SU-85
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| SU-85 | |
|---|---|
 SU-85 of the Polish 13th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment. This vehicle is missing its first road wheel. |
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| Specifications | |
| Weight | 29.2 tonnes |
| Length | 8.15 m |
| Width | 3.00 m |
| Height | 2.45 m |
| Crew | 4 |
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| Armour | 45 mm |
| Primary armament |
85 mm D-5T gun |
| Secondary armament |
none |
| Engine | 12 cyl. diesel model V-2 500 hp (375 kW) |
| Power/weight | 17 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Christie |
| Operational range |
400 km |
| Speed | 55 km/h |
The SU-85 was a Soviet self-propelled antitank gun used during World War II, based on the chassis of the T-34 medium tank. Unlike earlier Soviet self-propelled guns which were meant to serve as either assault guns or antitank weapons, this vehicle was a dedicated tank destroyer.
Contents |
[edit] History
During early World War II, Soviet tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1 had sufficient firepower to destroy any German tank they encountered. However, in the fall of 1942, Soviet forces first encountered the German Tiger tank. By spring 1943, they knew of the existence of the German Panther tank, although the Panther was not seen in combat until July 1943 at the battle of Kursk.
The fielding of these new-generation German vehicles meant that the Red Army required a more powerful antitank gun. The SU-85 was a modification of the earlier SU-122 assault gun, essentially replacing the SU-122's 122 mm howitzer with a D-5T high-velocity 85 mm antitank gun. The 85 mm gun could penetrate the side armor of a Panther or Tiger at long range, and do so from a small, highly mobile vehicle with all-around armor protection.
The SU-85 entered combat for the first time in August 1943. It was employed by Soviet, Polish and Czechoslovak forces right up to the end of the war. There were two versions: the basic SU-85 had a fixed commander's cupola with rotating periscope and three vision blocks; the improved SU-85M had the same commander's all-around vision cupola used on the T-34-85. When the up-gunned T-34-85 tank was in full production in the summer of 1944, there was no point in continuing to produce a tank destroyer without superior firepower, so SU-85 production was stopped in late 1944, and replaced with the SU-100, armed with the D-10S 100mm gun.
[edit] Variants
The SU-85M used the hull of the SU-100, which was larger, and so could carry 60 rounds instead of 48.
[edit] See also
- List of Soviet tanks - covers all periods
[edit] External links
- SU-85 at WWIIvehicles.com
| Soviet armoured fighting vehicles of World War II | |
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Experimental and Improvised AFVs
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| List of armoured fighting vehicles of World War II | |
| Soviet armored fighting vehicle production during World War II | |
