SU-100 - Soviet self-propelled gun mount class of tank destroyers, the best Soviet medium SPG during the Second World War.

The search for ways to increase the firepower of the SU-85 began immediately after the start of its serial production. Work was carried out both in the direction of creating high-power guns, which had a high initial velocity of the projectile, and in increasing their caliber. However, the creation of the SU-85BM self-propelled artillery unit (SAU) and the design of the SU-D25 and SU-D15 ended in failure. The barrel of the first one did not pass the test of firing, and the other two were considered unpromising.

CREATURE

The problem of enhancing firepower was solved by using a gun with ballistics of the 100-mm B-34 naval gun on the ACS. This development was carried out on the initiative of the chief designer L. I. Gorlitsky by the design team of the Uralmash plant.

New fighting machine was created on the basis of the aggregates of the T-34-85 tank and the SU-85 self-propelled gun. Engine, transmission and chassis remained the same. Only due to some overload of the front rollers, their suspension was strengthened by increasing the diameter of the spring wire from 30 to 34 mm. The SU-85 hull underwent few, but very important changes: the frontal armor was increased from 45 to 75 mm, the commander's cupola and MK-IV observation devices were introduced, and two fans were installed to intensively clean the fighting compartment of powder gases. In general, 72% of the parts were borrowed from the T-34-85, 4% from the SU-122.7.5% from the SU-85, and only 16.5% were redesigned.

PRODUCTION

Production of the SU-100 began in September 1944. At the same time, at the suggestion of L.I. Gorlitsky, both art systems - D-1 OS and D-5S - were mounted in the most unified hulls, suitable for installing either of the two guns or any ammunition rack. Only the marching mount, swivel mechanism, sights and armor protection of the guns have changed. The design of the SU-85 especially benefited from this unification; suffice it to say that its ammunition capacity increased to 60 rounds. The first unified SPG was released in July. In August, the plant stopped manufacturing the SU-85 and switched over to the production of "hybrids" bearing the SU-85M index, which lasted for three months parallel to the SU-100.

Soon after the development of the SU-100, Uralmash-plant designed a more powerful self-propelled gun, armed with a 122-mm cannon D-25S from plant No. 9. This machine, created on the basis of the SU-100, received the index SU-122P. Its D-25S gun was mounted in the same mounting parts as the D-10S. The gun ammunition consisted of 26 separate loading rounds. The prototype was manufactured in September 1944, and after tests it was recognized as suitable for arming the Red Army, but in mass production it was not launched. Apparently, the reason was that the D-25S gun did not have any advantages over the D-10S, with the exception of the more powerful high-explosive action of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile. As for the modernization of the SU-100 in the USSR, it was carried out in parallel with the T-34-85 using similar components and assemblies. In the late 1950s - early 1960s, the SU-100 was equipped with an improved V-2-34M (or V-2-34M-11) engine, an NK-10 fuel pump, VTI-3 air cleaners with ejection dust extraction, commander's observation device TPKU-2B and night vision device of the driver-mechanic BVN, radio station 10RT-26E and TPU-47. Introduced into ammunition cumulative projectiles, and in the stowage of personal weapons of the crew instead of the PPSh submachine gun - an AK-47 submachine gun.

In the second half of the 1960s, the night vision device was replaced with a more advanced TBH-2, the R-113 radio station was installed, the road wheels of the chassis were borrowed from the T-44M tank.

Application and service

The layout of the SU-100 is similar to the layout of the SU-122 and SU-85. Unlike the latter, the chassis and the engine-transmission group are borrowed from the T-34-85 tank.

The body of the self-propelled guns was a rigid armored box welded from rolled armor plates. The bow of the hull was formed by two inclined plates welded to the cast front beam. Machines of later releases had a body with a bezel-less nose. In the upper frontal sheet there were: a cutout for installing a gun, a hole for firing from personal weapons and three holes that were closed with threaded plugs. In front of the driver's seat in the upper frontal sheet of the hull there was an entrance hatch, closed by an armored cover, in which observation devices were installed. The rest of the SPG hull is identical to that of the T-34-85 medium tank. In the upper frontal sheet of the hull, a 100-mm D-10S cannon mod. 1944 with a barrel length of 56 calibers. Vertical guidance from -3 ° to + 20 °, horizontal - 16 °. The shutter of the gun is a horizontal wedge, with a semiautomatic mechanism of the mechanical type. For direct fire, a telescopic articulated sight TSh-19 was installed, for firing from closed positions - a side level and a panorama. The gun ammunition consisted of 33 art rounds, which were placed in the fighting compartment in five ammunition racks.

DEPARTMENT OF CONTROL AND COMBAT Squad

The control department was located in the bow of the ACS. It housed the driver's seat, gearbox rocker, levers and pedals of control drives, instrumentation, two compressed air cylinders, front fuel tanks, part of the ammunition and spare parts, TPU apparatus, etc. The fighting compartment was located in the middle of the hull. behind the department of management. It housed weapons with sights, the main part of the ammunition, a radio station, two TPU devices and part of the spare parts. To the right of the gun was the commander's seat, behind him was the loader's seat, to the left of the gun was the gunner's seat. In the roof of the fighting compartment, under two armored caps, two exhaust fans were attached.

POWER DEPARTMENT

The power compartment was located behind the fighting one and was separated from it by a removable partition. In front of the power compartment, an engine was installed on a sub-engine frame. On either side of it were water radiators, two fuel tanks, two oil tanks and four batteries - two on each side. An oil cooler was mounted on the left water radiator. In the aft part of the power compartment, behind the bulkhead, there were the main clutch with a fan, a gearbox, side clutches with brakes, an electric starter, final drives, two fuel tanks and two air cleaners. In the front right part of the roof of the fighting compartment, a round cut was made, along the edge of which the body of the commander's cupola was welded. For circular observation in the walls of the turret there were five viewing slots, covered with protective glasses. In the turret roof rotating on a ball support, there was a hatch with a double-leaf cover and an opening for an MK-IV viewing device in one of the doors.

For self-propelled guns of later releases, which had turrets with a single-leaf lid, the viewing device was installed in a non-reclining part. The hatch covers were unified with the corresponding covers of the T-34-85.8 tank at the rear of the roof of the fighting compartment, there was a hatch-manhole, which was closed with a single-leaf cover - in early-production vehicles it is double-leaf, like in the SU-85. In front of the roof there was a panorama hatch with a two-piece cover. Between it and the commander's cupola, under the elongated cap, there was an arm for the stopper for mounting the gun on the marching one. In the aft wall of the fighting compartment, an opening for firing from personal weapons and a viewing slot with protective glass were provided. In the bottom there was an emergency exit hatch, closed by a lid.

ENGINE, TRANSMISSION AND UNDERWEAR

The SU-100 was powered by a V-2-34 12-cylinder four-stroke compressorless diesel engine. The rated power of the engine is 450 hp. from. at 1750 rpm; operating - 400 liters. from. at 1700 rpm, maximum - 500 l, s. at 1800 rpm. The capacity of the fuel tanks is 400 liters. Outside, on the sides of the hull, four fuel tanks of 95 liters each were installed. External fuel tanks were not connected to the engine power system. The transmission consisted of a multi-plate main dry friction clutch (steel on steel), a gearbox, side clutches, brakes and final drives. The gearbox is five-speed, with constant gear engagement. Onboard clutches are multi-disc, dry (steel on steel), floating brakes, band brakes, with cast iron linings. Single-stage final drives. The chassis of the ACS, applied to one side, consisted of five double rubberized road wheels with a diameter of 830 mm. Individual spring suspension. Due to some overload of the front road wheels, their suspension was strengthened compared to the T-34-85 by increasing the diameter of the spring wire from 30 to 34 mm.

The rear drive wheels had six rollers for engaging with the grooves of the tracked tracks. The idler wheels are cast, with a crank mechanism for tensioning the tracks. The caterpillars are steel, fine-link, with ridge engagement.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ACS SU-100

Combat weight, t: 31.6
Crew, pers .: 4
Overall dimensions, mm:
length: 9450
width: 3000
Height: 2245
ground clearance: 400
Reservation, mm:
body forehead: 75
stern side: 45
roof and bottom: 20
Max speed, km / h: 48.3
Cruising in store, km: 310
Overcoming obstacles:
ascent angle, city .: 35
ditch width, m: 2.5
wall height: 0.73
ford depth, m: 1.3

They call a simple weapon mounted on a wheeled or tracked self-propelled chassis and designed exclusively for firing from closed positions. Therefore, to be legally accurate, the design designated as SU-100 should be called either an assault gun or an anti-tank self-propelled gun. But let's not find fault with the names, but consider the history of the creation of an artillery installation.

History of the SU-100

The SPG SU-85 was already in production. Her main task there was a fight with the TIGER tank. The fact is that the appearance of this tank on the battlefield caused panic among the command staff of our army. Only an 85 mm anti-aircraft gun and a 57 mm anti-tank gun, which were not produced at that time, could fight him. Quickly put the barrel off anti-aircraft gun into the T-34 tank did not work. It needed an oversized turret, and the famous sloping side armor of the tank (which is always represented as ingenious invention Soviet tank builders) did not allow this to be done. Another bottleneck was the machine, or rather its absence, which could cut a gear ring on an oversized tower. There were only two such machines, not at the factory, but throughout the Soviet Union. Both machines were either English or American (another hello to those who think that we ourselves won the war) and they were fully loaded with the manufacture of turrets for tanks of the JOSEPH STALIN series. But in a self-propelled gun with a box-type conning tower, the barrel from an anti-aircraft gun was installed without problems. But the problem with the TIGER tank was not completely resolved. The fact is that the armor-piercing projectile anti-aircraft gun pierced the side armor of a tiger with a thickness of 82 millimeters from a distance of 1500 meters. And he pierced the frontal armor with a thickness of one hundred millimeters from a distance of one thousand meters. But an armor-piercing shell of a tiger with a caliber of 88 millimeters pierced EVERYTHING from a distance of one and a half kilometers. For those who are especially meticulous, I explain. ALL of this (we go from bottom to top) is not hardened nose beam 150 millimeters thick, frontal sloping armor, gun mask - these are for the T-34 and for the SU-85. For the KV VSE tank, this is frontal armor with a screen, with a total thickness of one hundred and five millimeters.
Therefore, I wanted something more powerful. In their publications about the SU-100 armament, many authors simply state that they decided to create a tank gun with the ballistics of the B-34 naval gun. Can you imagine what the ballistics of the B-34 is (that is, 900 meters per second for a caliber projectile) for 1943? It's a little easier than going to the moon today. It is easier for a naval gun, there are no weight restrictions, one barrel with a breech in the B-34 weighed four tons. Attempts to create a land version of a hundred millimeter cannon with a high initial speed in the form of an anti-aircraft gun dragged on from about thirty-third. The K-73 model turned out to be the closest to success. So there were many options, but the D-10S tank gun of the ninth plant was installed on the SU-100. Which became a long-liver and was installed on many tank models, but was already called the D-10T. The weight of the barrel with the bolt was about one and a half tons. Semi-automatic wedge shutter. That is, when the projectile is rammed, the bolt wedge closes itself, throwing back the loader's hand. After the shot, it opens by ejecting the cartridge case. On the street, a healthy person can fire a gun with such a bolt fifteen times a minute. But in a tank there are no more than six, and on average, four shots are obtained. It all depends on whether the tank is standing or moving and from which packing you need to get the shells.

SU-100 device

To create a new self-propelled installation used the SU-85 hull with minimal changes. The main difference was the presence of a new commander's cupola, which went beyond the dimensions of the conning tower.

Comparison of two self-propelled guns, a cylindrical commander's cupola is visible on the starboard side of the new one.

The SU-100 self-propelled gun had an oblique booking made of rolled armor plates of various thicknesses. The conning tower's forehead had a thickness of 75 millimeters at the top sheet and 45 at the bottom. The upper armor plate had an inclination of fifty degrees and the lower fifty-five. The sides of the hull and deckhouse were assembled from armor plates 45 millimeters thick. The side surfaces of the cabin had a slope of twenty degrees, and the sides of the hull were vertical. And holes were made in all sides of the fighting compartment (the hand does not rise to call them holes) for firing a pistol. Look carefully at the photos, these holes are good views, although sometimes they are plugged with armor plugs.



The photo clearly shows that due to the fan protruding beyond the dimensions of the engine, the engine itself is raised from the floor of the case by thirty centimeters, thereby greatly increasing the height and weight of the case. An unhardened nose boom is visible in the bow. In the aft part, the sloped armor enrages, if in front it does not help much, then why should it hang in the stern? Straight armor (in the upper part) and a triangular gas tank of three hundred liters directly asks there. And so it (the gas tank) was placed in the fighting compartment so that if the crew got hit, there would be no chance at all.

Pay attention - from the side of a well-fed man, the neck of the gas tank is located above and to the right of the headlight. On the other hand, above the driver's hatch, there is a hole for firing a pistol. There is a sight hole in the cannon mask.

The driver's seat was to the left of the gun, the self-propelled gun commander was located in the turret to the right of the gun, the loader was located behind him, and the gunner was located behind the driver to the left of the gun. For embarkation and disembarkation of the crew in the self-propelled armored hull there were: a hatch in the roof of the commander's cupola and a hatch for the driver in the upper frontal plate and a hatch in the aft part of the conning tower roof. In addition, there was a landing hatch on the right side of the SU-100 hull bottom. A double-leaf hatch in the front left part of the roof of the fighting compartment was used to set the gun panorama. In addition, in the frontal plate above the driver's hatch, as well as in the sides and stern of the wheelhouse, there were holes closed with armored plugs for firing from personal weapons. That is, even at the design stage, it was predicted that the combat vehicle would be abandoned by the infantry to their fate. The ventilation of the fighting compartment was carried out using two fans installed in the roof of the fighting compartment. Access to the engine and transmission units of the SU-100, like the T-34 tank, was through hatches in the engine compartment roof and the hinged upper stern plate.

The chassis is completely taken from the T-34 tank with all its shortcomings. The weight of the self-propelled gun increased to 31 tons, and due to the frontal armor plate and the length of the gun it was shifted forward. Therefore, the springs on the ancient candle-type suspension began to be made of thicker wire. The long gun made it difficult to maneuver, especially on the battlefield.



The photo clearly shows that although the height of the engine compartment of the T-34-85 and SU-100 are the same, the overall height of the self-propelled gun is significantly less due to the lack of a turret.

Armament and ammunition SU-100

The self-propelled unit was armed with a D-10 gun with a length of fifty-six calibers. starting speed high-explosive shell weighing 15.6 kilograms was 900 meters per second. Armor-piercing caliber shells, due to their greater weight, developed a slightly lower speed. The projectile power was just over six million joules. His blow did not penetrate, but broke through the armor of high hardness, so the armor against large-caliber projectiles is made more plastic but, accordingly, less hard. A new phenomenon was noted, the crews often abandoned tanks without through-damage. It turned out that the sound of a powerful projectile hitting the armor causes a condition similar to a shell shock in the crew.

The gun was mounted in a frame, and the frame itself was attached to the front sheet. The steering angle was very limited. Twenty degrees up, three down, and sixteen in the horizontal plane.



Self-propelled ammunition was thirty-three shells. Pay attention - a sharp-headed armor-piercing projectile (far left) looks much dumber than a blunt-headed one (far right). On this external discrepancy, many poor students of the tank school were punctured. Sharp-headed projectile is very prone to ricochet, but much easier to manufacture.









The photographs show the post-war shells for one hundred millimeter cannons. Sub-caliber with a detachable pallet, non-rotating, with arrow-shaped slaughter elements.

Self-propelled artillery unit SU-100 in battles

The production of the SU-100 began at the end of the forty-fourth year at a rate of two hundred vehicles per month. And then Unexpectedly it turned out that armor-piercing shells for the D-10S cannon are not being produced (hello to those who believe that there was order under Stalin). Therefore, the self-propelled guns entered the battle only in early spring forty-fifth year. The SU-100 took its main battle in the area of ​​Lake Balaton against the best German tank divisions. They acted perfectly from ambushes, but they lost an open battle because the armor did not help and the one who got the first hit won. The Germans had better optics and calculation skills with a higher rate of fire from the advantages - I already wrote that the TIGER was the best anti-tank self-propelled gun. Our disadvantage was a small angle of rotation of the gun.

In Game…

The SU-100 is a continuation of the excellent branch of tank destroyers of the USSR. In the research tree, it is located at level 6, right after the vehicle that was taken as a basis - SU-85. Therefore, it is logical that the gameplay will not have any special differences. All the same, for better performance, it is advisable to play from cover, with the second line, trying not to get into the line of sight of the enemy and not give out your location. And do not forget to move forward, constantly realizing your damage per minute to the maximum. Play carefully, retreat if necessary in order to continue to realize your damage from a distance. The main noticeable difference of the vehicle is, of course, the top gun, capable of inflicting as much as 390 damage at the sixth level with armor-piercing shells with 175 mm armor penetration! Well, a small change in armor - a stronger forehead with 75 mm of sloped armor.

The weapon:

In terms of the weapon, the owners of the SU-100 are divided into two types: those who like to shoot quickly and those who like to shoot painfully. The first weapon capable of making a significant contribution to the victory of the team is the D-10S, with a caliber of 100 mm. It is quite accurate, with a spread of 0.4 m at 100 m and an aiming time of 2.3 seconds. Capable of delivering up to 1947 damage per minute without third-party modules. The shells are cheaper, and accordingly, your miss will cost you less, but at the same time, the hit will not be so crushing, besides, with each shot, your disguise will be noticeably lost. The second weapon is the favorite of many D2-5S with the same penetration, but one-time average damage of 390. Yes, its accuracy is slightly worse - 0.43 and the time of full aiming is as much as 2.9 seconds. But! Each shot at the target brings pleasure to you and unpleasant sensations to the enemy. The main thing is to think over each shot and shoot when you are sure of the result. And with a rate of fire of 4.69 rounds per minute, it can produce an average of 1830 damage per minute. This is certainly less, but the damage will be VERY unpleasant, literally splitting Tier 6 tanks, for example.

Modules:

The situation with modules is the same as with its predecessor - SU-85. You should maximize the use of your weapon, respectively, the Reinforced aiming drives and the Rammer must be installed without fail! The third should be chosen depending on your own style of play. Stereo trumpet seems to me to be the best solution for playing on a similar PT.
Crew skills

If you upgrade this branch of AT, then most likely you will have a crew with suitable perks from the previous vehicle - the Sixth Sense on the commander as the first perk, as well as the upgraded Repair and Disguise in the first place! The rest of the skills should be looked at only when the crew has pumped these two completely.

In history...

The release of the new SU-100 tank destroyer in the Soviet Union was due to the fact that by the end of 1944 the SU-85 was no longer able to penetrate the sloped armor of the new Tigers and Panthers. The days of the SU-85 were numbered, and it was required new design with a new, more powerful weapon to maintain the advantage in battles.

The SU-100 was very similar to its predecessor, including most of its design, but assembled around its new 100mm D-10 anti-tank gun.

The chief designer of this machine was L.I. Gorlitsky, who created in February 1944 a prototype - "Object 138", designed to test several 100 mm guns. This gun showed excellent performance, being able to penetrate 120 mm from a distance of two kilometers, or 85 mm thick sloped frontal armor of the Panther from a distance of more than one and a half kilometers.

The SU-100 was built at the Ural Heavy Machine Building Plant (Uralmash), with a newly developed wheelhouse, sacrificing useful space, but improving the slope and thickness of the armor - the thickness of the slab in the forehead increased to 75 mm. The fighting bay was also cooler thanks to a second fan, and a new, better-designed command tower was installed on the roof.

Subsequently, only one D-10S gun was retained. Also, this weapon and its post-war modifications were equipped with Russian tanks T-54 and T-55 were in service with many armies around the world.
Mass production was approved in September 1944, so the SU-100 missed Operation Bagration, but just arrived in time for the final stage of the offensive against Germany and Berlin, while others took part in the Romanian-Hungarian offensive.

The SU-100 was assigned to operational units in October 1944 and immediately became popular with Russian crews. This tank could destroy almost any tank on the battlefield, but lost its relevance in 1945 with the advent of the Royal Tiger.

As with the SU-85, they had no secondary weapons and were designed to fight alongside other units that neutralize infantry and aircraft. In July 1945, about 2350 cars were produced, the exact data still vary. Many of them were deployed to Asia in August 1945 for a major offensive in Manchuria.

Most of the installations were transferred to friendly countries during the Warsaw Pact. They were even recruited into Korea and Vietnam, and were present in many other countries until the end. cold war... Also, two post-war variants were developed - the Yugoslavian M44 and the Egyptian SU-100M (that is, "modified"). This, latest version was a modernized, tropical version for the conditions of the Middle East. They participated in events during Suez Crisis 1956, 1967 Six Day War and War Doomsday 1973.

SU-100. Historical characteristics:

  • Dimensions: 6.10x3x2.45 m
  • Weight: 30.6 tons
  • Crew: 4
  • Engine: diesel V12, 493 hp
  • Maximum speed: 48 km / h
  • Suspension: Christie vertical spring suspension
  • Distance: 370 km
  • Gun: 100 mm D-10S anti-tank gun
  • Armor (forehead / sides / stern): 75/45/45

SU-100 - Soviet SPG during the Second World War, belongs to the class of tank destroyers, average in weight. The self-propelled gun was created on the basis of the T-34-85 medium tank by the designers of Uralmashzavod in late 1943 and early 1944. In essence, it is a further development of the SU-85 ACS. Developed to replace the SU-85, which lacked the ability to fight German heavy tanks. Serial production of the SU-100 ACS began at Uralmashzavod in August 1944 and continued until March 1946. In addition, from 1951 to 1956, the self-propelled guns were produced in Czechoslovakia under license. In total, according to various sources, from 4,772 to 4,976 self-propelled guns of this type were produced in the USSR and Czechoslovakia.

By the middle of 1944, it became finally clear that the means available to the Red Army to combat modern German tanks clearly not enough. A qualitative strengthening of the armored forces was necessary. They tried to solve this issue by using 100-mm guns with ballistics of the B-34 naval gun on the ACS. The draft design of the vehicle was presented to the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry in December 1943, and already on December 27, 1943, the State Defense Committee decided to adopt a new medium SPG armed with a 100-mm gun. The place of production of the new self-propelled gun was determined by "Uralmashzavod".


The terms of development were set very tight, however, having received the drawings of the S-34 gun, the factory was convinced that this gun was not suitable for an SPG: it has very impressive dimensions, and when pointing to the left, it rests against the second suspension, not allowing it to be placed on the same place driver's hatch. In order to install this gun on a self-propelled gun, serious changes were required in its design, including its sealed hull. All this entailed a change in production lines, a shift in the driver's workplace and controls by 100 mm. left and change the suspension. The mass of the ACS could increase by 3.5 tons compared to the SU-85.

In order to cope with the problem, "Uralmashzavod" turned to plant No. 9 for help, where at the end of February 1944, under the leadership of designer F. F. Petrov, a 100-mm D-10S gun was created, developed on the basis of a naval anti-aircraft gun B-34. The created gun had a lower mass in comparison with the C-34 and was freely mounted in the serial self-propelled gun body without any significant changes and an increase in the weight of the vehicle. Already on March 3, 1944, the first prototype of the new self-propelled gun, armed with the new D-10S gun, was sent to undergo factory tests.

The performance characteristics of the new SU-100 ACS allowed it to successfully fight modern German tanks at a distance of 1,500 meters for Tigers and Panthers, regardless of the point of impact of the projectile. ACS "Ferdinand" could be hit from a distance of 2000 meters, but only when it hit the side armor. The SU-100 had an exceptional firepower for Soviet armored vehicles. Its armor-piercing projectile penetrated 125 mm at a distance of 2000 meters. vertical armor, and at a distance of up to 1000 meters pierced most of the German armored vehicles almost through and through.

Design features

ACS SU-100 was designed on the basis of units of the T-34-85 tank and ACS SU-85. All the main components of the tank - chassis, transmission, engine - were used without changes. The thickness of the frontal armor of the wheelhouse was almost doubled (from 45 mm for the SU-85 to 75 mm for the SU-100). The increase in armor, coupled with the increase in the mass of the gun, led to the fact that the suspension of the front rollers came out overloaded. They tried to solve the problem by increasing the diameter of the spring wire from 30 to 34 mm, but it was not possible to completely eliminate it. This issue reflects the constructive legacy of the Christie's backward suspension.


The hull of the self-propelled gun, borrowed from the SU-85, has undergone, albeit few, but very important changes. In addition to the increase in frontal armor, the commander's cupola with MK-IV observation devices (a copy of the British) appeared on the ACS. Also, 2 fans were installed on the machine for better cleaning of the fighting compartment from powder gases. In general, 72% of the parts were borrowed from the T-34 medium tank, 7.5% from the SU-85 ACS, 4% from the SU-122 ACS, and 16.5% were redesigned.

ACS SU-100 possessed a classic for Soviet self-propelled guns layout. The fighting compartment, which was combined with the control compartment, was located in front of the hull, in a fully armored conning tower. Here were located the controls for the mechanisms of the ACS, the main armament complex with sights, the ammunition for the gun, the tank communication device (TPU-3-BisF), the radio station (9RS or 9RM). It also housed bow fuel tanks and part of a useful tool and spare accessories (spare parts).

In front, in the left corner of the wheelhouse, there was workplace the driver, opposite whom there was a rectangular hatch in the frontal sheet of the hull. In the cover of its hatch, 2 prismatic viewing devices were mounted. To the right of the gun was the seat of the vehicle commander. Immediately behind the driver's seat was the gunner's seat, and in the left rear corner of the conning tower - the loader. In the roof of the wheelhouse there were 2 rectangular hatches for embarkation / disembarkation of the crew, a fixed commander's cupola and 2 fans under the hoods. The commander's turret had 5 viewing slots with bulletproof glass, MK-IV periscope viewing devices were located in the commander's turret hatch cover and the gunner's left flap of the gunner's hatch cover.


The engine compartment was located immediately behind the fighting one and was separated from it by a special partition. In the middle of the MTO on the sub-engine frame was mounted diesel engine B-2-34, which developed a power of 520 hp. With this engine, the ACS weighing 31.6 tons could accelerate along the highway to 50 km / h. The transmission compartment was located in the rear of the self-propelled gun body, there were the main and side clutches with brakes, a 5-speed gearbox, 2 inertial oil air cleaners and 2 fuel tanks. The capacity of the internal fuel tanks of the SU-100 ACS was 400 liters, this amount of fuel was enough to make a 310-km march along the highway.

The main armament of the self-propelled gun was the 100-mm rifled gun D-10S mod. 1944 of the year. The length of the gun barrel was 56 calibers (5608 mm). The initial velocity of the armor-piercing projectile was 897 m / s, and the maximum muzzle energy was 6.36 MJ. The gun was equipped with a semi-automatic horizontal wedge breechblock, as well as a mechanical and electromagnetic release. To ensure smooth aiming in the vertical plane, the gun was equipped with a spring-type compensating mechanism. The recoil devices consisted of a hydropneumatic knurler and a hydraulic recoil brake, which were located above the gun barrel on the right and left, respectively. The total mass of the gun and recoil mechanisms was 1435 kg. ACS SU-100 ammunition included 33 unitary rounds with armor-piercing tracer shells BR-412 and HE-412 high-explosive fragmentation.

The gun was installed in the frontal deckhouse plate in a special cast frame on double pins. The pointing angles in the vertical plane were in the range from -3 to +20 degrees, in the horizontal plane - 16 degrees (8 in each direction). The aiming of the gun at the target was carried out using two manual mechanisms - a screw-type rotary mechanism and a sector-type lifting mechanism. When firing from closed positions, the Hertz panorama and the side level were used to aim the gun; when firing direct fire, the gunner used the TSh-19 telescopic articulated sight, which had a 4x magnification and a field of view of 16 degrees. The technical rate of fire of the gun was 4-6 rounds per minute.


Combat use

ACS SU-100 began to enter the troops in November 1944. In December 1944, the troops began to form 3 separate self-propelled artillery brigades of the RGVK, each of which consisted of 3 regiments armed with SU-100 self-propelled guns. The staff of the brigade included 65 SU-100 self-propelled guns, 3 SU-76 self-propelled guns and 1,492 average personnel. The brigades, numbered 207th Leningradskaya, 208th Dvinskaya and 209th, were created on the basis of the existing separate tank brigades. In early February 1945, all formed brigades were transferred to the fronts.

Thus, brigades and regiments armed with SU-100 self-propelled guns took part in the final battles of the Great Patriotic War, as well as in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army. The inclusion of ACS data in the advancing mobile groups significantly increased their striking power. Often the SU-100 was used to complete the breakthrough of the tactical depth of the German defense. At the same time, the nature of the battle was similar to an offensive against the enemy, hastily preparing for the defense. Preparations for the offensive took limited time or were not carried out at all.

However, ACS SU-100 happened not only to attack. In March 1945, they took part in defensive battles by Lake Balaton. Here, as part of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, from March 6 to 16, they participated in repelling the counterstrike of the 6 SS Panzer Army. All 3 brigades, armed with the SU-100, formed in December 1944, were involved in repelling the counterstrike, and separate self-propelled artillery regiments armed with the SU-85 and SU-100 self-propelled guns were also used in defense.


In battles from 11 to 12 March, these ACS were often used as tanks, due to large losses armored vehicles. Therefore, on the front, an order was given to equip all SPGs. light machine guns for better self-defense. Following the results of the March defensive battles in Hungary, the SU-100 earned a very flattering assessment from the Soviet command.

Without a doubt, the SU-100 ACS was the most successful and powerful Soviet anti-tank ACS during the Great Patriotic War. The SU-100 was 15 tons lighter and at the same time had comparable armor protection and better mobility in comparison with the identical German tank destroyer Yagdpanther. At the same time, the German self-propelled gun, armed with 88-mm German cannon Cancer 43/3, surpassed the Soviet one in armor penetration and the size of the ammunition rack. The Jagdpanthers cannon, due to the use of the more powerful PzGr 39/43 projectile with a ballistic tip, had better armor penetration at long distances. A similar Soviet projectile BR-412D was developed in the USSR only after the end of the war. Unlike the German tank destroyer, the SU-100 ammunition did not contain cumulative and sub-caliber ammunition. At the same time, the high-explosive fragmentation effect of a 100-mm projectile was naturally higher than that of German self-propelled guns... In general, both of the best medium anti-tank self-propelled guns of the Second World War did not have any outstanding advantages, despite the fact that the possibilities of using the SU-100 were somewhat wider.

Tactical and technical characteristics: SU-100
Weight: 31.6 tons.
Dimensions:
Length 9.45 m., Width 3.0 m., Height 2.24 m.
Crew: 4 people.
Reservation: from 20 to 75 mm.
Armament: 100-mm gun D-10S
Ammunition: 33 shells
Engine: twelve-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine V-2-34 with a capacity of 520 hp
Maximum speed: on the highway - 50 km / h
Progress in store: on the highway - 310 km.

The SU-100-Y is an experimental heavy Soviet self-propelled gun based on the T-100 tank, produced in a single copy in 1940.

The history of the SU-100U

Even during Winter War The Red Army felt an acute need for armored engineering vehicles. In 1939, it was decided to create an engineering tank based on the T-100 with anti-cannon armor to transport explosives and sappers, lay the bridge, evacuate damaged tanks and perform other similar tasks.

During the design, an order was received - they demanded to put a cannon on the T-100 base in order to fight the enemy's fortifications. As a result, the plant was asked to change plans, that is, to start designing not an engineering vehicle, but an ACS. The permission was obtained, and in January 1940 the drawings of the T-100-X, the prototype of the SU-100-Y, were handed over to the Izhora plant.

During the manufacture of the machine, the wheelhouse was replaced with a simpler one in order to speed up the assembly, and by March 1940 the SU-100-Y or T-100-Y, as it was also called, set off for the first exit.

Performance characteristics (TTX) SU-100U

general information

  • Classification - ACS;
  • Combat weight - 64 tons;
  • Crew - 6 people;
  • The number of issued - 1 piece.

Dimensions (edit)

  • Body length - 10900 mm;
  • Case width - 3400 mm;
  • Height - 3290 mm.

Reservation

  • Armor type - rolled steel;
  • Body forehead - 60 mm;
  • Hull side - 60 mm;
  • Body feed - 60 mm;
  • Bottom - 20-30 mm;
  • Hull roof - 20 mm;
  • The forehead of the tower is 60 mm.

Armament

  • Caliber and brand of the gun - 130 mm B-13-IIs cannon;
  • Cannon type - shipborne;
  • Barrel length - 55 calibers;
  • Gun ammunition - 30;
  • HV angles: 45 °
  • Firing range - 25.5 km;
  • Machine guns - 3 × DT-29.

Mobility

  • Engine type - carburetor, 12-cylinder, V-shaped, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled GAM-34BT (GAM-34);
  • Engine power - 890 hp;
  • Highway speed - 32 km / h;
  • Cross country speed - 12 km / h;
  • In store down the highway - 120 km;
  • Cruising in store for rough terrain - 60 km;
  • Suspension type - torsion bar;
  • Specific ground pressure - 0.75 kg / cm²;
  • Climbability - 42 degrees;
  • Overcoming wall - 1.3 m;
  • Overcome moat - 4 m;
  • Overcome ford - 1.25 m.

Use in battle

In March 1940, the SU-100-Y was sent to Karelia, but by that time fighting there have already ended, and it was not possible to test the car in combat conditions. The self-propelled gun fired at the defensive lines of the Finns. The car performed well, but due to large mass and its size was too difficult to transport by rail.

When the KV-1 and KV-2 were adopted, all work on vehicles based on the T-100 was completely completed. In the summer of 1940, the self-propelled gun was transferred to Kubinka, and in 1941 she participated in the defense of Moscow together with the SU-14-1 and SU-14. There is no other information on the use of the SU-100-Y.

Tank memory

The SU-100-Y, unlike its base, the T-100, has survived today and is exhibited in a museum in Kubinka.