Self-propelled artillery mounts (self-propelled guns) are called combat vehicles, which are nothing more than mounted on self-propelled chassis artillery. In everyday life, they are sometimes called self-propelled guns or artillery self-propelled guns. In this article, we will figure out what self-propelled guns are, where they are used, how they are classified and how they differ from other types of weapons.
Summary
So what is self-propelled guns? In a broad sense, all combat vehicles that are armed with guns can be considered as self-propelled guns. However, in the narrow sense, self-propelled guns are only those vehicles that are armed with guns or howitzers, but are not tanks or armored vehicles.
Types of self-propelled guns are diverse, as well as the scope of their application. They can have a wheeled or tracked chassis, be protected or not protected by armor, have a fixed or tower mounted main gun. Many self-propelled artillery installations of the world equipped with a tower installation resemble tanks in appearance. However, they differ significantly from tanks in tactical use and the balance of “armor-weapons”.
Self-propelled artillery installation (self-propelled guns) began its history around the same time as the first cannon armored vehicles - in the early 20th century. Moreover, from the point of view of modern military science, the first French tanks were more likely an analogue of later self-propelled guns than tanks. In the middle and second half of the twentieth century in the leading states, a period of rapid development of all kinds of self-propelled artillery mountings began.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, thanks to an impressive leap in military science, self-propelled guns, according to many experts, began to claim primacy among other armored vehicles. Previously, it certainly belonged to tanks. The role of self-propelled guns in a modern military battle is growing every year.
History of development
On the battlefield of the First World War, self-propelled units built on the basis of trucks, tractors or tracked chassis were used. Later, with the development of tanks, engineers realized that a tank base is best suited for installing powerful artillery systems. The guns on unarmored chassis were also not forgotten, because they were famous for their great mobility.
In Russia, the first armored self-propelled gun was proposed by the son of D. I. Mendeleev - V. D. Mendeleev. During the First World War and the Civil War, Lender’s 72-mm guns, built on the basis of the Russo-Balt truck, were actively used. Some of the cabins were even partially booked. In the 20s of the last century, the development of self-propelled guns was carried out by the USSR, Germany and the USA, however, most of the projects were nothing more than surrogate installations.
When the Soviet Union and Germany began to actively develop their tank forces, it became possible to mass-mount artillery installations on tank chassis. So, in the USSR, on the basis of the T-35 and T-28 tanks, a prototype of the SU-14 self-propelled guns was created. In Germany, obsolete Pz Kpfw I tanks were used for reconfiguration under self-propelled guns.
The Second World War required the use of all the resources of the participants. Germany massively produced self-propelled guns based on old and captured tanks. On the basis of their own machines, they made simpler and cheaper installations. The following German models entered the history: StuG III, and StuG IV, Hummel and Wespe, self-propelled artillery "Ferdinand" (the so-called tank destroyers Hetzer and Elefant) and some others. Since the end of 1944, the production of self-propelled guns in Germany exceeded the volume of tank production.
The Red Army began to fight without serial self-propelled artillery. The production of the only self-propelled howitzer SU-5 was stopped back in 1937. But already in July 1941, the ZiS-30 self-propelled guns appeared. And next year, the SU-122 model assault guns came off the assembly line. Later, in contrast to the German heavy armored vehicles, the famous SU-100 and ISU-152 appeared.
Engineers in England and America focused mainly on the production of self-propelled howitzers. So there were models: Sexton, Bishop, M12, and M7 Priest.
Due to the development of main battle tanks, the need to use assault guns has disappeared. Missile anti-tank systems together with combat helicopters can quite successfully replace anti-tank self-propelled guns. But howitzers and anti-aircraft mounts are still developing.
With the development of self-propelled guns, the scope of their application grew, and the classification expanded. Consider the types of self-propelled artillery that appear in military science today.
Tank destroyers
As the name implies, such combat vehicles specialize in the destruction of armored vehicles. As a rule, they receive long-barreled semi-automatic guns with a caliber from 57 to 100 mm with a unitary loading method, which makes it possible to achieve high rate of fire as weapons. Heavy tank destroyers designed to deal with similar enemy vehicles and heavy tanks can be armed with long-barreled guns with separate loading, the caliber of which reaches 155 mm. Installations of this class are ineffective against fortifications and infantry. They received a leap in development during the Second World War. Typical representatives of tank destroyers of that time are the Soviet self-propelled guns of the SU-100 model and the German Yagdpanther. Currently, installations of this class have given way to anti-tank missile systems and combat helicopters, which are much more efficient in handling tanks.
Assault guns
They are armored vehicles for fire support of tanks and infantry. Self-propelled guns of this type are armed with large-caliber (105-203 mm) short-barreled or long-barreled guns, which without any problems hit the fortified infantry positions. In addition, assault guns could be effectively used against tanks. This type of self-propelled guns, like the past, was actively developed during the Second World War. Vivid examples of German assault self-propelled guns were StuG III, StuG H42 and Brummbar. Among the Soviet cars distinguished: Su-122 and Su-152. After the war, the development of the main battle tanks led to the fact that they began to be armed with large-caliber guns that could easily hit enemy fortifications and unarmored targets. Thus, the need to use assault guns disappeared.
Self-propelled howitzers
They are mobile guns for fire from closed positions. In fact, this is a self-propelled analogue of towed artillery. Such self-propelled guns were armed with artillery systems with a caliber of 75 to 406 millimeters. They had a light anti-shatter reservation, which only protected against counter-battery fire. From the very beginning of the development of self-propelled artillery, self-propelled howitzers also developed. Large-caliber guns together with high mobility and modern positioning systems make this type of weapon one of the most effective to this day.
Particularly widespread are self-propelled howitzers with a caliber of more than 152 millimeters. They can strike at the enemy with nuclear weapons, which makes it possible to destroy large objects and entire groups of troops with a small number of shots. During World War II, German Wespe and Hummel vehicles, American M7 (Priest) and M12 howitzers, as well as British self-propelled guns Sexton and Bishop became famous. The USSR tried to arrange the production of such machines (model Su-5) back in the 40s, centuries passed, but this attempt was unsuccessful. Today, the modern Russian army is armed with one of the best self-propelled howitzers in the world - the 2C19 Msta-S with a caliber of 152 mm. In the armies of NATO countries, its alternative is the 155 mm Paladin self-propelled guns.
Anti tank
Self-propelled guns of this class are semi-open or open vehicles armed with anti-tank weapons. Usually they are built on the basis of lightly armored tank chassis, which are already outdated for their direct purpose. Such machines were distinguished by a good combination of price and efficiency and were produced in fairly large volumes. At the same time, they nevertheless lost in combat characteristics to machines of a narrower specialization. A good example of anti-tank self-propelled guns of World War II are the German Marder II machine and the domestic SU-76M. As a rule, such installations were equipped with small- or medium-caliber guns. However, sometimes there were more powerful versions, for example, the German Nashorn caliber 128 mm. In the modern army, such units are not used.
Anti-aircraft mounts
These are specialized cannon-machine gun installations, the task of which is to defeat low-flying and medium-altitude aircraft, as well as enemy helicopters. Usually they were armed with small-caliber automatic guns (20-40 mm) and / or large-caliber machine guns (12.7-14.5 mm). An important element of anti-aircraft installations was a guidance system for fast-flying targets. Sometimes they were additionally armed with ground-to-air missiles. In urban battles and in cases where you need to confront a large mass of infantry, anti-aircraft mounts showed themselves very well. During World War II, German anti-aircraft installations Wirbelwind and Ostwind, as well as the Soviet ZSU-37, were especially distinguished. The modern Russian army is armed with two ZSU: 23-4 (Shilka) and Tunguska.
Surrogate
They are improvised combat vehicles designed on the basis of commercial trucks, artillery tractors or tractors. Reservation from surrogate self-propelled guns was usually absent. Among domestic installations of this class, the 57-mm anti-tank self-propelled combat vehicle ZiS-30, built on the basis of the Komsomolets crawler artillery tractor, was spread. The most widely used surrogate vehicles were Nazi Germany and fascist Italy due to the lack of other armored vehicles.
A typical self-propelled artillery mount of the USSR successfully combined the functions of several classes at once. A clear example of this is the ISU-152 model. The Germans adhered to the strategy of creating highly specialized self-propelled guns. As a result, some German installations were best in their classes.
Tactics of use
Having figured out what self-propelled guns are and what they are, let's find out how they are used in practice. The main objective of a self-propelled artillery installation on the battlefield is to support other arms with artillery fire from closed positions. Due to the fact that the self-propelled guns have high mobility, they can accompany tanks during breakthroughs through the enemy’s defense line, significantly increasing the combat capabilities of tank and motorized infantry troops.
High mobility also gives self-propelled artillery the ability to independently attack the enemy. To do this, all shooting parameters are calculated in advance. Then the self-propelled guns go to the firing position and, without shooting, conduct a massive attack on the enemy. After that, they quickly leave the firing line, and by the time the enemy calculates a place for a retaliatory strike, the positions will already be empty.
If enemy tanks and motorized infantry break through the line of defense, self-propelled artillery can act as a successful anti-tank weapon. For this, some models of self-propelled guns receive special shells in their ammunition.
In recent years, self-propelled artillery began to be used to destroy snipers who take refuge in places inconvenient for attacks by other fire weapons.
Single self-propelled artillery installations armed with nuclear shells can destroy large objects, fortified settlements, as well as places of accumulation of enemy troops. At the same time, nuclear self-propelled guns are almost impossible to intercept. At the same time, the radius of possible targets hit by artillery ammunition is less than that of aviation or tactical missiles, as well as the power of the explosion.
Layout
The most common self-propelled vehicles to date are usually built on the basis of a tank chassis or lightly armored tracked vehicles. In both cases, the layout of components and assemblies is similar. Unlike tanks, a self-propelled gun turret is located in the rear of the armored hull, and not in the middle. So the process of supplying ammunition from the ground is greatly facilitated. The motor-transmission group, respectively, is located in the front and middle parts of the body. Due to the fact that the transmission is located in the bow, it is advisable that the front wheels are leading. However, in modern self-propelled guns there is a tendency to use rear-wheel drive.
The control compartment, it is also the workplace of the driver, is located near the gearbox in the center of the car or closer to its port side. The motor is located between the driver’s seat and the fighting compartment. The combat compartment includes ammunition and gun aiming devices.
In addition to the described option for the placement of nodes and assemblies, the ZSU can be assembled according to the tank model. Sometimes they are even a tank, the standard tower of which is replaced by a special tower with a quick-firing gun and guidance equipment. So you and I learned what self-propelled guns are.