ZSU-37

Infobox Weapon|is_vehicle=yes
name=ZSU-37


caption=ZSU-37 SPAAGs before beginning of the military parade in Moscow, 7 November 1946
origin=Soviet Union
type=Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
crew=6 men cite book | first = Alexander | last = Solyankin | coauthors = Pavlov, Ivan; Pavlov, Mikhail; Zheltov, Igor | year = 2002 | title = Otechestvennye Bronirovannye Mashiny. Tom 2 - XX vek 1941-1945 (Native Armoured Vehicles. Vol. 2 - XX century 1941-1945) | publisher = Eksprint | location = Moscow | id = ISBN 5-94038-030-1 ]
length=5.25 m
width=2.75 m
height=2.18 m
weight=11.5 tonnes
armour=6-35 mm
primary_armament=1 x 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon (320 rounds)
secondary_armament=
engine=forced GAZ-203 (two tandem 6-cylinder row liquid-cooled gasoline engines GAZ-202)
engine_power=160 hp cite book | first = Mikhail | last = Svirin | year = 2008 | title = Samokhodki Stalina. Istoriya Sovetskoy SAU 1919-1945 (Self-propelled Guns of Stalin. The History of Soviet SPG 1919-1945) | publisher = Yauza, EKSMO | location = Moscow | id = ISBN 978-5-699-20527-1 ]
suspension=see SU-76M
speed=45 km/h (road), 30 km/h (off-road)
pw_ratio=
vehicle_range=360 km (road), 230 km (off-road)

ZSU-37 was a Soviet-made, light, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), developed by the end of 1943 and produced at Works No. 40 in Mytishchi. It was the first Soviet series-produced tracked SPAAG. ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka (Russian: Зенитная Самоходная Установка), meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount".

History

Soviet engineers carried out some early experiments with tracked SPAAGs before and during WWII, including a modification of the T-70 light tank, resulting in the experimental T-90 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun armed with two 12.7 mm DShKT heavy machine guns (the prototype was built in November 1942 by GAZ). The T-70 light tank would eventually be further developed into the SU-76 light self-propelled gun chassis, which in turn was to become the base for the ZSU-37 SPAAG. [ [http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/sau/#end Советские самоходки в развитии и в бою (Soviet Self-propelled Guns in Development and Action)] ] It was decided to use the chassis of the SU-76M in order to speed up and cheapen the production of the much needed tracked and armoured SPAAGs. [http://blefru.narod.ru/tank/tzen/zenittank.htm Зенитные танки СССР (Anti-aircraft Tanks of USSR)] ]

The ZSU-37 was produced from March 1945 to 1948, and 75 vehicles were built in total (only a few vehicles were produced before the war ended, due to temporary manufacturing technology). As a result of its late production and the almost non-appearance of the few remaining "Luftwaffe" aircraft in the spring of 1945, the ZSU-37 saw no service in WWII. An experimental self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battalion equipped with 12 ZSU-37 SPAAGs was formed by the end of 1945.

After World War II it became clear that the low rate of fire and firepower of a single 37 mm AA gun was not effective against high-speed low altitude targets. The anti-aircraft artillery crews had difficulties to manually track fast-flying targets. Also, SPAAGs based on a light tank chassis had quite low maneuverability in difficult terrain, off-road speed and range in comparison with medium tanks and SPGs, which the ZSU-37 was meant to protect from enemy air strikes. The two tandem gasoline engines used on the SU-76M chassis required gasoline fuel, which sometimes became a problem in tank units equipped with diesel tanks. Because of aforementioned reasons, the ZSU-37 was retired from service soon after series production was stopped. [ [http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm Зенитная самоходная установка ЗСУ-57-2 (Self-propelled Anti-aircraft Gun ZSU-57-2)] ]

An effort was made to significantly increase the firepower by adding the same 37 mm autocannon in a quad-mount on a T-34 medium tank chassis, however the vehicle never left the design stage as it was recommended by the Technical Council of the Ministry of Transport Vehicles to use a newer tank chassis and the more powerful S-68 57 mm twin anti-aircraft autocannon, which was being developed at the time. The next step in Soviet tracked SPAAG technology would come with the ZSU-57-2, which was based on the T-54 medium tank chassis and was mass produced in 1957-1960.

The ZSU-37-2 "Yenisei" is a later, unrelated design based on the chassis of the experimental SU-100P self-propelled gun. It was armed with a twin-37 mm 500P "Angara" anti-aircraft autocannon. The development of completelly new radar-guided SPAAG vehicles, namely the ZSU-37-2 and the ZSU-23-4 began in 1957. The promising ZSU-37-2 "Yenisei" competed with the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" as the replacement for the ZSU-57-2 SPAAG but the planned series production of "Yenisei" was rejected in 1962 in favor to the production of the "Shilka".

Description

The ZSU-37 SPAAG, which was based on the chassis of the SU-76M was equipped with an open-top turret and armed with one 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon. The vehicle was equipped with an automatic sight of distance-type with two collimators, a stereo range finder with 1-meter base, a 12RT-3 radio set, a TPU-3F intercom system and mechanical aiming mechanisms with two rates of angular motion for adequate speed and smoothness of aiming (traverse mechanism had foot switch of rates).

The crew consisted of six men: a driver, a gun aimer for azimuth, a gun aimer for elevation, a sight adjuster for target speed and range, a sight adjuster for target course and dive angle, and a loader.

Because the ZSU-37 was based on the SU-76M it also shared its technical drawbacks and advantages, the most discussed of which was the open-top turret. To protect the crew from rain and snow the gun compartment could be covered with tarpaulin, however the gun could not be fully elevated when this was done. The open turret had advantages, such as high elevation angle, excellent visibility for gunners and no need for ventilation. Light and maneuverable, the ZSU-37 was considered a quite effective SPAAG in the mid-1940s. However, it had insufficient off-road capabilities to accompany medium and heavy tanks in difficult terrain.

The ammunition consisted of 320 armour-piercing, fragmentation incendiary and fragmentation rounds (all with tracers). 130 rounds were in 5-round cartridges and 190 rounds were without cartridges. Armour-piercing composite rounds could be used against enemy heavy tanks. The muzzle velocity was between 890 and 920 m/s depending on projectile type, armour-piercing shell weighted 0.785 kg and fragmentation shell weighted 0.732 kg. The autocannon could be depressed and elevated manually between -5° - +85°. Cyclic rate of fire was 120 to 130 rounds per minute while the practical rate of fire was about 50 to 60 rounds per minute. Combat vertical range of fire was 2,500 m while the maximal vertical range was up to 6,500 m.

The vehicle could cross 0.67 m high vertical obstacles, 2 m wide trenches, ford 0.9 m deep water obstacles and climb 25° gradients. The transmission and undercarriage were identical to those of SU-76M SPG. The engine was also the same but forced from 140 hp on SU-76M to 160 hp - a GAZ-203 which consisted of two tandem GAZ-202 6-cylinder row liquid-cooled gasoline engines, each one producing 80 hp (63 kWt) at 3600 rpm.

Variants

*SU-72 - single SPAAG prototype. Built by GAZ in autumn 1942. Based on the T-60 and T-70 light tank designs, armed with 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon in a fixed turret. The unsatisfactory perfomance of the engine cooling system was discovered during ground tests, also GAZ needed a significant change of its production operation to organize a serial production of new types of vehicles which was impossible during wartime.
*SU-11 - single SPAAG prototype. Built by Works No. 38 in Kirov in November 1942. Based on the T-60 and T-70 light tank designs, armed with 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon in a rotating turret. The official tests were performed in December 1942 but the vehicle did not go into production.
*SU-17 (ZSU-37 of Works No. 38) - SPAAG prototype, three were built between December 1943 and July 1944 (the last two vehicles were built by Works No. 40 which manufactured SU-76M SPGs since Works No. 38 did not have all necessary equipment for serial production of SPAAGs). It was based on the SU-76M chassis and armed with a 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft autocannon. The first prototype built in December 1943 passed official tests in February 1944, only minor defects were detected. The second prototype built in spring 1944 was 1.2 tonnes lighter, equipped with a 6-cylinder gasoline engine ZIS-80MF (98.5 hp) instead of a GAZ-203 (two tandem 6-cylinder gasoline engines GAZ-202, 70 hp each) and had a different type of rotating turret. It was found during ground tests in July 1944 that ZIS-80MF engine did not provide enough power for the vehicle so the third improved prototype with a previous engine system (GAZ-203) was built in summer 1944. That vehicle passed ground tests in October-November 1944 successfully and became a direct predecessor of the series-produced ZSU-37.
*ZSU-37 - series-produced vehicle, manufactured from 1945 until 1948 by Works No. 40 in Mytishchi.

Preservation status

The experimental SU-11 vehicle is on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia. [ [http://www.museum-tank.ru/IIwar/tables2/zsu37.html Зенитная самоходная установка ЗСУ-37 (музей БТТ Кубинка) (SPAAG ZSU-37, Kubinka Tank Museum)] ]

See also

* List of Soviet tanks

References

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