stopped and simply stood without leaving its position. The radio did not answer. About five minutes later, a boy tanker crawled out from under the tank. He crawled about five meters, dragging his unwinding intestines behind him. It was like a second birth, when part of the umbilical cord is inside the mother (tank), and he goes out with her into this terrible and merciless light. Someone spared him. Gave a long line.
We understood that the Russians were simply guided by our positions. And so it happened. By 18-00, they drove up their favorite car and bombarded everything with rockets. They liked to shower us with these shells in the dark. Sometimes before they started shelling they sang loudly or shouted something to us and laughed.
In the end, what happened happened. Our artillery was completely suppressed. On the third day of the battle, just to be sure, they were attacked by aviation, then by artillery, and then they rolled like an iron roller over our broken and demoralized positions...”

From memories, Fyodor Martynovich Veresov. Rank - Corporal. Position - Loading self-propelled gun - ISU-152, 390th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, 1st Ukrainian Front.
“No, I didn’t get to Berlin. In March 1945, he was given a commission. And I don’t somehow regret that I didn’t get there. We won. We are, in general, simple people. I have no personal pride in participating in the victory. After the war I didn’t think about the war. Crossed out. Human life began, and I studied, and then work and, of course, family.

Over the years, towards the end of my life, I began to think about the war. It was as if she had returned to me again. The simple human feeling of victory in a war is first the bitterness of losing the people you love, then the bitter regret that no one will ever return them to you, and then the question. Why and why did this war happen?
When will people stop killing each other because of crazy ideas of crazy rulers? We betrayed God first. Then they betrayed the Soviet Union and returned to God again. What's next? Round and round again? In my opinion, we, the people of the whole world, need to defeat our abnormal politicians, who are constantly pushing us to war with each other. And enough about the war already...”


Self-propelled guns - "SU-100" with an installed 100 mm cannon"D-10".
Based on the T-34 tank.

Self-propelled guns - “ISU-122” with an installed 122-mm “A-19” cannon.
Based on the Joseph Stalin tank.

Self-propelled guns - “SU-152” (ISU) with an installed 152-mm ML-20S “Howitzer” cannon.
Based on the tank " Joseph Stalin ».

While preparing this article, I often came across this on various Internet forums about the war. The couch d'Artagnans, who have never held a weapon, are inciting war, either with Ukraine, or with the United States, or with anyone. The same sort of “heroes” write for a total war with Russia.
In the warmth of home, over a cup of instant coffee, they can write “Throw them with nuclear bombs and that’s it; Roll their city into pieces and that’s it...” These empty-hearted people have no understanding of war, of its indiscriminate approach to matters of life. Death, grief, fear, panic, horror will come to everyone if there is a war. There are a sufficient number of nuclear power plants on Earth. And this will be a catastrophe not for the USSR and the Third Reich, but for the entire existence of the planet.

After all, it is precisely such armchair citizens that the powers that be need in order to implement their inhuman plans with the help of their approving hubbub.

Apparently everyone has already forgotten the Russian proverb: « Don't wake up while it's quiet » .

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