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85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K)

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"52-K" redirects here. For the isotope of potassium (52K), see Potassium-52.

85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-К)
85 mm air defense gun M1944 (KS-1)

85 mm air defense gun M1939 (above)
85 mm air defense gun M1944 (below)
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Produced1939 – 1945
Specifications
Mass
  • 85 mm AA gun M1939:
    4,300 kg (9,480 lb)
  • 85 mm AA gun M1944:
    5,000 kg (11,020 lb)
Length7.05 m (23.13 ft)
Barrel length4,645 mm (15.24 ft)
L/54.6[1]
Width2.15 m (7.05 ft)
Height2.25 m (7.38 ft)
Crew7
Shell85×629mmR
Shell weight9.2 kg (20.28 lb)[2]
Caliber85 mm (3.35 in)
BreechVertical sliding-wedge
RecoilHydro-pneumatic[1]
Carriage2-axle and 4-wheeled with outriggers
Elevation-3° / +82°
Traverse360°
Rate of fire10–12 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity792 m/s (2,598 ft/s)
Maximum firing range
AA gun M1939
  • Horizontal:
    15.65 km (17,120 yd)
  • Vertical:
    10.5 km (34,450 ft)
AA gun M1944
  • Horizontal:
    18 km (19,690 yd)
  • Vertical:
    11.6 km (38,060 ft)

The 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K) (Russian: 85-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1939 г. (52-К))[3] was an 85 mm (3.3 in) Soviet anti-aircraft gun used in World War II.

History

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The 85 mm air defense gun M1939 was developed under guidance of leading Soviet designers M. N. Loginov and G. D. Dorokhin. This gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War against level bombers and other high- and medium-altitude targets. In emergencies they were utilized as powerful anti-tank weapons. The barrel of the 52-K was the basis for the family of 85-mm Soviet tank guns. After the war some 52-Ks were refitted for peaceful purposes as anti-avalanche guns in mountainous terrain.

Virtually every country behind the Iron Curtain received this gun after World War II for their air defense. In the Soviet Union itself, these guns were largely superseded by the 100 and 130 mm guns.

Description

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Adopted in 1939, the 85-mm M1939, like its German counterpart the 88-mm Flak 18/36/37, was meant for air defense. Like many anti-aircraft (AA) guns of the era it was also provided with anti-tank ammunition in the event a tank should appear.

Organization

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85-mm M1939 guns were organized into heavy anti-aircraft regiments of 16 guns. The regiments were organized into divisions of the field anti-aircraft forces.

85 mm tank gun M1944 (ZiS-S-53)

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85mm tank gun M1944 (ZiS-S-53)
A ZiS-S-53 at the Arsenal Museum in Zamość, Poland.
TypeTank gun
Place of originSoviet Union

The 85 mm tank gun M1944 (ZiS-S-53) (Russian: 85-мм танковая пушка обр. 1944 (ЗИС-С-53))

History

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By 1942, the 76.2mm F-34 tank gun of the T-34 medium tank was found to be lacking in range and penetration compared to the German 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun, new mounted on the Stug III and Panzer IV, and markedly inferior to the 88-mm gun of the Tiger I. Military planners directed the design bureaus of both Gen. Vasiliy Grabin and Gen. Fyodor Petrov to modify the 85mm anti-aircraft gun for use as an anti-tank weapon.

Petrov's bureau developed the D-5 85mm gun. Though much too large for the T-34 turret, it could be mounted in the chassis of the SU-122 self-propelled gun to create a tank destroyer. This was done, and the SU-85 tank destroyer went into production. Meanwhile, efforts were underway to redesign the T-34 turret to make it large enough to accommodate the newly developed gun.

Grabin, who had been working on a second 85mm gun, the ZiS-53, at Joseph Stalin Factory No. 92 in Gorky near Moscow, was reassigned to the Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB) in Moscow. His project was turned over to 23-year-old A. Savin. A third team led by K. Siderenko was assigned to yet another 85mm gun project, and developed the S-18, to be used in the modified T-34 turret.

The resulting guns were tested at Gorokhoviesky Proving Grounds near Gorky, with Grabin's ZiS-53 winning the competition. However, the new T-34/85's turret had been designed to accommodate the already-available D-5 gun, and did not mate properly with Grabin's gun. The T-34/85 tank went into production making use of the D-5 gun (designated D-5T, for "tank").

Savin was put to work modifying Grabin's gun to fit the new turret and incorporate other improvements. His initial was added to his gun's designation in recognition of his contribution: the ZiS-S-53. From T-34/85 Model 1944 onwards, all T-34/85s used Savin's ZiS-S-53. It went into production in the spring of 1944. A new antitank gun was then developed, the 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3).

Design

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The barrel of the gun consisted of a monoblock tube, a breech, and a breech coupling, pads and clips. The breech is of vertical sliding wedge type with the mantlet being cast. The anti-rollback devices consisted of a hydraulic rollback, a special rollback brake located on the left of the gun, and a hydro-pneumatic rollback mechanic. The length of the barrel rollback was 280 - 320mm, with the maximum being 330mm. The elevation mechanism was of a sector type, the trigger mechanism consisted of electric and manual triggers, the electric being mounted on the handle of the hand wheel of the lifting mechanism and the manual trigger on the left guard of the breech.

Penetration comparison

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Calculated penetration figures at (90 degrees) against US 240 BRN rolled test plate and 50% success criteria[note 1]
and allowing direct comparison to foreign gun performance.[4]
Gun type Ammo Muzzle velocity
(m/s) 		Penetration (mm)
100 m 250 m 500 m 750 m 1000 m 1250 m 1500 m 2000 m 2500 m 3000 m
85mm/L52 (D-5T) AP 792 m/s
(2,600 ft/s) 		142 135 125 116 107 99 92 78 67 57
85mm/L52 (D-5T) APBC 792 m/s
(2,600 ft/s) 		139 133 123 114 105 98 91 81 73 65
85mm/L52 (D-5T) APCR 1,050 m/s
(3,400 ft/s) 		175 159 136 117 100 85 73 54 39 29

See also

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Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

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Notes

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  1. ^ Against a given plate thickness the average highest velocity failure and lowest velocity penetration are averaged to determine muzzle velocity at which 50% of hits penetrate.

References

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Citations
  1. ^ a b Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 249. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
  2. ^ Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1975). Anti-aircraft guns. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 63. ISBN 0668038187. OCLC 2000222.
  3. ^ 85mm AA gun (armyrecognition).
  4. ^ Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 59.
Main sources
  • Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X.
  • Foss, Christopher F. (1982). Jane's Armour and Artillery. Jane's Publishing Company Limited. ISBN 0-7106-0727-X.
  • Shunkov V. N. - The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) ISBN 985-433-469-4.
  • Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Prembss. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
Secondary sources
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 85-mm air defense gun model 1939 (52-К).
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