85mm cannon D-44

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85mm cannon D-44

The 85 mm D-44 cannon is a cannon developed in the Soviet Union from 1944 . It is used to fight against moving targets, as well as targets that are open or hidden. The Russian name is 85-мм дивизио́нная пу́шка Д-44 , which means 85-mm division cannon D-44 . The GAU index is 52-P-367. It replaced the 76 mm M1942 (SiS-3) divisional cannon used in the artillery regiments of the various divisions . There are currently around 200 of the Chinese Type 56 variant in service with the Pakistani Army. The weapon was used in all major conflicts in the second half of the 20th century, such as the Vietnam War and the various military clashes between the Arab states and Israel.

development

The development of tactical operational principles, which went hand in hand with the development of technology and armament during the Second World War , required increasingly powerful guns. For the guns used in the artillery regiments at the division level, a greater range and a better effect on the target were required. Mobile weapons with a high penetration rate were required for fighting tanks and armored combat vehicles. At the same time, the tactical mobility should be increased by reducing weight. The 76 mm M1942 division cannon could no longer meet these requirements in the second half of the Second World War. Following the general trend towards larger calibers, it should be replaced by an 85mm cannon. Development of the D-44 began in the second half of 1944 in the design office of Plant No. 9 (today Uralmash ) under the direction of Fyodor Fyodorovich Petrov . The weapon goes back to the 85-mm Flak 52-K via the D-5 tank cannon, also developed under the direction of Petrow . After a relatively short trial, series production began in Plant No. 9 in 1945, and a year later the gun was incorporated into the armament of the Soviet Army . Production stopped in 1953. Between 1948 and 1950 approximately 2000 weapons were produced annually.

construction

gun

The base piece with the charging cradle and lock, the pipe brake and the pipe retractor lie above the base piece
Directional drives

The weapon is largely conventional, in line with the technical standard of the mid-1940s. The one-piece barrel has a length of 55 calibers and has a muzzle brake . A vertically running semi-automatic drop block lock is used as the lock , in which a spring supports the opening of the lock. The charging cradle is located behind the breech, in which the grenade cartridges to be fired are inserted. The hydraulic pipe brake and the hydraulic pipe retractor are located at the level of the base piece directly above the pipe. The construction allowed a theoretical rate of fire of 20 to 25 rounds per minute. The weapon is aimed purely mechanically in terms of height and side, the aiming drives are to the left of the breech.

Visor

The OP1-7 (ОП1-7) was initially used as a sight . It was replaced from 1950 by the OP2-7 (ОП2-7) with 5.5x magnification. This enabled targets to be grasped up to a distance of 1,500 m. In the course of the long period of use, the types OP4-7 (ОП4-7), OP4-7-M (ОП4М-7) and APN-2 (АПН-2) were also adapted to the weapon. The aiming device S71-7 (С71-7) with the panoramic telescope PG-1M (ПГ-1M) and the collimator K-1 (K-1) were used for shooting in indirect aiming .

Mount

Spars with ground spurs and locking, towing eye is removed

The expansion carriage is a construction made of steel tubing. Both spars are each provided with a ground spur . For the march, the bars are folded up and locked, the lock also takes the eye for the towing vehicle. For easier maneuvering without a towing vehicle, a foldable wheel is attached to the left handle. The crew is protected against rifle ammunition and fragments by a shield.

In the marching position, the gun is 8,340 mm long, 1680 mm wide and 1420 mm high, the ground clearance is 350 mm. The line of fire is 830 mm above the ground. The wheels were taken over from the GAZ-AA . Trucks Ural-375D and ZIL-131 were used as traction devices, and Ja-12 chain pulling devices in difficult terrain . The carriage construction allowed a cruising speed of 60 km / h on the road.

ammunition

Cartridged ammunition is fired . Frag grenades (O-365K), tank shells with tracer (BR-365, BR-365K, BR-367), lower caliber grenades with tracer (BR-365P, BR-367P) and wing-stabilized shaped charge grenades BK-2M (БK-2M) were available. A combat set in the NVA consisted of 103 fragmentation grenade cartridges, 5 tank shell cartridges and 12 lower calorie shell cartridges, in other armed forces the composition may vary. With the BR-365P sub-caliber shells, 100 mm armor can be penetrated at a distance of 1000 m at an angle of impact of 90 °, with the BR-367P 180 mm under the same conditions. The shaped charge projectiles can penetrate 300 mm of armor. The fragmentation explosive device O-365K weighs 9.5 kg and is filled with 741 g of TNT .

variants

Chinese type 56

The D-44 was continuously developed in order - according to the technical possibilities of the time - to increase the combat value. The D-44 continued to form the basis for the 85 mm D-48 anti-tank gun .

D-44

The D-44 is the originally developed variant. New straightening devices were used from 1950, but the actual weapon remained unchanged and was not given a new name.

D-44N

The D-44N was specially developed for night combat. The APNZ-7 (АПН3-7) night vision visor was used as a visor , an infrared spotlight was used for target illumination. The position of the pipe return indicator was changed to enable the installation of the headlight.

SD-44

The SD-44 (85-мм самодвижущаяся пушка СД-44, self-propelled 85-mm cannon SD-44) is the self-propelled version of the cannon. The gun was powered by a motor placed on the left spar (in the direction of fire). The 2-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine known from the M72 motorcycle with a displacement of 746 cm³ and a maximum output of 22 hp was used. On the right stile there was an ammunition box that held a total of ten grenade cartridges. For the ride, the bars were folded up and a third wheel swiveled down. This impeller was also steerable. The driver sat on the bars with his back to the lock, in front of him was the steering wheel and the pedals familiar from ordinary motor vehicles. This construction reached a cruising speed of 25 km / h on the road, but the weapon could still be attached to a traction device. This design was primarily intended for airborne units, in which carrying and landing powerful towing vehicles naturally causes difficulties. With the SD-44, they could be provided with a powerful weapon, otherwise they were dependent on small-caliber guns or less powerful reactive guns.

D-44M / D-44MN

These weapons are Polish developments.

Type 56

The Type 56 is the version of the weapon made in China. With the sub-caliber shells, 100 mm armor can be penetrated at a distance of 970 m with an impact angle of 65 °.

Technical specifications

85mm cannon D-44
General properties
classification Division and anti-tank gun
Chief designer Fyodor Fyodorovich Petrov
Name of the manufacturer D-44
Manufacturer Zavod No. 9 (Plant No. 9, Russian Завод № 9) in Sverdlovsk
Weight in firing position 1,725 ​​kg (2,250 for SD-44)
Weight in driving position 1,955 kg (2,480 kg for SD-44)
team 7 men
Years of construction 1946-1953
number of pieces 10,800
pipe
caliber 85 mm
Pipe length 4,685 mm (L / 55)
Fire dates
Elevation range −7 ° to + 35 °
Side straightening area 54 °
Maximum range 15,650 m
Maximum muzzle velocity 800 m / s
fire rate 15-20 rounds / min
agility
Top speed in tow 60 km / h
Self-propelled cruising speed 25 km / h

commitment

Operational principles

Basically, the D-44 was used in the Soviet Army in the artillery regiments of the various division types. Since with the D-48 an anti-tank gun of the same caliber was available, the D-44 was primarily used to fight against open and concealed targets. As early as the mid-1950s, it was foreseeable that the weapon would no longer meet the increased requirements. The caliber no longer allowed a significant increase in ballistic performance. It was replaced by howitzers with a caliber of 152 mm.

The weapon was exported to numerous countries and some of it is still in use there today, for example in Abkhazia.

Use in the NVA

The NVA began in 1956, the D-44, D-44N and the SD-44 one. Since the 85mm D-48 anti-tank gun was not introduced, the SD-44 was also used in the role of an anti-tank gun. Advantages were expected here from the increased tactical mobility due to the self-propulsion. However, the constructive solution was not convincing. For logistical reasons, the 2-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine was initially replaced by the 2-cylinder two-stroke engine from the Trabant car . Due to the unfavorable power- to- weight ratio , however, the weapon did not meet the requirements, so that the SD-44 of the NVA were upgraded to the status of the D-44.

Even before establishing the NVA the later had Minister of National Defense Colonel Willi Stoph for the mechanized divisions 20 SD-44, for the tank divisions SD-44 per 7 and for the motorized rifle divisions each provided 19 SD-44 and 19 85 mm cannons , In addition to the D-44, the 85 mm K-52 cannon was also used. However, the economic conditions in the GDR did not allow such equipment. In fact, the 4th Infantry Division received 26 guns, the 7th Panzer Division no gun and the motorized rifle divisions 19 guns. The SD-44s were primarily assigned to the 85 mm batteries of the motorized rifle regiments, while the D-44 and K-52 were assigned to the artillery regiments of the divisions . By the addition of new weapons, but mainly through changes to the structure, a replenishment corresponding to the target could be achieved by the end of 1957, in 1960 the motorized rifle divisions were 100% replenished, the armored divisions 33%.

From 1965, the D-44 was replaced in its role as an anti-tank weapon by the 100 mm T-12 anti-tank gun . By 1970 the guns in the artillery regiments were also displaced by howitzers of caliber 122 mm. The weapons that were released were preserved for a long time and assigned to the mobilization divisions. When, from 1971, the units of permanent combat readiness were equipped with modern 122-mm howitzers D-30 and 152-mm howitzers D-20 and, from 1978, with self-propelled 122-mm howitzers 2S1 and 152-mm howitzers 2S3 , they replaced released 122-mm M-30 howitzer- D-44 increasingly from the mobilization divisions. The D-44 were initially stored. In the MBFR negotiations that began in 1973 and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe negotiated from 1986, however, a numerical limitation of artillery weapons with a caliber greater than 120 mm became apparent. In order to comply with the provisions of the last-named contract, the GDR was forced to partially detach the 122-mm M-30 howitzers from the armament of the mobilization divisions and to scrap them. They were replaced again by the D-44. This makes the D-44 one of the weapon systems that were in use from the time the NVA was founded until it was dissolved.

The guns were not taken over by the Bundeswehr in 1990.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Russian Arms forum
  2. ↑ see Jane's Armor and Artillery 1981–1982 and Jane's Armor and Artillery 2007–2008
  3. ↑ a b Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo. MB III, technical catalog, 85 mm cannon D-44 / D-44N
  4. ↑ see Brassey, p. 124
  5. ↑ Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo. MB III, technical catalog, 85 mm self-propelled Pak SD44
  6. ↑ Information according to the RWD technical catalog
  7. ↑ В Абхазии пройдут учения со стрельбой ( Memento from July 17, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) in Russian
  8. ↑ see Copenhagen, p. 22
  9. ↑ see Copenhagen, p. 46
  10. ↑ see Copenhagen, p. 31

Web links

Commons : D-44 85 mm gun  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

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