Su 152 history of creation. Military review and politics

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

The appearance in September 1942 of the new heavy tanks Pz.VI Ausf.H “Tiger” on the Soviet-German front in some way took the Soviet command by surprise. Until that moment, it was believed that Germany would increase the production of modified Pz.VI medium tanks, and heavy class vehicles would be able to enter service before 1943. The blow was more painful also because the Soviet anti-tank artillery was 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 the armor of the "tiger" except at point-blank range. Much better performance could be achieved using ML-20 or M-30 howitzer guns.

However, a few months before this moment (in March 1942), designers G.N. Rybin and K.N. Ilyin developed the U-18 self-propelled guns, 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 model 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 memorandum was sent to Stalin (GKO), Molotov (SNK), Fedorenko (NPO) and Goreglyad (NKTP) “ On the issue of creating a modern heavy IS breakthrough tank”, which stated the following:

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

There is no doubt that as our troops advance westward, they will encounter fortifications more powerful and better armed with artillery and equipped with minefields.

By what means is it possible to overcome these obstacles with little bloodshed and the least expenditure of metal and time?
After a deep analysis, and taking into account the means at our disposal, I have come to the firm conviction that it is necessary to make the following proposal.
For complete solution this task requires a powerful artillery mount with a caliber of at least 152 mm. This installation must be protected by heavy armor and have high maneuverability and maneuverability. Only a heavy tank armed with a 152 mm cannon and heavy armor 120-150 mm thick can meet such requirements.

The choice of artillery system.

a) The most suitable weapon for this tank would be the 152-mm BR-2 gun, but the dimensions and weight of the gun are so significant that they will not allow solving this problem in a variant that is sufficiently protected, with the maximum allowable weight of a non-separable part for transportation of about 60 tons

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

Modern anti-tank weapons and armor-piercing shells (combined) already today require at least 100 mm thick armor to protect this type of self-propelled gun, with
In this case, the weight of the non-separable 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 this task is the ML-20 152-mm gun-howitzer. This gun is significantly inferior to the BR-2 in terms of power, but on the other hand it is much more constructive for installation in terms of its dimensions. The BR-2 gun, 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 gun, having an initial speed of 610 m/s, will require a hit to solve the same problem. two shells in the same funnel, which will be possible when firing at a target point-blank at 100-200m.

To achieve the latter, it is necessary to securely book this system so that it can come close to the target without much risk, withstanding only fire anti-tank artillery, but without fear of overcoming even minefields. The ML-20 gun allows you to create a self-propelled gun of this type with sufficient security. Therefore, in choosing a system, you need to stop at the ML-20 gun.

The choice of the type of self-propelled.

With the selected type of gun ML-20, the solution to the problem of creating a heavy self-propelled gun is possible in two ways.
a) A compromise solution: installation of a 152 mm ML-20 gun on a KB tank chassis without a turret with limited horizontal aiming angles. In this case, the front armor plates should 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 cardinal, and here's why. Our modern heavy tank KV-1, by its type of first-class combat vehicle, is inherent, like the firstborn, with organic design flaws (insufficient strength of individual units, low maneuverability, etc.).

The KB-1 tank itself, through refinement, 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-observance of the reliability condition and a sharp drop in the maneuverability of the tank itself.

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

b) Only a new type of heavy breakthrough tank, armed with the ML-20 main artillery system and protected by 120-130 mm armor, can be a radical solution to the present problem. Based on existing experience, it is possible to guarantee the construction of this tank using V-2 diesel engines with sufficient protection, maneuverability and with all-round fire from a 152-mm ML-20 gun with a combat weight of up to 100 tons and the weight of an e / o non-separable part for transportation by rail, not more than 60 tons. I am attaching a draft of the 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 completed a number of similar works over the past 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 entrusted with this task and providing me with insignificant assistance, with a full guarantee, I undertake, together with a team of designers and satellites of plant No. 174 \ who worked with me, to design and build at once a small series of 5 such tanks by September 1, 1942. At the same time, it can be completed preparations for the subsequent release of small series of this type of tanks. A clear organization of the implementation of this task will help to a large extent the collective experience in the implementation of high-speed methods of building the T-50 tank, 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 shielded T-26 tanks used at my proposal in the Finnish campaign, to reliably gnaw through enemy fortified areas with foam of little blood and large saving time and metal.

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

Suggestion: short performance characteristics tank "IS".

Design engineer, military engineer 1st rank Ginzburg.

Thus, the "progenitor" of the famous "St. John's wort" was by no means Zh.Ya. Kotin, as is commonly believed so far. In turn, Ginzburg's note coincided in time with the decisions of the plenum of the GAU Artillery Committee, at which the creation of self-propelled artillery systems equipped with ZiS-3 guns, a 122-mm howitzer mod. 1938 and a 152.4-mm howitzer-cannon mod. 1937 (“destroyer of bunkers”). By and large, it was proposed to return to the topic of heavy assault tanks, instead of the retired KV-2 and the rejected KV-9, which were just armed with artillery systems of similar calibers.

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

The solution of the first task (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. With the installation of a 122-mm howitzer, there were no particular problems either - the chassis of the T-34 tank, model 1942, was chosen as the base, on which a fixed cabin 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 Soviet armies on the Barvenkovsky ledge and near Leningrad, which resulted in huge losses in tanks and self-propelled guns. The main resources were thrown to make up for losses and for some time the increased power self-propelled guns were forgotten.

Again, the installation of a 152.4-mm gun on a tank chassis was remembered only in the fall of 1942, when the situation in critical sectors of the front more or less stabilized. Actually, then the specialization “destroyer of bunkers” faded into the background. The primary task was the fight against German heavy tanks such as Pz.V "Panther" and Pz.VI "Tiger". As mentioned earlier, shooting at captured tanks showed the lack of 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 caliber 88 mm, 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 projectile did not penetrate the frontal armor of the same "tiger", it would inflict enormous damage on less protected parts or, as a result of a dynamic impact, the crew of the enemy vehicle would be shell-shocked and would not be able to continue the battle. Similar conclusions were drawn on the basis of the combat use of large-caliber guns, and not only from the Soviet side. However, a much bigger problem was the lack of reliable armor-piercing and HEAT shells, which appeared in sufficient quantities only at the end of the war.

In November 1942, at the initiative of the head of the GABTU, Lieutenant-General Ya.N. Moreover, the chief designer of ChKZ Zh.Ya. Kotin was allocated only a few days for this. By special order of the NKTP No. 764 dated November 13, 1942, a special group was created for the development of self-propelled guns in the ChKZ Design Bureau, to which designers N.V. Kurina, G.N. Rybin, K.N. Ilyin and V. A. Vishnyakov, who already had experience in designing high-powered self-propelled guns.
The task set suggested that the gun should be installed on the KV-1s chassis while maintaining the dimensions and most of the performance characteristics of this tank. Wasting no time, Kotin flew to the Motovilikhinsky gun factory, where a day later he managed to load one of the ML-20S howitzers. At the same time, under the leadership of Deputy Chief Designer N.M. Sinev, the process of finalizing the KV-1s for the installation of a large-caliber gun was begun.

In just a few days, according to the draft drawings, the ChTZ design team built around the ML-20S, which was standing on the pedestal installation, a plywood model of the combat hull in the maximum allowable dimensions. Despite the tightness in the fighting compartment, the engineers managed to find a place for 20 separate loading shots.

Having considered the project, the NKTP concluded that the installation of a large-caliber gun on the chassis of the KV-1s tank was quite appropriate, but then it was decided to design the self-propelled guns in a competitive manner. On January 2, 1943, three projects of self-propelled guns were submitted for discussion.

The Uralmash variant, brought to Chelyabinsk by the chief designer F.F. Petrov, retained all the tank units 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 of 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 the discussion, the swinging part of the 152-mm ML-20 howitzer gun was installed in a frame with almost no changes and, together with the ammunition load and the crew, was placed in a specially designed conning tower on the chassis of the KV tank. At the same time, the design of the artillery system remained practically unchanged, with the exception of a slight refinement of the recoil devices and the location of the gun trunnions. This technique made it possible to reduce the recoil force when fired and to 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 protecting against shells, also served as a balancing element.

The selection committee chose the Kotin version, not taking into account the objections of F.F. Petrov, who insisted on refining the gun. 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, upgrade the recoil devices and, in general, 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 heavy self-propelled guns, 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 ACS, originally designated as KV-14.

The self-propelled unit, with the exception of the new conning tower, did not differ much from the serial KV-1s. Chassis The self-propelled guns consisted of 6 double road wheels on each side with a torsion bar suspension, 3 support rollers, a front guide and a rear drive wheel. The caterpillar tension mechanism was screw and, for each caterpillar, consisted of 86-90 single-ridge tracks 608 mm wide and 160 mm apart.

The KV-14 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder V-2K diesel engine with an HP 600 power. The engine was started 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 both in the combat and in the engine compartment.

The armored body of the self-propelled unit was welded from rolled armor plates 75, 60, 30 and 20 mm thick, and the vertical front 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 machine. The ML-20S recoil devices were protected by a fixed cast armor casing and a movable cast spherical armored mask. The landing and exit of the crew was carried out 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 landing and exit of the crew, it was required to bring out the extension of the panoramic sight. The hull also had a bottom hatch for emergency escape by the crew of self-propelled guns and a number of small hatches for loading ammunition, access to the fuel tank fillers, other components and assemblies of the vehicle.

The transmission of the self-propelled gun was mechanical and consisted of the following components: a multi-plate dry friction clutch “steel on Ferodo”, a 4-speed gearbox with a demultiplier (8 gears forward and 2 back), two multi-plate side clutches with friction “steel on steel” and two onboard planetary reducer.

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

The armament of the self-propelled gun 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 pickup angles from -5° to +18°, the horizontal pickup sector was 12°. The height of the line of fire was 1.8 m, the range of a direct shot was 800-900 m at a target with a height of 2.5-3 m, the range of a direct fire shot was 3.8 km, longest range shooting - 13 km. The shot was fired by means of 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 tracer sharp-headed BR-240 shells 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 OF -540 weighing 43.56 kg and an initial speed of 655 m / s on a full charge. In addition, G-545 concrete-piercing shells could be included in the ammunition load. Lung small arms it was supposed to include an anti-aircraft 12.7-mm machine gun mounted on a turret on the commander's hatch, but it was not installed on production vehicles.

Means of monitoring environment on the KV-14 were quite diverse. Three prismatic viewing devices with protective armored covers were installed on the roof of the fighting compartment, two more such devices were placed on the left round hatch and the upper wing of a rectangular double hatch. Workplace the commander of the vehicle was equipped with a PTK-4 periscope. The driver in battle conducted observation through a viewing device with a triplex installed in the hatch-plug to the left of the gun, which was protected by an armored shutter. 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.

The means of communication included a 9R radio station (subsequently replaced by newer 10R and 10RK-26), as well as a TPU-4-Bis intercom for 4 subscribers.

According to the submission of the GAU of the Red Army, the State Defense Committee, by Decree No. 2692 of January 4, 1943, ordered Plant No. 100 NKTP and Plant No. 172 NKV within 25 days to develop and manufacture on the basis of the KV-1 S heavy tank prototype installation armed with a 152-mm howitzer gun 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 team of designers was transferred to the barracks. For 10 days they were in the hospital and did not go home. The drawings were sent directly from the drawing boards to the workshops.

Since Kotin was simultaneously appointed responsible for setting up the production of the SU-122 in Sverdlovsk at ChKZ, he appeared for the purpose of checking only a few 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 coordination with KB, gave the engineer K.N. Ilyin). This made it possible to make all the necessary changes as soon as possible, and already on January 24, 1943, the first prototype of the KV-14, which by that time had received the designation “Object 236” has been fully assembled.

Tests of the KV-14 began at the training ground near Chelyabinsk the very next day. According to the mass-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 guns were not so successful.

As before, many complaints were caused by the unreliable operation of an overloaded transmission. The fighting compartment, which had a very "shrink" dimensions, was clearly cramped for a crew of 5 people. The ammunition load of 20 shells was rightly considered insufficient, but the maintenance of the ML-20S gun and its separate loading caused the most inconvenience.

However, the ballistic characteristics of the guns were impressive. According to official data, during direct fire tests, 50-kg blanks (which were supposed to simulate a high-explosive fragmentation projectile) were fired at a plywood shield measuring 2x2 meters from a distance of 500, 800, 1000 and 1200 meters. All projectiles hit the target exactly. Aiming in this case was carried out using a conventional optical sight. During further tests, shooting was carried out at the captured Pz.IV tank - after the next shot, the projectile hit the turret and demolished it from the 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.

The production of the SU-152 continued until November 1943, inclusive, until the KV-1s was replaced on the assembly line by the more advanced heavy tank IS-1. and then the IS-2, which had an identical chassis. In total, 671 self-propelled guns were built, of which 666 entered the troops. Name "St. John's wort" for the SU-152 was fixed 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 heavy self-propelled artillery regiments (tsap), which, according to the state, were to have 12 SU-152s and one KV-1s command tank. The command did not dare to throw unprepared crews of heavy self-propelled guns into battle, so the SU-152 got to the front only at the beginning of the Battle of Kursk. Official sources state 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 RCG of the Voronezh Front, was put forward directly to the front line. As of July 1, 1943, it included 12 SU-152s and 1 command tank KV-1s - this composition did not change over the next two weeks, with the exception of the period from July 7 to 9, when one self-propelled gun was under current repair. The command tried not to bring 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, the 1529th tsap was involved in artillery support of the defending troops on the line of agricultural Polyana - n / n Batratskaya Dacha - village Solovyov. The further actions of the self-propelled gunners were reflected in the operational report No. 39, transmitted by the headquarters of the regiment at the end of July 8th.

“... During the day, the regiment fired: 07/08/1943 at 16.00 on the battery of assault guns on the southern outskirts of the storage warehouse "Polyana". 7 self-propelled guns were knocked out and burned and 2 bunkers were destroyed, the consumption of 12 HE grenades. At 17.00 on enemy tanks (up to 10 units) that entered the grader road 2 km southwest of the temporary storage warehouse “Batratskaya Dacha”. Direct fire from the SU-152 of the 3rd battery 2 tanks were set on fire and 2 were knocked out, one of them was a 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 expressed his gratitude to the crews for the excellent shooting at the tanks. At 19.00, a column of motor vehicles and wagons with infantry was fired on the road south of the temporary storage warehouse “Polyana”, 2 motor vehicles and 6 wagons with infantry were broken. Up to an infantry company 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 vehicles into direct combat with enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, the regimental command achieved good results even when using only high-explosive fragmentation (HE) grenades, which had little effectiveness when firing at heavily armored targets, like 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 forces of the 25th Guards Rifle Corps, the strike group consisted of only 36 tanks (another 18 were in the mobile reserve) and only 4 self-propelled guns, among which there was only one SU-122. The rest of the self-propelled guns were destroyed during previous battles, or were under repair. The use of the SU-152 in this operation could not be found.
There were no SU-152s during the famous battle near Prokhorovka, since the order to detach a regiment of heavy self-propelled guns to reinforce the strike force of the 5th Panzer 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 sector of the front much later, when the Germans began a systematic withdrawal.

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 the "self-propelled gunners".

However, even in such a short period of combat operation, the self-propelled guns fully developed a number of shortcomings, which were the result of their simplified design. The SU-152, due to its large mass, 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 turned out to be excessively cramped, there was no normal ventilation in it. Because of this, after a few minutes of the battle, the 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 excluded the fight against enemy infantry. The DShK turret machine gun provided for in the project was not installed at the enterprise, so self-propelled guns were supplemented with machine guns already at the front. Subsequently, most of these problems were solved on the new self-propelled guns ISU-152, but in the summer and autumn of 1943, the gunners had no choice.

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

During the Kyiv offensive operation, the 52nd brigade of the 16th TC received the 1835th tsap to reinforce. By the morning of November 7, 1943, separate units of the brigade, including the SU-152, captured the city of Fastov and switched to defensive operations. 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, in which not only tanks and infantry, but also 20-mm anti-aircraft guns participated. Having lost the only KV, the “self-propelled gunners” destroyed two German tanks and self-propelled guns, four guns and up to a company of soldiers. By the end of the battle, onem SU-152 was shot down and burned 16 enemy tanks, after which the Germans were forced to stop fruitless attacks and retreat.

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 Corps (20 KV-85 tanks), fought heavy battles in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bEkaterinovka. On the very first day, the “self-propelled gunners” lost six vehicles, which were hit by enemy artillery fire and blown up by mines, but by joint efforts 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 goal, 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 down. 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 the Crimea. Given to the 19th tank corps as a reinforcement, the 1452nd tsap was armed with 11 KV-85s, 5 KV-1s, 6 SU-152s and 3 SU-76s. The presence of such a large number of tanks in the "self-propelled" unit was due to their powerful armament - the 85-mm D-5T gun mounted on the KV-85 quite successfully hit all types of targets, including heavy tanks and field fortifications. April 8, 1944 under the command of the 3rd Guards rifle division a tank regiment was handed over, including 11 KV-85s, 5 KV-1s and SU-152s - with these forces, the Soviet infantry went on the offensive in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe Turkish Wall in order to capture the Armyansk settlement. Almost immediately, the tanks ran into a minefield not indicated on the map, which they managed to make a passage in 3 hours. The German defense was broken, but during the battle the regiment lost 13 tanks and 2 self-propelled guns (hit by artillery), while destroying 11 pillboxes, 5 anti-tank guns and up to 200 enemy soldiers. Then, until April 10, the 1542nd tsap was under repair, and the next day the consolidated tank-self-propelled group consisting of 3 KV-85, 2 SU-152 and 2 SU-76, with the support of infantry from the 3rd Guards Rifle Division, went on the offensive in the Ishuni region. Lacking accurate intelligence about the enemy's defensive structures, the tankers found themselves in front of an 8-meter anti-tank ditch and disguised trap pits, into which several vehicles fell. Stuck tanks and self-propelled guns were immediately covered by artillery fire, which led to unjustified losses.

The self-propelled guns from the 1824th tsap who fought nearby in March-April 1944 participated in the liberation of Bakhchisarai and Simferopol, 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.

During 1943-1944, self-propelled guns actively participated in the battles in the Baltic states and on the Karelian Isthmus, where, along with the newer ISU-152, the 1539th tsap actively fought. Part of the self-propelled guns during this period 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 self-propelled guns. 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 turned out to be excessively cramped, there was no normal ventilation in it. Because of this, after a few minutes of the battle, the 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 excluded the fight against enemy infantry. The DShK turret machine gun provided for in the project was not installed at the enterprise, so self-propelled guns were supplemented with machine guns already at the front. And yet, the SU-152 turned out to be a powerful anti-tank weapon that played an undeniably positive role in the battles of 1943-1944.

Sources:
"SU-152 the founder of the clan" St. John's wolves "I. Moshchansky M-Hobby, No. 2 (24) \ 2000
"Heavy self-propelled guns of the Red Army", M. Baryatinsky, Armor collection No. 2 \ 2006
"KV-85" Kolomiets M., Moshchansky I. M-Hobby, 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., Exprint, 2005
Dishmodels: SU-152. "St. John's wort"
VIF: Photographs of Captured Soviet Vehicles

PERFORMANCE DATA OF HEAVY SELF-PROPELLED INSTALLATION
SU-152 model 1943

The ISU-152 heavy self-propelled artillery mount was created on the basis of the IS heavy tank. For success in the fight against the German armored "menagerie", Soviet soldiers gave heavy self-propelled guns the respectful nickname "St. John's wort".

In the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, heavy self-propelled artillery installations were designed and built on the basis of the KV heavy tank.

It goes without saying that the military wanted to have a similar self-propelled gun based on the new heavy tank, especially since the KV-1 was discontinued. The Decree of the State Defense Committee of September 4, 1943 ordered Experimental Plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk, together with the technical department of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army, to design, manufacture and test the IS-152 self-propelled gun based on the IS tank until November 1, 1943.

CREATION

During development, the installation received the factory designation "object 241". G. N. Moskvin was appointed the lead designer. A prototype was made in October. For several weeks, the self-propelled guns were tested at the NIBT Test Site in Kubinka and the Artillery Scientific Testing Experimental Range (ANIOP) in Gorokhovets. November 6, 1943 by a decree of the GKO new car adopted under the designation ISU-152, and in December began its serial production.

Already at the beginning of 1944, the release of the ISU-152 began to be constrained by the lack of ML-20 guns. Anticipating such a situation, at the artillery plant No. 9 in Sverdlovsk, they put the barrel of the 122-mm A-19 corps gun on the cradle of the ML-20S gun and as a result received a heavy self-propelled gun ISU-122 ("object 242"). A prototype installation in December 1943 was tested at the Gorohovets training ground. By a GKO decree of March 12, 1944, the ISU-122 was adopted by the Red Army. Serial production of the machine began at ChKZ in April 1944 and continued until September 1945.

MODIFICATIONS

The ISU-122 was a variant of the ISU-152 self-propelled guns, in which the 152-mm ML-20S howitzer-gun was replaced by a 122-mm A-19 gun mod. 1931/37 At the same time, the movable armor of the gun had to be somewhat changed. The height of the line of fire was 1790 mm. In May 1944, changes were made to the design of the A-19 gun barrel, which violated the interchangeability of new barrels with previously issued ones. The upgraded gun was named "122-mm self-propelled gun arr. 1931/44". Both guns had a piston valve. The barrel length was 46.3 calibers. The device of the A-19 gun was in many ways the same as the ML-20S. It differed from the last barrel of a smaller caliber with a length increased by 730 mm, the absence of a muzzle brake and fewer rifling. The vertical aiming angles ranged from -3 ° to + 22 °, horizontally - in the 10 ° sector.

In April 1944, the ISU-122S self-propelled artillery mount (ISU-122-2, “object 249”) was created in the design bureau of plant No. 100, which was a modernized version of the ISU-122.

In June, the installation was tested in Gorokhovets, and on August 22, 1944, it was put into service. In the same month, its mass production at ChKZ began in parallel with the ISU-122 and ISU-152, which continued until September 1945. The ISU-122S was created on the basis of the ISU-122 and differed from it by installing the D-25S gun mod. 1944 with a horizontal wedge semi-automatic breech and muzzle brake. The height of the line of fire was 1795 mm. Barrel length - 48 calibers. Due to more compact recoil devices and the breech of the gun, it was possible to increase the rate of fire to 6 rds / min. The vertical aiming angles ranged from -3 ° to + 20 °, horizontally - in the 10 ° sector (7 ° to the right and 3 ° to the left). Externally, the SU-122S differed from the SU-122 in the gun barrel and a new cast mask 120-150 mm thick.

From 1944 to 1947, 2790 ISU-152, 1735 - ISU-122 and 675 - ISU-122S self-propelled guns were manufactured. Thus, the total output of heavy artillery self-propelled guns is 5200 pieces. - exceeded the number of manufactured heavy IS tanks - 4499 units. It should be noted that, as in the case of the IS-2, the Leningrad Kirov Plant was to be connected to the production of self-propelled guns on its basis. Until May 9, 1945, the first five ISU-152s were assembled there, and by the end of the year, another hundred. In 1946 and 1947, the production of the ISU-152 was carried out only at the LKZ.

APPLICATION AND SERVICE

Since the spring of 1944, heavy self-propelled artillery regiments have been re-equipped with ISU-152 and ISU-122 installations.

At the same time, the regiments were transferred to new states and all were given the rank of guards. In total, until the end of the war, 56 such regiments were formed, each with 21 ISU-152 or ISU-122 vehicles (some of these regiments were of mixed composition). On March 1, 1945, the 143rd separate Nevelsk tank brigade in the Belarusian-Lithuanian military district was reorganized into the 66th Guards Nevelsk heavy self-propelled artillery brigade of the RVGK of three regiments (1804 people, 65 ISU-122 and three SU-76).

INFANTRY AND TANK SUPPORT

Heavy self-propelled artillery regiments attached to tank and rifle units and formations were primarily used to support infantry and tanks in the offensive. Following in their battle formations, the self-propelled guns destroyed the enemy's firing points and provided the infantry and tanks with a successful advance. In this phase of the offensive, self-propelled guns became one of the main means of repelling tank counterattacks. In a number of cases, they had to move ahead of the battle formations of their troops and take a hit on themselves, thereby ensuring freedom of maneuver for the supported tanks.

So, for example, on January 15, 1945, in East Prussia, in the Borovo region, the Germans, with the strength of up to one regiment of motorized infantry, supported by tanks and self-propelled guns, counterattacked the battle formations of our advancing infantry, along with which the 390th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment operated. The infantry, under pressure from superior enemy forces, withdrew behind the combat formations of self-propelled gunners, who met the German strike with concentrated fire and covered the supported units. The counterattack was repulsed, and the infantry again got the opportunity to continue their offensive.

ART PREPARATIONS

Heavy self-propelled guns were sometimes involved in artillery preparation. At the same time, the fire was conducted both by direct fire and from closed positions. In particular, on January 12, 1945, during the Sandomierz-Silesian operation, the 368th guards regiment ISU-152 of the 1st Ukrainian Front for 107 minutes fired at the stronghold and four artillery and mortar batteries of the enemy. Having fired 980 shells, the regiment suppressed two mortar batteries, destroyed eight guns and up to one battalion of enemy soldiers and officers. It is interesting to note that additional ammunition was laid out in advance at firing positions, but first of all, the shells that were in combat vehicles were spent, otherwise the rate of fire would have been significantly reduced. For the subsequent replenishment of heavy self-propelled guns with shells, it took up to 40 minutes, so they stopped firing well in advance of the attack.

AGAINST GERMAN TANKS

Very effectively, heavy self-propelled guns were used in the fight against enemy tanks. For example, in the Berlin operation on April 19, the 360th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment supported the advance of the 388th Rifle Division. Parts of the division took possession of one of the groves east of Lichtenberg, where they entrenched themselves. The next day, the enemy, with a strength of up to one infantry regiment, supported by 15 tanks, began to counterattack. When repelling attacks during the day, heavy self-propelled guns destroyed 10 German tanks and up to 300 soldiers and officers. In the battles on the Zemland Peninsula during the East Prussian operation, the 378th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, when repelling counterattacks, successfully used formation order of battle fan shelf. This provided the regiment with shelling in a 180 ° sector, which made it easier to fight enemy tanks attacking from different directions. One of the ISU-152 batteries, having built its battle formation like a fan on a front with a length of 250 m, successfully repelled a counterattack of 30 enemy tanks on April 7, 1945, knocking out six of them. The battery has not suffered any losses. Only two cars received minor damage to the chassis.

IN URBAN BATTLE

At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War characteristic feature applications self-propelled artillery fighting began in large settlements, including well-fortified ones. As you know, an attack on a large settlement is a very complex form of combat and differs in many respects from offensive combat in normal conditions. fighting in the city they were almost always divided into a number of separate local battles for separate objects and centers of resistance. This forced the advancing troops to create special assault detachments and groups with great independence to conduct battle in the city. The assault groups included self-propelled artillery batteries and separate installations (usually two). The self-propelled guns, which were part of the assault groups, had the tasks of directly escorting infantry and tanks, repelling counterattacks by enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, and securing them on occupied targets.

Accompanying infantry, self-propelled guns with direct fire from a place, less often from short stops, destroyed firing points and anti-tank guns of the enemy, his tanks and self-propelled guns, destroyed blockages, barricades and houses adapted for defense, and thereby ensured the advance of troops.

Sometimes used to demolish buildings. volley fire which gave very good results. In the combat formations of assault groups, self-propelled artillery installations usually moved together with tanks under the cover of infantry, but if there were no tanks, then they moved along with the infantry. In the 8th Guards Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, in the battles for the Polish city of Poznan, two or three ISU-152s of the 394th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment were included in the assault groups of the 74th Guards Rifle Division. On February 20, 1945, in the battles for the 8th, 9th and 10th quarters of the city, directly adjacent to the southern part of the fortress citadel, an assault group consisting of an infantry platoon, three ISU-152s and two T-34 tanks cleared quarter No. 10 from the enemy .

Another group consisting of an infantry platoon, two ISU-152 self-propelled artillery mounts and three TO-34 flamethrowers stormed the 8th and 9th quarters. In these battles, the self-propelled guns acted quickly and decisively. They approached houses and point-blank destroyed German firing points placed in windows, basements and other places of buildings, and also made holes in the walls of buildings for the passage of their infantry. When operating along the streets, self-propelled guns moved, clinging to the walls of houses and destroying enemy fire weapons located in buildings on the opposite side. With their fire, the installations mutually covered each other and ensured the advancement of infantry and tanks. Forward, self-propelled artillery mounts moved alternately in rolls as the infantry and tanks advanced. As a result, the quarters were quickly occupied by our infantry and the Germans retreated to the citadel with heavy losses.

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Among the samples of Soviet military equipment of the times of the Great Patriotic War, there is a place for the “St. There were two types of self-propelled guns that can be confused, especially since their names are very similar. The guns installed in the cabins of both machines are the same - this is a wonderful ML-20 gun. But the ISU-152 is much more powerful, it was inherited from the heavy tank IS-2.

The name stuck to both machines, but since there is still a difference between them, you should pay attention to the one with a KV chassis, consider the history of creation and the reasons for its appearance at the front.

Howitzer on a heavy tank chassis

This howitzer was already installed on the undercarriage, however, this was done differently. During the war with Finland, siege guns with KV-2 found combat use. These samples had a number of drawbacks, in particular, a very high profile, which unmasked the equipment and made it easier for enemy weapons to hit it. In order to reduce the weight and height of the self-propelled guns and simplify the technology of its production, in 1943 tank-building engineers from Chelyabinsk decided to install the gun in a fixed wheelhouse. In December of the same year, development work was completed, and ChKZ began mass production.

There is nothing surprising in the name of the installation. SU-152 stands for: self-propelled gun with a 152 mm caliber gun.

Tank Destroyer

In fact, any oncoming battle of tank formations, according to classical tactical science, is the result of a command error. A competent officer or general must take care of the covert concentration of his armored vehicles on that sector of the enemy's defense, where the absence of serious opposition will be ensured. However, World War II broke established stereotypes, and tanks often fought each other. By 1943, the Germans had "Tigers" capable of inflicting significant damage. Soviet armored vehicles from distant positions, so there was a need for a special class of it - a tank destroyer. The "St.

Advantages of the SU-152

It is not known how the German tankers called the SU-152 self-propelled gun, but it caused them a lot of trouble. The Soviet self-propelled gun could fire from hidden positions along a hinged trajectory, however, this required guidelines or adjustments.

The main advantage new technology there was a heavy-duty caliber and a long range of aimed fire. The mass of the projectile ranged from 40 to 49 kilograms, and when hit, it was guaranteed to destroy any armored target. The real range, allowing reasonable hope for such a result, was a distance of 1800 meters. The chassis and mechanics had design flaws, but there were no more of them than the main enemy, the Tiger T-VI tank.

At first glance, these are very impressive characteristics, but there were also problems that made it possible to doubt that the nickname of the SU-152 self-propelled gun was quite justified.

The main "beast"

In order to objectively assess the chances of our self-propelled guns in an artillery duel with the Tiger, it is necessary to compare the capabilities of these vehicles in such a situation.

So, the first thing you should pay attention to is the range of aimed fire. It is approximately the same for these two samples, but it should be noted that the quality of the German optics of the Carl Zeiss company is higher than ours, although Soviet sights cannot be called bad.

Second important factor- rate of fire. Our self-propelled gunners could fire only two shots in a minute, big weight projectile (up to 60 kg) and tightness in the wheelhouse. The Germans during the same time could shoot six times.

The subject of the third comparison is the caliber. This is exactly what led to the unofficial name SU-152. Here, the superiority of our self-propelled guns over the enemy "beast" is indisputable. Where are 88 millimeters against our 152's! The trouble was that the German caliber was enough to penetrate the six-centimeter armor of the Soviet self-propelled gun. And the Germans had much more shells in their ammunition load - 90 against our twenty. And yet, at the "Tiger" the tower was rotated by an electric motor, and the ML-20 had a turning angle of only 12 degrees in each direction.

people win

Given all the characteristics, we can conclude that our self-propelled gun in a collision with the "Tiger" was practically doomed, but this is not so. Each time, many factors influenced the outcome of the duel, including the training of the crews, the availability of combat experience, and knowledge of the terrain, and simply courage. It was important to take the best position, and to detect the enemy as early as possible, and to be the first to shoot, and, most importantly, to hit. And often our tank artillerymen succeeded in all this better than the Germans. And then they could praise their car: "St. John's wort!" (as the soldiers of the Red Army called the self-propelled gun SU-152).

The self-propelled artillery mount was put into service and put into production in February 1943. A kind of record is that it took only 25 days to design and manufacture a prototype. The installation was created on the basis of the KV-1S heavy tank. At the same time, the oscillating part of the powerful 152-mm ML-20 howitzer cannon was installed practically unchanged in the frame-machine and, together with the ammunition load and the crew, was placed in a specially designed conning tower on the tank chassis.

At the same time, the serial gun underwent almost no design changes, only the recoil devices and the location of the gun trunnions were slightly modified. At the same time, the frontal armor shield with a massive armor mask, in addition to protecting against projectiles, also served as a balancing element. In the course of serial production, a turret with a large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun was mounted on a self-propelled unit to protect against air attacks. The SU-152 proved to be a very effective means of fighting heavy tanks: almost 50-kilogram shells from these mounts easily pierced the armor of the Tigers and Panthers and tore off their armored turrets. SU-152s entered service with the Guards heavy self-propelled artillery brigades (65 SU-152s in each brigade).

The design bureau of the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant developed the SU-152 self-propelled guns in December 1942 - January 1943. The bureau was headed by Zh.Ya. Kotin. The prototype had the designation KV-14 ("Object 236"), which was released on January 24, 1943.
From the "History of the Great Patriotic War": " On the instructions of the State Defense Committee at the Kirov Plant in Chelyabinsk, within 25 days (a unique period in the history of world tank building!) A prototype of the SU-152 self-propelled artillery mount was designed and manufactured, which went into production in February 1943 ".

After successfully passing tests in February 1943, the self-propelled artillery mount was put into service with the Red Army by a GKO decree of 02/14/1943. The SU-152 self-propelled artillery mount was mass-produced from February to December 1943. A total of 670 SU-152s were manufactured.
The SU-152 installation belonged to the type of fully armored self-propelled installations with a front armored cabin and was created on the basis of the KV-1S tank. The fighting compartment and the control compartment were combined. The crew consisted of five people. The driver was located on the left in front in the control compartment, behind him was the gunner, behind the gunner was the loader. To the right of the gun in front was the commander of the vehicle, behind him - the castle. To monitor the battlefield, the PTK-4 periscope was used, which provided all-round visibility and five prism mirror viewing devices installed on the roof of the armored cabin and the covers of the left and aft hatches. In the cover of the right hatch there was a hatch for signaling.

The driver had a viewing hatch with a glass block, closed by an armored cover with a viewing slot. The landing of the crew was carried out through two hatches closed with armored covers: a round one located in the front part of the roof on the right and a rectangular double-leaf hatch located in the aft part of the roof and the aft deckhouse. At the bottom of the hull in the fighting compartment was a spare (emergency) hatch. The left round hatch, closed with an armored cover, was intended for Hertz's panorama.

The main weapon was a 152.4-mm ML-20 howitzer gun, model 1937, with a piston breech with an inertial fuse and a slotted muzzle brake, mounted in a frame in the frontal armor plate of the armored cabin. The barrel length was 28.8 caliber, the height of the line of fire was 1800 mm. In the design of the recoil devices, a hydraulic recoil brake and a hydropneumatic knurler were used. For gun aiming, manual sector mechanisms were used, which provided vertical aiming angles from -5 ° to + 18 °, horizontally - in the sector ± 12 °. To aim the gun at the target, sector-type lifting and turning mechanisms and sights were used: telescopic ST-10 or KT-5 - when firing direct fire and Hertz's panorama - when firing from closed firing positions.

When firing at night, the sight and panorama scales, as well as the aiming and gun arrows, had a special illumination. The direct fire range was 3800 m, the maximum - 6200 m. The rate of fire of the howitzer gun was 2 rds / min. To facilitate the loading of the gun, a hinged tray was installed, which ensured that the leading belt of the projectile was not touched by the cut of the barrel tube. The ammunition of the installation included 20 rounds of separate cartridge case loading.

For firing, the following were used: OF-540 high-explosive long-range steel cannon grenade with GVMZ fuse (or RGM, RGM-2, D-1), G 530 concrete-piercing howitzer projectile with KTD fuse, OF-530 high-explosive long-range steel howitzer grenade with fuse RGM (or RGM-2, RG-b. D-1, GVMZ), a fragmentation long-range howitzer grenade of steel cast iron 0-530A with a GVMZ fuse, an armor-piercing tracer B-540 with a DR fuse and a high-explosive marine semi-armor-piercing projectile with a KTMF fuse , as well as charges of a new and old device, and special ones - for firing armor-piercing tracer shells (with an initial speed of 600 m / s) and high-explosive semi-armor-piercing naval shells (with an initial velocity of 573 m / s).

In addition, cannon concrete-piercing shells G-545 with the same fuse weighing 56 kg and old-style high-explosive steel cannon grenades F-542 and F-542Sh could be used. Additionally, two 7.62-mm PPSh submachine gun with an ammunition load of 1278 rounds (18 disks) and 25 F-1 grenades, later the ammunition load for the PPSh was increased to 1562 rounds (22 disks).

Armor protection - protivosnaryadnaya. The hull and cabin of the installation were welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 20 mm, 30 mm, 60 mm and 70 mm. The gun mask had a thickness of 60 mm. The gap between the movable armor of the gun and the upper frontal plate of the vehicle hull was protected by an armor cover.

The frontal, zygomatic, side and stern armor plates of the cabin, as well as the front plates of the hull, had rational angles of inclination. The sides of the body of the self-propelled artillery mount are vertical. In the right lower side plate of the hull in the fighting compartment there was a hatch for loading ammunition, closed by a hinged armored cover. In the closed position, the hatch cover was held by two bolts. For firing from personal weapons in the frontal and aft sheets of the armored cabin there were special openings that were closed with armor plugs. The aft part of the hull consisted of two armor plates (upper and lower) of a rounded shape, welded to the side armor of the hull. In the middle part top sheet blocked the bottom, thereby forming a pocket for the exit of cooling air from the tank. To protect against the ingress of foreign objects, the pocket was closed with a wire mesh.

The roof of the armored cabin is removable, consisting of two parts interconnected. The roof sheets were connected with the front, zygomatic, side and aft cutting sheets with bolts. In front of the roof of the cabin, in addition to two hatches and a hole for a viewing device, there were two holes (on the right) for installing a commander's panorama and antenna input, covered with an armored glass, and at the back on the right - a hatch closed with a hinged armored cover on hinges for access to fuel fillers fuel tanks located in the fighting compartment. Holes for viewing devices in the roof of the cabin and manhole covers had armored cover.

The ventilation of the fighting compartment of the self-propelled unit was carried out due to the air draft created by the running engine with open gates in the engine bulkhead. The roof over the engine compartment consisted of two removable armor plates, bolted to the tank hull. The first roof sheet in the central part had a hatch for access to the engine, which was closed with an armored cover. In the center of the lid in its convex part there was a hole closed with an armored plug, which was intended for pouring water into the engine cooling system.

Along the edges of the sheet, along the sides of the hull, there were two rectangular holes for the access of cooling air to the engine of the self-propelled artillery mount, which were closed from above with protective nets. In the back of the sheet, two holes were made for the passage of exhaust pipes, over which armor covers were installed. The rear armor plate had two round hatches for access to transmission units and assemblies, which were closed with hinged armored covers. The bottom of the self-propelled gun hull was welded from two armor plates and had hatches and openings closed with armor covers and plugs. One Tegrachlor fire extinguisher was used as fire fighting equipment.

In the engine compartment along the longitudinal axis of the hull, a V-2K diesel engine with a power of 600 hp was installed. (441 kW). The capacity of the main fuel tanks was 600 - 615 liters. When installing spare external tanks, the supply of transportable fuel increased by 360 liters. The power reserve of the installation along the highway on the main tanks reached 330 km.

The transmission included: a multi-plate main friction clutch of dry friction steel according to Ferodo, four-speed box gears with a demultiplier, providing eight forward gears and two reverse gears, two multi-plate onboard clutches with steel friction, with floating band brakes with Ferodo linings and two onboard planetary gears. Transmission control drives - mechanical.

Suspension - individual torsion bar, with road limiters of road wheels. The composition of the caterpillar mover included twelve dual track rollers (diameter 600 mm), six support rollers, two guide wheels with caterpillar tensioners, two stern drive wheels with removable gear rims of the lantern gear with small-link caterpillars. The track and support rollers, as well as the guide wheels, were made of all-metal - without rubber shock absorption. The width of the stamped track track was 608 mm.

The electrical equipment of the self-propelled unit was made according to a single-wire circuit, with the exception of emergency lighting (two-wire). The voltage of the on-board network was 24 V. Four batteries connected in series-parallel, as well as a GT-4563A generator with a power of 1 kW with a RRA-24 relay regulator were used as sources of electricity. Electricity consumers included: an electric starter with a starting relay, a radio station, TPU telephones, an electric signal, indoor and outdoor lighting devices and artillery lighting, instrumentation, electrical fittings and electrical wiring. For external radio communication, a radio station 9R or 10R (10RK-26) was installed with RU-75V and RU-11B umformers, for internal communication - a TPU-4 BIS tank intercom.

Self-propelled artillery mounts SU-152 received their baptism of fire on Kursk Bulge. Their appearance on the battlefield was for German tankers complete surprise. These self-propelled guns proved to be excellent in single combat with the German tanks "Tiger", "Panther" and "Ferdinands". Their armor-piercing shells pierced the armor of enemy vehicles, tore off their towers. For this, the front-line soldiers lovingly called heavy self-propelled guns "St. John's wort".

152-mm howitzer-gun of the 1937 model (ML-20, GAU index - 52-G-544A) - Soviet howitzer-gun of the Second World War period. This gun was mass-produced from 1937 to 1946, was or still is in service with the armies of many countries of the world, was used in almost all significant wars and armed conflicts middle and end of the 20th century. This gun was armed with the most powerful Soviet self-propelled artillery installations of the Great Patriotic War - SU-152 and ISU-152. According to some artillery experts, the ML-20 is one of the best cannon artillery designs for the entire period of its existence. Even more restrained assessments recognize the outstanding role of the ML-20 in combat use and development Soviet artillery mid-twentieth century.

Production of the ML-20 was carried out only at the plant number 172 in Perm from 1937 to 1946. In addition to the production of towed guns, about 4000 ML-20S barrels were produced for mounting on self-propelled artillery mounts (SAU) SU-152 and ISU-152 (a total of 3242 SAU ISU-152 and about 670 SAU SU-152 were built, the exact number varies in various sources). The successor to the ML-20 was the 152-mm D-20 howitzer gun, which had been in mass production since 1956. This gun had identical ballistics to the ML-20.

The slang name for the ISU-152 is "St. John's wort". In the Wehrmacht, it was called "Dosenöffner" (German for "can opener").
ISU-152s were widely used at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War in almost all aspects of the use of self-propelled artillery. In addition to the Red Army, ISU-152 were in service with the armies of Poland and Czechoslovakia, single captured vehicles were used by the Wehrmacht and the army of Finland. Only one photograph is known (dated 1944) of an ISU-152 used by the Finnish army.
The well-known tanker and author of memoirs D. F. Loza characterizes the ISU-152 in this role:
“Shortly before this, the Nazis began shelling the Emch, standing under the arches, from an anti-tank gun, which at night was dragged to the top floor of one of the houses north of the Town Hall. The caterpillars of two tanks were damaged by its fire. It was necessary to take urgent measures, otherwise most of the combat vehicles east of the Town Hall, the University and the Parliament could be hit by fire from this weapon, and if we change their positions, we will lose several blocks. I called the commander of the ISU-152 battery and ordered him to immediately suppress the enemy firing point. The self-propelled gun, splashing on the asphalt with wide tracks, took position on one of the streets overlooking the southeast side of the square.The same curiosity that killed more virgins than love dragged us outside to watch how the self-propelled guns would smash the German artillerymen with their cannon to pieces with one shell. “St. m, a mistake. Why did he allow these "brides"? They had to pay a high price for them.
Viennese streets, running in different directions from the central square, are not wide. Beautiful houses with Venetian windows rise on both sides. A shot from a large-caliber self-propelled gun rang out. The air shook sharply. One and a half floors of the house, together with an enemy anti-tank gun and its servants, collapsed to the ground. And in our location, from a powerful air wave of a shot, thick glasses burst with a crack in the houses located next to self-propelled unit. Their heavy fragments rained down on the heads of the “spectators”, as a result, the arms and backs of ten people were injured, and two had broken collarbones. Fortunately, the tankers were in helmets, the paratroopers were in helmets, and their heads remained intact!

ISU-152 as a tank destroyer
Another quote from the memoirs of D. F. Loza:
The current situation should be immediately reversed, and, thank God, I had an effective remedy in my hands -. With the battery commander, Senior Lieutenant Yakov Petrukhin, we discussed the action plan in detail. We agreed that the installations, using the range and firepower of their 152-mm guns, would first of all knock out the advancing Panthers, and then finish off the previously knocked out ones. I paid special attention of the battery commander to the secrecy of the self-propelled guns entering the firing positions, which the Sherman crews would cover, firing mainly to distract the German tankers.
Yakov Petrukhin chose two very convenient places for shooting, where stone fences covered the hulls of vehicles from enemy armor-piercing shells.

From our side, the fire intensified along the entire eastern line. "Emchists" tried not to let the Nazis go to the central square, locking them in the streets adjacent to it, and also to cover the exit of self-propelled guns to firing positions.
How slowly time passes when in a fight with the enemy you wait for the decisive moment that can turn the tide of the battle. Here it is, the long-awaited moment! Two thunderous shots hit the eardrums, shattering the glass in the windows of nearby houses.
The "Second Viennese spectacle" turned out to be no less impressive ... On one of the "Panthers", which had almost crawled out onto the square, the tower was demolished from the impact of a large-caliber concrete-piercing projectile. The second heavy tank burst into flames. And the ISU-152 immediately left their positions. The German tanks hastily began to back away, leaving the infantry without support, which immediately scattered through the yards and lanes.

Interesting facts about the ISU-152

The work of the loader for these self-propelled guns was very difficult - it was necessary to carry shells weighing more than 40 kg alone in the cramped fighting compartment of the vehicle.
On military-historical forums, there are frequent and very heated debates about torn towers (especially from the Tiger tank) after shells from the ISU-152 hit them. In fact, the BR-540 armor-piercing projectile has sufficient kinetic energy and momentum to destroy the elements of the shoulder strap of a heavy tank turret and displace it several tens of centimeters from the axis of rotation. In this sense, the term "disruption" is quite legitimate. Detonations of turrets a few meters up and to the side, widely shown in cinema and computer games, can only be the result of the detonation of ammunition in the fighting compartment, which, in principle, can follow from a strong blow to the tank hull. Documents on reliable cases of combat clashes between the ISU-152 and the Tigers (unlike the Panthers) have not yet been found, only mentions in memoirs are known. This is the reason for the fierce disputes mentioned above, especially since the arguing does not always distinguish between the firing of the "Tigers" from the ISU-152 or the towed ML-20 guns.