The ZiS-2 anti-tank gun was a Soviet 57mm-caliber, armor-piercing weapon. It was the main anti-tank gun of the Soviet Army's Infantry during World War II. Massively produced from 1941 to 1945, it was a very powerful cannon, which was capable of piercing 140-mm-thick armor from a distance of 500 m.
Fitted with a long barrel, it was a precise gun as it could easily destroy the German Panzer I, II, and III at 1000 m. However, the emergence of the Panzer IV Ausf G, the Panther, and the Tiger I, led the Soviets to introduce a more powerful anti-tank gun; the 76.2mm M1936, which had been conceived as a field gun.
Specifications
Type: anti-tank gun
Weight: 1,250 kg
Barrel Length: 4.16 m
Caliber: 57-mm
Carriage: split trail
Breech Type: vertical, sliding wedge
Recoil: hydro-pneumatic
Elevation: -5° to +25°
Muzzle Velocity: 1000 m/s
Maximum Range: 8.5 km
Below, the Soviet 57mm anti tank gun on the field during the Battle of Kursk
