| field_i_picture | title (item) | field_cer_web | field_cer_navbox | g_geofield | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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SzU-152 | Szovjet páncélozott harcjárművek a második világháborúban - Soviet armoured fighting vehicles of World War II - Бронетехника СССР периода Второй мировой войны |
SU-152, Bryansk Front. The Soviets recognized the need for heavy armored firepower as early as 1940, when the KV-2 was developed to give front-line units the ability to destroy enemy fortifications such as those that had so frustrated the Red Army when attacking the Mannerheim Line during the Russo-Finnish War. The KV-2 had a huge turret to hold its 152mm howitzer and was only produced in small numbers. By 1942, efforts began to place the ML-20 152mm howitzer on a KV-1S chassis, but this time in an encased fighting compartment similar to the StuG assault guns used by the Wehrmacht. The resulting SU-152 proved to be extremely effective against enemy fortifications and soft targets, and its huge shells could have a devastating effect on enemy tanks, with even the Tiger vulnerable if engaged at shorter ranges. During Zitadelle, Soviet sources claimed that numbers of Tigers and Ferdinands were knocked out by SU-152s, leading to the SU being nicknamed Zveroboi (animal hunter). Almost 700 SU-152s were produced before production shifted in December 1943 to the improved ISU-152, with the same gun mounted on an IS-2 heavy tank chassis.