When the Great Patriotic War of, little euphoria subsided, began working life. The outbreak of war analysis. Obtaining military experience and his understanding.
so here, Understanding of experience, obtained in the course of the war, shows the complete failure of the Red Army had an army air defense. We do with the defense it was very bad, and people are not stupid and make war concluded, that we should do something in this situation.
Particularly requested protection from air tankers. Tank - a very lacquer goal that in those years, what today, by the way. And the priority he just turns to the tank. very large. And in the second half of the tank brigade 40s it relied only anti-aircraft machine-gun company.
it 48 personnel and 9 DShK. On 65 tanks and 146 trucks, I note. According states №№ 010/500 — 010/506 (November 1943 city). AAAs separate tank brigade was not supposed to completely. ugly alignment, of course.
But even in the divisional structure of the air defense systems it was negligible. And they basically staffed towed 37-mm anti-aircraft guns or 61-K-25 K-72 mm, that before the raid reflection still need to be deployed and ready to fight.
Experience has shown, more tidbit for German aircraft in World, than the part on the march was not and could not be.
At the same time the enemy was armed with a sufficiently large number of self-propelled air defense systems, the main difference was that the towed, that they were ready to open fire without any additional preparation.
If you carefully consider, then the Red Army had mobile air defense systems. by truck.
One side, cheap and cheerful, on the other - the complete absence of any kind of protection from enemy air action. Not the best alignment, given the presence of the Germans even easily, but armored mobile air defense systems.
The situation it was necessary to rectify by adopting a self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon, capable of firing a stroke, keeping up with the tanks on the march. And the installation would have to be of sufficient size to effectively engage the enemy bombers and armored storm troopers.
First serial SoL, created in the USSR, It becomes ZSU-37, armed 37mm cannon 61-K. conventionally, serial, since its production is limited 75 machines, issued in 1945 year, that was not even a drop in the extent of the Red Army in the sea.
More serious claim became 57 mm automatic gun C-60, developed in the design office in. D. Grabit. The gun failed, but in the original version I had all the same drawback - low mobility. Therefore, since the 1947 of the year, even before the adoption of the C-60 into service, It started the development of its paired variant under the designation C-68, designed for self-propelled weapons.
For the new chassis ZSU was created on the basis of a medium tank T-54. The new self-propelled unit has received factory designation "article 500" and the army ZSU-57-2 and was put into service after the comprehensive test, conducted in 1950 year.
ZSU produced at the plant №174 in Omsk with 1955 by 1960 year, all were released 857 units.
ZSU crew consisted of six people:
- the driver. He was placed in the front part of the left housing;
- gunner;
- gunner sight Installer;
- Charge the left and right instruments (2 pers.);
- installation commander.
Place mehvoda at ZSU
In addition to the driver, All crew members were placed in an open tower.
Housing ZSU-57-2 welded, thick sheets of armor 8-13 mm. rotating tower, welded, located in the central portion of the housing for a ball bearing. Rear armor plate was removable.
In the stowed position, the tower could be covered with a canvas awning.
Jobs crew members were located so: front left - Charge left guns, him into the center of the tower - Gunner, Right from the gunner's sight was located Installer, front right - charging the right tools, back in the center of the tower - the workplace commander ZSU.
sight Installer Location13
Top view from the gunner.
View from the seats loader.
Gear Manual pickup. Not for wimps!
On the aft turret plate fastened gilzosbornik.
Work gun equipment was founded on the principle of recoil energy in the short course of the barrel. The gun had a barrel-monoblock, piston sliding shutter, hydraulic brake rollback, recuperator spring and is supplied with a muzzle brake.
vertical (−5…+85°) and horizontal route guidance carried out by means of electrohydraulic actuators, Powered by a motor.
traversing speed was 30 °, vertical - 20 ° per second.
In case of failure of the electric drive can be manually maintained pickup: commander of the machine at the same time responsible for the horizontal guidance, and gunner - for vertical. It was quite problematic action, since in this case the commander and gunner must possess physical training significantly higher than average.
Power tools oboymennoe, from the box magazine 4 shot. Practical rate was 100-120 rounds per minute per barrel, but limit the duration of continuous shooting was not more 40-50 shots, then cool trunks required.
Ammunition-57-2 was SoL 300 unitary shots, of which 176 at 44 stores were placed in packing in the tower, 72 at 18 stores were in the fore part of the body, and more 52 shot in the not curb in a holder placed under the floor of the tower.
In general, the combat effectiveness of the ZSU-57-2 depend on the skill of the crew, training platoon commander and was not too high. This is primarily due to the absence of radar in the guidance system. Effective fire on offer could only be carried out, shooting "with a run" at air targets was not provided at all.
Comparative effectiveness of fire ZSU-57-2 was significantly lower, than batteries similar in structure C-60 guns, as the latter had PUAZO-6 SON-9, and later - a radar instrument complex RPK-1 "Vase".
However, the strength of the application of ZSU-57-2 was always ready to open fire, lack of dependence on tug, availability of crew armor.
ZSU-57-2 was used in the Vietnam War, in the conflicts between Israel and Syria and Egypt 1967 and 1973 years, as well as in the Iran-Iraq war. Due to the relatively low rate of fire and lack of automated radar high efficiency guidance devices, this machine did not differ.
In April 2014 , there were video frames use ZSU-57-2 by the Syrian army in the battles around Damascus.
However, in assessing the effectiveness of the ZSU-57-2 is to say not only about the disadvantages. Yes, low rate and the absence of automated radar guidance and tracking devices - indisputably, weak side. However, when accompanied by tanks ZSU-57 could take on not only the role of the air defense system.
It should also take into account the fact, ZSU that was not the only means of defense Tank Regiment, eg, and collective defense by means of aircraft, flying at altitudes up 4000 m, since the height of up to 1000 m overlapped antiaircraft machine guns DShK / DShKM, which in a tank regiment it was the same, how many armored vehicles. Efficiency is not very high, but, Nevertheless, a specific resistance of enemy aircraft could be given a.
On the other hand, in conflicts, where he participated ZSU-57, the armies, apply the setting, well it was aware of the low efficiency of the gun mount as the air defense.
But the installation of well showed itself in the role of ACS tanks maintenance, or, contemporary language, BMPT. In this sense, ZSU-57-2 was, perhaps, more effective, than a means of defense. At least, on the battlefield was very little armored targets, able to withstand the ingress of BR-281U armor-piercing projectile, which is a distance 1000 m, escaping from the barrel at a rate 1000 m / s, confidently punched up 100 mm armor.
ZSU-57-2 is still left a definite mark in our military history as a test platform. Which was followed as "Shilka", "Tunguska" and "armor", and implemented in the ongoing projects and BMPT BMOP.
