T-34 BASED SU TANK DESTROYERS |
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DIMENSIONS (SU-100) |
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| Mass
(mt): 31.4 |
Length (m): 9.75 |
Width (m): 2.99 |
Height (m): 2.25 |
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TIME
PERIOD: |
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| The SU-122 was a self-propelled gun, designed in 1942 and deployed in 1943, based on a T-34 chassis with a blocky superstructure and armed with a Model 1938 122mm L/43 howitzer in a limited-traverse mounting in the front hull. Intended to provide close-range fire support for tank divisions, the SU-122 was phased out in late-1943 in favor of the SU-152 based on the KV chassis. The T-34 derived SUs would have languished if someone had not taken the SU superstructure and fitted an 85mm L/51 tank gun into the SU-122's housing. The resultant SU-85 was far superior to the older SU-76 it replaced. Upon mass production of the T-34/85, the SU-85 had no weaponry advantage and was so redesigned to carry a high-velocity Model 1944 100mm L/55 tank gun. This SU-100, nicknamed the "Cat-Killer," was a mobile and effective fighter against German "big cat" tanks and served in the front lines of Soviet armor assets until 1957. | ||||
