The Soviet 76-mm divisional gun ZiS-3 of 1942 is a universal artillery system designed to directly fire the actions of rifle divisions and to be used as an effective anti-tank weapon. Thanks to a successful design, the Zis-3 cannon became the first domestic weapon assembled entirely on the conveyor. In terms of fire and ballistic qualities, a Soviet gun is considered one of the best artillery systems of the Second World War period.
Development and serial production of divisional gun
The tool was created on its own initiative by the design team led by V.G. Grabina on the eve of World War II. The decision to create a powerful and universal medium-caliber field gun was taken because there were no artillery regiments of divisions and corps of the Red Army equipped with weapons capable of solving several combat and tactical tasks. The main technical and production base was the Gorky Artillery Plant No. 9.
The design of the new weapon involved the installation of an F-22USV gun on the gun mount of the ZiS-2 gun. As a result of minor technical alterations, the new gun was ready by the end of 1941.
A certain number of guns were fired before the start of the tests, which were carried out directly in combat conditions of the Soviet-German front. This allowed in February 1942 to adopt a new weapon for the Red Army under the name - 76-mm ZIS-3 divisional gun of the 1942 model with the GAU-52-P-354U index.
In total, 103,000 guns were fired during the war years, which made this gun the most massive artillery system in the USSR. In addition to this number, more than 13 thousand guns were manufactured for installation on the Soviet self-propelled guns SU-76.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the divisional 76-mm gun ZiS-3M
- Calculation - 6 people.
- Combat weight - 1.2 tons.
- Unitary loading.
- The initial velocity of the armor-piercing projectile is 662 m / s.
- Rate of fire: 25 shots / min.
- The maximum firing range - 13290 m.
- The direct shot of an armor-piercing projectile: at a distance of 500 m. - 55 mm., At a distance of 1000 m. - 50 mm.
- The main types of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing, sub-caliber, cumulative shells, shrapnel.
- The weight of an armor-piercing projectile is 6.5 kg.
- Transfer time from traveling to combat: 30-40 sec.
- Mode of transportation: transported by horse trades, passenger cars and trucks, Komsomolets tractor.
The divisional 76-mm gun ZiS-3 during 1942-45 took part in the battles in all sectors of the Soviet-German front. In the post-war period, the gun remained in service with the army units of the Soviet Army and was supplied to countries friendly to the Soviet Union.
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