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Su-122

1942 SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY WORLD WAR 2

History of Su-122

In June 1941, German leader Adolf Hitler turned his attention to the invasion of the Soviet Union. Although the Red Army was initially completely caught off guard, the lines were more or less stabilized, and the development of systems capable of repelling further German advances began. One of these developments, aimed at combating tanks and supporting infantry, became the SU-122.

Vehicle design began in the summer of 1942, and the SU-122 became the first dedicated "assault gun" for the Red Army during World War II.

This is when the T-34 medium tank came to the fore among Russian armored divisions. This means that she is constantly supplied and available at all times. As a result, quick wartime conversions of existing systems such as the T-34 have become commonplace for many militaries. The T-34 was used as the chassis for the new StuG design, which installed a short-barreled low-velocity 122mm M-30 series field howitzer in a fixed superstructure. The superstructure has sloped armor to help provide ballistic protection, but only allows easy traversal (movement from side to side) of the primary weapon.

Therefore, the entire vehicle needs to be aimed at the target area for maximum efficiency. Up to 40x122mm projectiles can be carried on board, there is no auxiliary machine gun for self-defense.

A relatively quick conversion process allowed the SU-122 to reach the front in late 1942. However, once in practice, the short-barreled low-velocity gun was somewhat ineffective against the German medium Panther and heavy Tiger. Soviet engineers designed a new compatible projectile with a shaped charge to improve the situation, but the improvement is questionable at best. The highlight of the SU-122 series, however, is its support for infantry operations, with its powerful 122mm HE shells capable of intimidating an enemy buildup.

The weapon proved effective in clearing or destroying excavated enemy positions even in fortifications. By March 1945, some 1,148 SU-122 prototypes had rolled off the Soviet assembly line into the hands of waiting tankers.

Although the Red Army found a use for the SU-122, the attacking role of the series was gradually replaced by the new SU-152 fitted with a 152mm weapon. While both machines fulfilled Soviet needs for assault guns, they still lacked a robust anti-tank combat system, which spurred the development of tracked weapons such as the SU-85 and SU-100 series that would soon appear.