History, Development, and Use of the
M-1943 (ZIS-2)
57mm Anti-Tank Gun
This section will cover the history, development, and use of the M-1943 anti-tank gun. In this section you will find where the gun has been used, when it was designed, its limitations and abilities, and how the anti-tank gun functions. |
The M-1943 anti-tank gun was developed at Artillery Plant No. 92 in Gorki. By June 1943, V. G. Grshin's design team had standardized the design which had been based on proven components. The carriage was the same as the 76mm divisional gun (ZIS-3), while the 57mm cannon and recoil system had come from an earlier M1941 model anti-tank gun. When it entered service the gun was called ZIS-2, this was because Artillery Plant No. 92 had received the honorary name - Zavod imeni Stalina (Stalin's Factory). It was later known as the "57mm Anti-tank Gun Model 1943".
Early versions of the weapon
were equipped with a folding flat topped gun shield, while later models
used after the Great Patriotic War often had a wavy topped gun
shield. The later versions could also be equipped with an infrared
targeting sight.
The M-1943 gun would see action almost as soon as development was completed and production began. It was sent to anti-tank gun teams who had previously been using the M-1942 45mm anti-tank gun. The M-1943 offered much better performance over the 45mm gun, especially in the face of ever improving German armor. The gun was also easily transported around the battlefield by common GAZ trucks. |
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After the war the anti-tank anti-tank gun was widely exported to the Warsaw Pact, Arab and African countries, and with other communist nations. It was during this period that it's gun shield was changed from its straight top to the wavy top design. In 1957 an infrared gun sight (either an APN-57 or an APNZ-55) was added by Factory #235. These guns were designated ZIS-2N.
The M-1943 anti-tank gun was used at the Regimental level by anti-tank units during the Great Patriotic war, and then with airborne units during the Cold War. In various Third world nations the gun would often be used with anti-tank units, or singly in the ambush role. When it was phased out of front line Soviet service the weapons were transferred to militia units for training purposes.
The weapon was valued for its high rate of fire which allowed its gun crew to rain fire down on enemy armor. This also gave the gun crew a greater chance to score a mobility kill on even very heavy tanks. Its light weight was another advantage. The gun could be rapidly traversed or moved short distances on the battlefield by its crew without any special equipment.
It also suffered from several limitations. The first was that it soon found its ability to penetrate armor outpaced by rapidly increasing armor of newer tanks. That soon relegated it to taking on only lighter armored vehicles, leaving the heavier tanks to 76mm or larger anti-tank guns. Another limitation was that the weapon was much more expensive to produce (due to its long barrel) when compared to the 76mm divisional gun. One other fault was that it was not very mobile. It had to be towed by either GAZ series trucks or BTR-152 armored personnel carriers. This was later corrected by making the gun mobile. This resulted in the Ch-26 and ASU-57, both of which gradually replaced the M-1943 anti-tank gun.
Here you can see what type of anti-tank guns the M-1943 ZIS-2 replaced and what AT guns eventually replaced it. You can find out more about those artillery systems if we have them on the site by clicking on the links below.
The M-1943 AT Gun replaced... | M-1943 (ZIS-2) 57mm Anti-tank Gun | The M-1943 AT Gun was replaced by... |
M-1942 45mm AT Gun | Ch-26 57mm AT Gun ASU-57 Tank Destroyer |
Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you. We hope you can find them as useful as we have.
Jane's Armor and Artillery 1981-1982, Edited by Christopher Foss, Copyright 1981 by Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, published by Jane's Publishing Co. Ltd. 1981