Computer games are like "cut" the young people and the older generation may not have such a patriotic and educational value as "Summer lightning" of past decades, but carry important information component.Many combat vehicles, rare and unreleased in small amounts, are now available for analysis.An example is the light self-propelled gun SU-85b.«World Of Tanks» - a popular game, it contains tanks of all the belligerent countries.Every gamer can try their hand in the management of this machine, and the shooting of her guns.In real life, it is no longer possible.What was our soldiers who fell to fight these weapons?The issue requires a detailed answer.
Ancestor - SU-76
Review SU-85b should begin with a complete analysis of its direct ancestor, SU-76, appeared in the second half of 1942 in combat units of the Red Army.At this stage of the war, our troops had to use everything that could shoot at the enemy, so the history of the self-propelled full of drama.CB №38 was given the task: to construct on the basis of components and assemblies, Soviet industry producing in sufficient quantities, fighting machine, capable of destroying any German tank.Chief Designer S. Ginsburg was raised in difficult conditions.In stock had a regular car engine GAZ-202 (70 hp), which was not enough to propel the car, weighing, according to conservative estimates, more than ten tons.This engine worked, of course, on gasoline, but also a German armored vehicles used the same type of fuel, so the fire danger in the account did not take.The desired torque has been achieved by placing in parallel two engines GAZ-22 and install them in the nose of the car.Issued were 320 pieces SU-76, at the front (Volkhov, Kursk) immediately revealed structural deficiencies.People's Commissar for Tank Industry IM Salzman, Ginsburg refers to prejudice, accused him of failure, resulting in a talented engineer was sent to the front, where he soon died.
Summer 1943, SU-76M
production stopped, but the very idea is not abandoned.She was supported by the new People's Commissar for Tank Industry VAMalyshev, but with certain reservations.First, the designers removed the top cover book fighting, which reduced the overall weight.Secondly, we installed new engines GAZ-203, previously used for the T-70, instead of the parallel circuit and included them in series on a common shaft.
these machines were built around fourteen thousand, more than 9100 made GAZ.
Our response to the appearance of the German heavy armor
In the second half of the war the general trend of enemy armored vehicles can be briefly described as a "thickening of the shell and pulling the trunk."Defense Germans intensified, despite the fact that the weighting is detrimental to driving performance and trunks lengthened to shoot as much as possible from a greater distance.76 mm gun for sure defeat heavy "Tiger" and "Panther" was not enough, the army demanded the artillery tower, able to hit any German tank.SU-85b has become a machine.
answer was asymmetric.The new self-propelled gun remained light, but was seriously armed, and under certain conditions, could easily win over the heavy, armored and formidable opponent, just as the Golden Horde riders maneuver and secrecy prevailed against the Teutonic knights, clad in armor.
Development and testing
SU-85b appeared at the front late in order to fully demonstrate its advantages.Tested a prototype at the site Kubinka victory in January 1945, then quickly made a number of design changes, the relevant remarks of Major General Romanov.Assessing the whole machine is positive, the Commission noted the lack of security inspection slots commander and the driver returns a strong impact on the ergonomics of combat gunnery seats (gunner, to put it simply, when every shot hit in the face nalobnik sight).By eliminating these drawbacks (installation of a muzzle brake and an additional rolling booking) and there was a self-propelled gun SU-85b.
After the war
So, at the end of the war is a self-propelled gun reached a peak capacity of its schemes.The power of the propulsion system was adjusted to 160 hp, road speed increased to 40 km / h (on a country - 19 km / h), booking strengthened, enhanced accuracy.All these tactical and technical data it is allowed to consider the car quite effective means of "finishing" almost defeated Nazi Germany.Tanks of the Wehrmacht was not enough fuel, they had little.
Almost immediately after the Victory SU-85b was removed from production.Created from what was in there, by the end of the great battle this self-propelled gun appeared more than modest against the backdrop ISov, ISU and the same "tridtsatchetverok", which the Soviet defense industry, promote your flywheel to incredible revolutions, could produce thousands.The need for
though armed 85-mm gun, but the low-speed, poorly armored car with a thin coaxial petrol engine, has disappeared.
Perhaps today the SU-85b, few people would have thought, except for those who are interested in military history, if not the computer game "World of Tanks".
