interesting artillery system, established as soon as possible, but, Unfortunately, not released a large series, but because they have not made a significant contribution to the victory over the European team.
German mobile mechanized and armored units at the beginning of the war immediately identified the need to confront the Red Army vehicles. And not just anti, and mobile anti-tank and anti-aircraft self-propelled guns.
Too were operational armored units of the Wehrmacht, too clumsy to maneuver plan looked Soviet anti-tank battery and horse-drawn car. And too vulnerable.
1 July 1941 the People's Commissar weapons Boris Vannikov signed the order as follows:
«In view of the urgent need for anti-tank and anti-aircraft self-propelled artsredstv and the lack of specific basis for their command:
1. Plant №4 develop and manufacture a 37-mm anti-aircraft cannon on the motor vehicle;
2. Plant №8 develop and manufacture a 85-mm anti-tank and anti-aircraft cannon on the motor vehicle;
3. Plant №92 develop and manufacture a 57-mm anti-tank gun on the motor vehicle.
When designing systems commonly rely on mastered industry and used in artillery terrain trucks or tractor crawler. Antitank guns should have besides an armored cab. Projects self-propelled units must be submitted to the 15 July 1941 of the year".
In fact, in Vannikova shoulders lay the problem fixes mate errors Kulik, who know nothing about guns in general and in particular the command, but huge ambitions Marshal Kulik allowed him to bury more. Including ZiS-2, excellent 57-mm anti-tank gun Grabina.
But here it is appropriate to give the floor to Grabin.
«our Bureau, many years developing the question of increasing the mobility of artillery systems, concluded, that the artillery needed not only great speed on the march along the roads, but also a good cross on the battlefield.
We decided to install tools on tracked vehicle - to create a self-propelled gun. In particular this applies to divisional artillery and anti-tank: then she would be able to appear there, where it was not expected.
At the end 1940 year KB has proposed to create a self-propelled gun. Chief of GAU, Marshal Kulik met this proposal favorably. The idea to create highly mobile and traversable artillery did not leave us. We were looking for tracked vehicle, which could be set, 57-mm anti-tank gun ZIS-2 and 76-mm divisional gun F-22 SPM sample 1939 of the year.
The idea of using the F-22 USV had to eventually abandon: this gun was too big in size. No ZIS-2, installed on the tractor «Komsomol» and wheel-tracked vehicles, when testing its fire and sleigh excellent results: high accuracy of hits, rate, stability, mobility and permeability in all kinds of roads and even off-road».
We are most interested in what was happening on the plant №92. There Vannikova for the implementation of the order has been created a separate group of designers under the direction of Peter Fedorovich Muraveva. As a result, work is already in late July, two self-propelled guns of the gate out of the plant: ZIS-30 and ZIS-31.
The first was a swinging portion 57 mm anti-tank gun ZIS-2, mounted to artillery tractor T-20 "Komsomoletz".
The second - the same gun ZIS-2, but specifically booked a three-axle truck GAZ-AAA.
Comparative tests of two cars, conducted in July-August, show, that ZIS-31 when firing is more stable and has a higher accuracy of fire as compared with the ZIS-30.
However, due to the, that patency ZIS-31 was significantly lower ZIS-30, Preference is given to the latter.
According to the order №92 from Vannikova plant 1 September 1941 year was to begin mass production of the ZIS-30.
But the trouble did not crept out, where it generally could wait. The only enterprise-producer of "Komsomolets", Moscow plant №37, due to improper planning policy is fully turned tractors issue and moved on to the issue of tanks.
For the manufacture of ZIS-30 plant № 92 I had to withdraw the "Komsomol" of the military units and engage in repair of machines, came from the front. As a result of these delays has begun mass production of self-propelled guns only 21 September. just before 15 October 1941 the plant has been made 101 Machine ZIS-30 with 57 mm gun ZIS-2 (taking into account the first prototype) and a ZIS-30 with a 45-mm anti-gun.
On this, properly, all. The lack of a base for the creation of self-propelled guns completely spoiled business. Issue ZIS-30 was discontinued.
The group did not give Peter Muraveva, realizing the importance of this self-propelled. And the project appeared in the beginning of October, ZIS-41, wherein ZIS-2 gun was mounted on the chassis of the rover semi-tracked ZIS-22, which was issued in Moscow.
Proven in November 1941 , the ZIS-41 showed good results. However, by this time the Moscow Automobile and evacuated buildings and structures, in principle, could not give a sufficient number of all-terrain vehicles ZIS-22. Therefore, in late November 1941 , all work on ZIS-41 was stopped.
ZIS-30 self-propelled guns began to enter the army in late September 1941 of the year. All of them went to the staffing PTO batteries in tank brigades of the Western and South-Western Pediment (often they were staffed by about 20 armored brigades).
There is one point, rather complicates any research in this area. Documented virtually indistinguishable machine ZIS-30 57 mm gun ZIS-2. The thing is, that factory index ZIS-30 was not known in the army and so the military reports, these machines were as "57-mm cannon PTO" - in the same way, as the 57 mm gun ZIS-2.
they very rarely pass on the documents as "self-propelled 57 mm gun PTO". Well, plus statements for fuel can accurately understand, where used ZIS-2, where a ZIS-30. ZIS-2 fuel is not required.
In the battles ZIS-30 proved to be very good. So, already 1 October at the plenum of the Artillery Committee of the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) chaired E. Satel, It was reported "successful combat use cars ZIS-30."
However, a long-term operation in the self-propelled guns revealed many shortcomings, due primarily to the fact, that the original database was not designed to, to become self-propelled guns.
The artillery SAU Committee received feedback from the military units in the 57-mm anti-tank gun ZIS-2 and ZIS-30. In regard to the latter, in particular, the following was stated:
«The car is unstable, Chassis overloaded, especially the rear bogie, small range and Ammunition, great size, weak protection for powerplant group, connection with the calculation of the driver is not provided. Shooting is often conducted with his openers, as there is no time to deploy, while there have been cases of machines rollover».
So to speak: could be worse. But, for all the shortcomings voiced, ZIS-30 fought and fought successfully. 57-mm anti-tank gun ZIS-2 successfully hit all the tanks at the time. but alas, to summer 1942 years in the army almost no of these machines. Some of them were lost in combat, and a part has failed due to damage. A repair them was simply nowhere, as the plant is now producing tanks.
What is it like to ACS ZIS-30?
As already mentioned, ZIS-30 was a swinging part 57-mm anti-VMS gun 2 having a barrel 73 caliber, openly mounted on polubronirovannom tractor T-20 «Komsomol».
Artillery tractor T-20 «Komsomol»
Combat installation calculation consisted of five people.
Upper machine gun was mounted in the middle part of the machine housing. The angles vertical lay ranged from -5 to + 25 °, on the horizon - in the sector of 30 °. For guidance used sectored lifting mechanism of the worm type and screw type rotary mechanism, ensured the pickup speed 4 city / s.
When firing sight to use standard PN-2 or OP2-55. Sight PP1-2 used as a direct fire, and when firing indirect fire. It consisted of a pan, and the sighting of the, interconnected by screws. At night to illuminate the sight scales used device «Beam-1».
Vertical wedge gate with semi-automatic follower type allowed to reach a rate of 25 rds / min., sighting rate was 15 rds / min.
They fired only place. The stability of self-propelled by firing is provided by folding the coulter, located in the rear part of the machine housing.
gun mount is stowed on the march was provided with a bracket, installed on the roof of the machine cabin, and special stopper, located in the hull rear.
For self-defense self-propelled use standard 7.62-mm machine gun DT, aligning ball bearing in the right frontal cockpit sheet. The machine gun is easily removed and used as a hand.
The carried on ZIS-30 ammunition were 20 shots for the gun and 756 ammunition for the machine gun DT (12 CDs).
The installation consisted of ammunition rounds with subcaliber (UBR-27s, UBR-271N), fragmentation (UO-UO-271U or 271UŽ) and armor-piercing tracer slow-witted and ostrogolovymi (UBR-271, UBR-271K, UBR-271SP) shells.
Blank range armor-piercing projectile at a target height 2 m was 1100 m. Firing range fragmentation grenade was RO-271U 8400 m.
Power point, transmission and self-propelled undercarriage ZIS-30 remained unchanged with polubronirovannym tractor T-20.
Performance characteristics of the self-propelled gun ZIS-30:
Crew, people: 4
Weight, kg: 4 000
dimensions:
- length, m: 3,45
- width, m: 1,859
- height, m: 2,23
- clearance, m: 0,3
booking, mm
- forehead housing: 10
- board: 7
- feed: 7
weaponry:
- 57-mm gun ZIS-2, ammunition 20 shells;
- 7.62-mm machine gun DT, ammunition 756 rounds.
Engine: «GAS-AA», 6-cylinder, 50 HP.
Cruising on the highway, km: 152
full speed, kmh: 50
released, PC: 101.
/Roman Skomorokhov, topwar.ru/
