85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K)
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| 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-К) | |
|---|---|
 52-K in Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. |
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| Type | air defense gun |
| Place of origin | USSR |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1939-? |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | combat: 4,500 kg travel: 4,500 kg |
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| Caliber | 85 mm |
| Elevation | -3° to 82° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 10-12 rounds per minute |
| Maximum range | 15.65 km |
85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K) (Russian: 85-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1939 г. (52-К)) was 85 mm Soviet air defense gun, developed under guidance of leading Soviet designers M. N. Loginov and G. D. Dorokhin. Guns of this type were successfully used throughout the Great Patriotic War against level bombers and other high- and medium-altitude targets. In emergencies they were utilized as powerful anti-tank weapons. The barrel of 52-K was the base for the family of 85-mm Soviet tank guns. Crews of 85-mm AD guns shot down 4047 Axis planes. The mean quantity of 85-mm ammunition to shoot down one enemy plane was 598 rounds. After the war some 52-Ks were refitted for peaceful artillery usage as anti-avalanche guns in a mountainous terrain.
Virtually every country behind the Iron Curtain received this gun after World War II for their air defense.
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[edit] Description
Adopted in 1939, the 85mm M1939 like its counterpart the 88mm gun was meant for air defense. Like many AA guns of the era it was provided with antitank ammunition in the event a tank should appear.
[edit] Tank guns
By 1943, the F-34 tank gun of the T-34 medium tank was found to be severely lacking in long-range firepower, compared to the German Tiger I heavy tank's long-barreled 88mm gun. Military planners directed Gen. V. Grabin's and Gen. F. Petrov's design bureaux to develop new 85mm tank guns based on the M1939's antitank ammunition.
Petrov developed the new D-5 85mm gun, which was shortly mounted on the chassis of the SU-122 self-propelled gun to create the SU-85 tank destroyer. Grabin, working on the ZiS-53 at Joseph Stalin Factory No. 92 in Gorky, was reassigned to the Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB) in Moscow, and his project was turned over to 23-year-old A. Savin. Another team led by K. Siderenko was assigned to yet another 85mm gun project, the S-18.
The resulting guns were tested at Gorokhoviesky Proving Grounds near Gorky, with Grabin's ZiS-53 winning the competition. Unfortunately, the new T-34-85 tank's turret had been designed for the already-available D-5 gun, and didn't mate properly with Grabin's gun. Initial production of the T-34-85 tank was approved with the D-5 gun (designated D-5T, for "tank").
Savin was put to work modifying Grabin's gun to fit and incorporating other improvements, and his initial was added to its designation in recognition of his contribution: ZiS-S-53. The T-34-85 Model 1944, which included an improved 3-man turret layout, started production with this gun in the spring of 1944. Although when later tested against German armor it was found that the 85mm gun developed from the 85mm flak gun was found to lack the power of its predessor and a new antitank gun was made the 122mm gun.
[edit] References
- Shunkov V. N. - The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) ISBN 985-433-469-4
- Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X
- Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
[edit] See also
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