ZSU-37
Encyclopedia
ZSU-37 was a Soviet
-made, light, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed by the end of 1943 and produced at Works No. 40 in Mytishchi
. It was the first Soviet series-produced tracked SPAAG. ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount".
light tank, resulting in the experimental T-90 SPAAG which was armed with two 12.7 mm DShKT
heavy machine gun
s (the prototype was built in November 1942 by GAZ
). The T-70 light tank would eventually be further developed into the SU-76 light self-propelled gun chassis, which in turn was to become the base for the ZSU-37 SPAAG. It was decided to use the chassis of the SU-76M in order to speed up and cheapen the production of the much needed tracked and armoured SPAAGs.
The ZSU-37 was produced from March 1945 to 1948, and 75 vehicles were built in total (only a few vehicles were produced before the war ended, due to temporary manufacturing technology). As a result of its late production and the almost non-appearance of the few remaining Luftwaffe aircraft in the spring of 1945, the ZSU-37 saw no service in World War II. An experimental self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battalion equipped with 12 ZSU-37 SPAAGs was formed by the end of 1945.
After World War II it became clear that the low rate of fire and firepower of a single 37 mm AA gun was not effective against high-speed low altitude targets. The anti-aircraft artillery crews found it difficult to manually track fast-moving targets. SPAAGs based on a light tank chassis also had quite low manœuverability in difficult terrain and low off-road speed and range in comparison with medium tanks and self propelled guns (SPG)s, which the ZSU-37 was meant to protect. The two tandem engines used on the SU-76M chassis required gasoline fuel, which was sometimes a problem in tank units equipped with diesel-engined tanks. The ZSU-37 was retired from service because of the aforementioned reasons soon after series production was stopped.
An effort was made to significantly increase the firepower by mounting the same 37 mm gun into a quad-mount on a T-34 medium tank chassis, but the vehicle never left the design stage as it was recommended by the Technical Council of the Ministry of Transport to use a newer tank chassis and the more powerful S-68 57 mm twin anti-aircraft autocannon, which was being developed at the time. The next step in Soviet tracked SPAAG technology would come with the ZSU-57-2
, which was based on the T-54 medium tank chassis and was mass produced in 1957-1960.
The ZSU-37-2 Yenisei is a later, unrelated design based on the chassis of the experimental SU-100P self-propelled gun. It was armed with a twin-37 mm 500P Angara anti-aircraft autocannon. The development of completely new radar-guided SPAAG vehicles, namely the ZSU-37-2 and the ZSU-23-4
began in 1957. The promising ZSU-37-2 Yenisei competed with the ZSU-23-4 Shilka as the replacement for the ZSU-57-2 SPAAG but the planned series production of the Yenisei was rejected in 1962 in favour of the production of the Shilka.
The crew consisted of six men: a driver, an aimer for azimuth, an aimer for elevation, a sight adjuster for target speed and range, a sight adjuster for target course and dive angle, and a loader.
The ZSU-37 was based on the SU-76M because it also shared its technical drawbacks and advantages, the most discussed of which was the open-top turret. To protect the crew from rain and snow the gun compartment could be covered with tarpaulin, however the gun could not be fully elevated when this was done. The open turret had advantages, such as high elevation angle, excellent visibility for the gunners and no need for ventilation. Light and manœuverable, the ZSU-37 was considered quite an effective SPAAG in the mid-1940s. However, it had insufficient off-road capabilities to accompany medium and heavy tanks in difficult terrain.
Ammunition consisted of 320 armour-piercing, fragmentation incendiary and fragmentation
rounds (all with tracer
s). 130 rounds were in 5-round cartridges and 190 rounds were without cartridges. Armour-piercing composite rounds could be used against enemy heavy tank
s. Muzzle velocity was between 890 and 920 m/s depending on projectile type, the armour-piercing shell weighed 0.785 kg, fragmentation shells weighed 0.732 kg. The autocannon could be depressed and elevated manually between -5° and +85°. Cyclic rate of fire
was 120 to 130 rounds per minute while the practical rate of fire was about 50 to 60 rounds per minute. Maximum combat vertical fire was 2,500 m while the maximum vertical range was 6,500 m.
The vehicle could cross 0.67 m high vertical obstacles, 2 m wide trenches, ford 0.9 m deep water obstacles and climb 25° gradients. Transmission and undercarriage were identical to those of the SU-76M SPG. The engine was also the same but forced from 140 hp on SU-76M to 160 hp - a GAZ-203 which consisted of two tandem GAZ-202 6-cylinder row liquid-cooled gasoline engines, each producing 80 hp (63 kWt) at 3600 rpm.
in Russia.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-made, light, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed by the end of 1943 and produced at Works No. 40 in Mytishchi
Mytishchi
Mytishchi is a city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies to the northeast of Russia's capital Moscow, on the Yauza River and the Moscow–Yaroslavl railroad. The city is the oblast's largest center for industry and education...
. It was the first Soviet series-produced tracked SPAAG. ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount".
History
Soviet engineers carried out some early experiments with tracked SPAAGs before and during World War II, including a modification of the T-70T-70
The T-70 was a light tank used by the Red Army during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support. The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with a two-man turret—it was only produced in very small...
light tank, resulting in the experimental T-90 SPAAG which was armed with two 12.7 mm DShKT
DShK
The DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...
heavy machine gun
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...
s (the prototype was built in November 1942 by GAZ
GAZ
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1932 as NAZ, a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the Russian automotive industry....
). The T-70 light tank would eventually be further developed into the SU-76 light self-propelled gun chassis, which in turn was to become the base for the ZSU-37 SPAAG. It was decided to use the chassis of the SU-76M in order to speed up and cheapen the production of the much needed tracked and armoured SPAAGs.
The ZSU-37 was produced from March 1945 to 1948, and 75 vehicles were built in total (only a few vehicles were produced before the war ended, due to temporary manufacturing technology). As a result of its late production and the almost non-appearance of the few remaining Luftwaffe aircraft in the spring of 1945, the ZSU-37 saw no service in World War II. An experimental self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battalion equipped with 12 ZSU-37 SPAAGs was formed by the end of 1945.
After World War II it became clear that the low rate of fire and firepower of a single 37 mm AA gun was not effective against high-speed low altitude targets. The anti-aircraft artillery crews found it difficult to manually track fast-moving targets. SPAAGs based on a light tank chassis also had quite low manœuverability in difficult terrain and low off-road speed and range in comparison with medium tanks and self propelled guns (SPG)s, which the ZSU-37 was meant to protect. The two tandem engines used on the SU-76M chassis required gasoline fuel, which was sometimes a problem in tank units equipped with diesel-engined tanks. The ZSU-37 was retired from service because of the aforementioned reasons soon after series production was stopped.
An effort was made to significantly increase the firepower by mounting the same 37 mm gun into a quad-mount on a T-34 medium tank chassis, but the vehicle never left the design stage as it was recommended by the Technical Council of the Ministry of Transport to use a newer tank chassis and the more powerful S-68 57 mm twin anti-aircraft autocannon, which was being developed at the time. The next step in Soviet tracked SPAAG technology would come with the ZSU-57-2
ZSU-57-2
The ZSU-57-2 is a Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun , armed with two 57 mm autocannons. 'ZSU' stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount", '57' stands for the bore of the armament in millimetres and '2' stands for the number of gun barrels....
, which was based on the T-54 medium tank chassis and was mass produced in 1957-1960.
The ZSU-37-2 Yenisei is a later, unrelated design based on the chassis of the experimental SU-100P self-propelled gun. It was armed with a twin-37 mm 500P Angara anti-aircraft autocannon. The development of completely new radar-guided SPAAG vehicles, namely the ZSU-37-2 and the ZSU-23-4
ZSU-23-4
The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored, self-propelled, radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system . ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka , meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount". The "23" signifies the bore diameter in millimeters. The "4" signifies the number of gun barrels. It...
began in 1957. The promising ZSU-37-2 Yenisei competed with the ZSU-23-4 Shilka as the replacement for the ZSU-57-2 SPAAG but the planned series production of the Yenisei was rejected in 1962 in favour of the production of the Shilka.
Description
The ZSU-37 SPAAG, which was based on the chassis of the SU-76M was equipped with an open-top turret and armed with one 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon. The vehicle was equipped with an automatic sight of the distance-type with two collimators, a stereo range finder with a 1-meter base, a 12RT-3 radio, a TPU-3F intercom system and mechanical aiming mechanisms with two rates of angular motion for adequate speed and smoothness of aiming (the traverse mechanism had a foot switch of rates).The crew consisted of six men: a driver, an aimer for azimuth, an aimer for elevation, a sight adjuster for target speed and range, a sight adjuster for target course and dive angle, and a loader.
The ZSU-37 was based on the SU-76M because it also shared its technical drawbacks and advantages, the most discussed of which was the open-top turret. To protect the crew from rain and snow the gun compartment could be covered with tarpaulin, however the gun could not be fully elevated when this was done. The open turret had advantages, such as high elevation angle, excellent visibility for the gunners and no need for ventilation. Light and manœuverable, the ZSU-37 was considered quite an effective SPAAG in the mid-1940s. However, it had insufficient off-road capabilities to accompany medium and heavy tanks in difficult terrain.
Ammunition consisted of 320 armour-piercing, fragmentation incendiary and fragmentation
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
rounds (all with tracer
Tracer
Tracer may refer to:* Histochemical tracer, a substance used for tracing purposes in histochemistry, the study of the composition of cells and tissues...
s). 130 rounds were in 5-round cartridges and 190 rounds were without cartridges. Armour-piercing composite rounds could be used against enemy heavy tank
Heavy tank
A heavy tank was a subset of tank that filled the heavy direct-fire role of many armies.Heavy tanks have usually been deployed to breakthrough enemy lines, though in practice have been more useful in the defensive role than in the attack...
s. Muzzle velocity was between 890 and 920 m/s depending on projectile type, the armour-piercing shell weighed 0.785 kg, fragmentation shells weighed 0.732 kg. The autocannon could be depressed and elevated manually between -5° and +85°. Cyclic rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
was 120 to 130 rounds per minute while the practical rate of fire was about 50 to 60 rounds per minute. Maximum combat vertical fire was 2,500 m while the maximum vertical range was 6,500 m.
The vehicle could cross 0.67 m high vertical obstacles, 2 m wide trenches, ford 0.9 m deep water obstacles and climb 25° gradients. Transmission and undercarriage were identical to those of the SU-76M SPG. The engine was also the same but forced from 140 hp on SU-76M to 160 hp - a GAZ-203 which consisted of two tandem GAZ-202 6-cylinder row liquid-cooled gasoline engines, each producing 80 hp (63 kWt) at 3600 rpm.
Variants
- SU-72 - single SPAAG prototype. It was built by GAZGAZGAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1932 as NAZ, a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the Russian automotive industry....
in the autumn of 1942. Based on the T-60T-60The T-60 scout tank was a light tank produced by the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1942. In this time over 6,292 were built. The tank was designed to replace the obsolete T-38 amphibious scout tank.-Design:...
and T-70T-70The T-70 was a light tank used by the Red Army during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support. The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with a two-man turret—it was only produced in very small...
light tank designs, it was armed with a 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon in a fixed turret. The unsatisfactory performance of the engine cooling system was discovered during ground tests, also GAZ needed a significant change to its production operation to organize the serial production of new types of vehicles which was impossible during wartime. - SU-11 - single SPAAG prototype. Built by Works No. 38 in KirovKirov, Kirov OblastKirov , formerly known as Vyatka and Khlynov, is a city in northeastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, and the administrative center of Kirov Oblast. Population: -History:...
in November 1942. It was based on the T-60 and T-70 light tank designs, it was also armed with a 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon in a rotating turret. The official tests were performed in December 1942 but the vehicle did not go into production. - SU-17 (ZSU-37 of Works No. 38) - SPAAG prototype, three were built between December 1943 and July 1944, (the last two vehicles were built by Works No. 40, which manufactured SU-76M SPGs since Works No. 38 did not have all necessary equipment for serial production of SPAAGs). It was based on the SU-76M chassis and armed with a 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon. The first prototype, which was built in December 1943, passed official tests in February 1944; only minor defects were found. The second prototype was built in the spring of 1944, it was 1.2 tonnes lighter, equipped with a 6-cylinder gasoline engine ZIS-80MF (98.5 hp) instead of a GAZ-203 (two tandem 6-cylinder gasoline engines GAZ-202, each producing 70 hp). It had a different type of rotating turret. It was found during ground tests in July 1944 that the ZIS-80MF engine did not provide enough power, so the third improved prototype with a previous engine system (GAZ-203) was built in the summer of 1944. That vehicle passed its ground tests in October–November 1944 successfully and became a direct predecessor of the series-produced ZSU-37.
- ZSU-37 - series-produced vehicle, manufactured from 1945 until 1948 by Works No. 40 in MytishchiMytishchiMytishchi is a city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies to the northeast of Russia's capital Moscow, on the Yauza River and the Moscow–Yaroslavl railroad. The city is the oblast's largest center for industry and education...
(75 vehicles were produced).
Preservation status
The experimental SU-11 vehicle is on display at the Kubinka Tank MuseumKubinka Tank Museum
The Kubinka Tank Museum is a large museum of armoured fighting vehicles in Kubinka, just outside Moscow. It has many famous tanks from World War I, World War II and the Cold War. The museum also houses many unique vehicles, such as the Panzer VIII Maus, Troyanov super-heavy tank and a Karl-Gerät...
in Russia.