A self-propelled artillery mount (SAU) is a combat vehicle consisting of an artillery gun mounted on a self-propelled chassis. This type of armored vehicle performs combat missions that are different from other tanks, so it has characteristic features.
Use of self-propelled guns
Self-propelled guns have a powerful long-range gun capable of hitting the enemy at considerable distances, so it makes no sense for them to get close to the enemy. There is no powerful defense on the self-propelled guns, since they must fire not at the front line, but from the rear of the main troops. Roughly speaking, self-propelled guns are powerful long-range artillery capable of quickly changing their position after firing. However, since the beginning of World War II, these armored vehicles have been used not only in the form of heavy howitzers, but also as assault guns supporting attacking troops with their fire, as well as tank destroyers capable of hunting and destroying enemy armored vehicles both from close and from a long distance.
Successful and failed ACS projects
One of the most famous self-propelled guns during the war1939-1945 are the Soviet SU-76, SU-100, SAU-152 "St. John's wort" and the German "Stug" and "Jagpanther". These are examples of successful developments of this type of equipment, which not only effectively fought in battles, but also gave impetus to future technologically advanced generations of self-propelled artillery equipment. But there were also unsuccessful attempts to create a super-powerful self-propelled guns, for example, the American T-95 (PT-SAU) or the German super-heavy tank "Maus", which ended in complete failure, as the designers and developers forgot that "the best is the enemy of the good."
American self-propelled guns of World War II
T-28 "Turtle", which has the name T-95 - tank destroyer, is an American self-propelled artillery test model, created during the Second World War and is a tank destroyer. Some historians classify this model as a super-heavy tank. This self-propelled gun was designed since 1943, but by the end of the war, its serial production had not been launched. The only thing that the designers managed to do was to make two prototypes in 1945-1946. In terms of mass, the T-95 tank (PT-SAU) is the second after the German Maus.
History of Turtle production
At the end of 1943, a heavy armored vehicle development program was launched in the United States. The Americans were prompted to this by global studies of the military situation on the Western Front, which showed that the Allied forces may need a heavy combat vehicle that can break through complex enemy defenses.
For the baseof the future T-95 tank destroyer, the developers took the base of the medium tank T-23 and the electronic transmission of the heavyweight T1E1. Armored sheets 200 mm thick and a new 105 mm gun were installed on this basis. This weapon could penetrate and destroy almost any concrete structure.
It was planned to produce 25 such vehicles during the year, but the command of the ground forces opposed such plans and recommended that only three tank destroyers with a mechanical transmission be made. While all the bureaucratic nuances were being coordinated, by March 1945, five combat vehicles had already been ordered, whose protection had been increased to 305 mm of armor, due to which the weight of the T-95 tank destroyer (photo of the prototype is located below in the article) increased to 95 tons.
At first it was planned to make a tank without turrets with the ability to accommodate a crew of four. But in February 1945, the T-28 tank was renamed the T-95 self-propelled gun.
T-95 (PT-ACS): application history
By the end of the war, two combat vehicles were made in Europe and on the Pacific front. They had two pairs of tracks, which significantly increased their width, and a 500 horsepower engine. This, however, was very little for the movement of a super-heavy installation. Such an engine was also installed on the Pershing tank, but it was two times lighter than the Turtle. By the way, the T-95 was awarded this name. Tank destroyer - a model whose maximum speed was only 12-13 km / h.
Thus, this armored self-propelled gun was practically "standing", which did not suit the armymanagement, since the self-propelled guns had to be delivered to the required point only by rail. But here, too, not everything turned out well. Because of the second pair of tracks, the width of the self-propelled gun was greater than the railway platforms. In order to somehow accommodate the T-95, it was necessary to remove additional tracks, which took at least four hours.
Features of technology
This tank destroyer was conceived by the developers as a powerful self-propelled artillery fortress that could “break open” any enemy fortification without fear of retaliatory strikes.
It really was a fighting monster. The weight of 95 tons was distributed over four caterpillar tracks, each 33 cm wide. A 105 mm gun could penetrate almost any fortification and armor at a distance of up to 19 kilometers. But the biggest feature of this technique was its armor - on the front of the tank it was 13 cm, on the side - 6.5 cm, and the bottom of the hull had armor of 10-15 cm.
However, low speed and sluggishness did not allow the T-95 (PT-ACS) to be used in combat.
The military operations of various armies have shown that armored vehicles must combine average characteristics both in terms of power and protection, and in terms of mobility and maneuverability. Due to the lack of the last two parameters, the T-95 was rejected by the US military command.
Weaknesses of "Turtle"
Besides the fact that this tank had flawssignificant, the self-propelled gun, despite the powerful armor, was also easily vulnerable, as technical sea trials showed. T-95 (PT-ACS) penetration zones had the following.
The most vulnerable point of this tank destroyer is its undercarriage. A few hits on the tracks - and the self-propelled gun stops in place, and then do whatever you want with it. It does not have a gun turret; it cannot deploy a cannon. The self-propelled guns also have no additional weapons, except for the Browning commander's machine gun.
Also, the weak point is the side armor, the thickness of which does not exceed 65 mm. Fast maneuverable tanks and self-propelled guns of the Second World War could quickly bypass the T-95 from the flank and rear and cause serious damage, leading to the death of the crew.
Another weak point of this self-propelled gun was the commander's hatch, which did not have enough powerful armor.
And the last minus "Turtles". After the war, it became clear that the power of guns and armor did not decide the outcome of the battle. The bet was made not on super-heavy military equipment, but on mobile and compact, which could quickly change its location, strike at the enemy and just as quickly retreat back. And just to load tank destroyers onto the railway platform, it was necessary to spend about four hours, which, under the conditions of modern wars, is simply an unaffordable luxury. Such equipment can be destroyed even at the stage of loading.
Technical parameters of the self-propelled guns "Turtles" T-28 (T-95)
- The weight of the equipped combat vehicle of the first design is 86 tons, after the second design - 95 tons.
- The crew of four.
- The length of the self-propelled gun is about 7.5 m, the width is 4.5 m, the height is about 3 meters.
- Clearance - 50 cm.
- The thickness of the frontal part is 30-31 cm.
- The thickness of the sides is 6.5 cm, and the stern is 5 cm.
- The caliber of the main gun is 105 mm, the additional commander's machine gun is 12.7 mm.
- Engine power - 500 HP. s.
- Road travel reserve - 160 kilometers.
What happened to the only T-95 models?
Work on these self-propelled guns was stopped in 1947, as heavy tanks T-29 and T-30 with gun turrets began to be designed on their basis.
The only prototypes of super-heavy tank destroyers that never took part in real combat ended their days in a sad way: one model burned out completely from the inside during a fire so that it could no longer be restored, and the second simply broke down and was written off for scrap.
After 27 years, a decommissioned prototype was found in Virginia. After restoration, it was put on display at the popular Patton Museum (Kentucky).
Results
The result of the Turtles review shows us that each type of armored vehicle must correspond to its time.
According to its characteristics, the American T-95 was an excellent machine before the start of World War II, but with the development of weapons, it catastrophically lagged behind the main types of armored and artillery troops, not only of its allies, but also of potential opponents. Continue working on a backward projectwas not economically viable, so it was closed.
Studying the negative experience of past years, modern designers of military equipment are trying to design weapons in such a way that they meet the requirements of the war and fulfill the assigned combat missions to the maximum.
