Su-76 Self-Propelled Gun

The Su-76 self-propelled gun was a mobile artillery piece used by the Red Army during World War II. It was the Zis-3 76-mm field gun which was mounted on the chassis of the T-70 tank. Introduced in 1943, it had been produced by the thousands by 1945. However, by the end of the war, it would be retired from service as it was replaced by heavier and more lethal mobile artillery weapons. Most of them would be sent over to North Korea and China to supply their local armies.

Aside from being a field artillery weapon, the 76-mm gun of the Su-76 was a useful anti-tank gun. This is how it started off; as a mobile anti-tank weapon, but it would also be used to provide fire support to front line troops as the Su-76M version. The gun fired 6.21-kg (13.7-lb) shells to the maximum distance of 13.2 km (14.450 yards), with a muzzle velocity of 700 m/s (2,265 ft per second). However, the top of the tracked vehicle that propelled the gun was open to the elements; thus the crew suffered the cold weather conditions of winter and they were exposed to incoming enemy rounds and shrapnels.

Specifications

Type: self-propelled gun

Weight: 10,800 kg (23,810 lb)

Caliber of Gun: 76.2-mm

Chassis: T-70 tank

Length: 4.88 m (16 ft)

Width: 2.73 m (8 ft, 11 inch)

Height: 2.17 m (7 ft, 1.4 inch)

Powerplant: two GAZ, 6-cylinder, gasoline engines, each delivering 70 horsepower.

Maximum Speed: 45 km/h (28 mph)

Range: 450 km (280 miles)

Crew: 4

Below, the Su-76 self-propelled gun in an open Great Patriotic War museum in Belgorod.

The first factory model prototype of the Su-76, the Su-12.

Below, the renowned Soviet Su-76M supplying close-range artillery support to the Red Army infantry in January 1944.