| 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-К) | |
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52-K in Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. |
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| Type | Air defense gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1939-1945 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | combat: 4,500 kg (9,921 lbs) travel: 4,500 kg (9,921 lbs) |
| Length | 7.05 m (23 ft 2 in) |
| Barrel length | 55 Calibers |
| Width | 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) |
| Height | 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) |
| Crew | 7 |
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| Shell | 85×629 mm. R |
| Caliber | 85 mm (3.34 in) |
| Breech | vertical sliding wedge |
| Recoil | hydraulic buffer |
| Carriage | 2-axle and 4-wheeled |
| Elevation | -3° to 82° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 10-12 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 792 m/s (2,598 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 10,500 m (34,448 ft) (vertical range) |
| Maximum range | 15.65 km (9.72 mi) |
The 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K) (Russian: 85-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1939 г. (52-К)) was an 85-mm Soviet air defense gun, developed under guidance of leading Soviet designers M. N. Loginov and G. D. Dorokhin. This gun was successfully used throughout the German-Soviet 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 4,047 Axis aircraft. The mean quantity of 85-mm ammunition required to shoot down one enemy plane was 598 rounds. After the war some 52-Ks were refitted for peaceful purposes 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. In the Soviet Union itself, these guns were largely superseded by the 100 and 130 mm guns.
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Adopted in 1939, the 85-mm M1939, like its counterpart the 88-mm gun, was meant for air defense. Like many anti-aircraft (AA) guns of the era it was provided with antitank ammunition in the event a tank should appear.
85-mm M1939 guns were organized into heavy anti-aircraft regiments of 16 guns. The regiments were organized into divisions of the field anti-aircraft forces.
By 1943, the 76.2mm 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 88-mm gun. Military planners directed Gen. V. Grabin's and Gen. F. Petrov's design bureaus 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. When later tested against German armor, it was found that the tank gun developed from the 85-mm AA gun lacked the power of its predecessor and a new antitank gun was made, the 122-mm gun.
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