Soviet anti-aircraft artillery played a very important role in the Great Patriotic War. According to official data, during the hostilities, 21,645 aircraft were shot down by ground-based air defense systems of the ground forces, including 4047 aircraft with anti-aircraft guns of 76 mm and more, and 14,657 aircraft with anti-aircraft guns.
In addition to fighting enemy aircraft, anti-aircraft guns, if necessary, often fired at ground targets. For example, in the Battle of Kursk, 15 anti-tank artillery battalions took part in twelve 85-mm anti-aircraft guns. This measure, of course, was forced, since anti-aircraft guns were much more expensive, less mobility, and they were harder to camouflage.
The number of anti-aircraft guns increased continuously during the war. The increase in small-caliber anti-aircraft guns was especially significant, so on January 1, 1942, there were about 1600 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, and on January 1, 1945, there were about 19 800 guns. However, despite the quantitative increase in anti-aircraft guns, in the USSR during the war, self-propelled anti-aircraft installations (ZSU), capable of accompanying and covering tanks, were never created.
In part, the need for such vehicles was satisfied by the American quadruple 12, 7-mm ZSU M17 received under Lend-Lease, which were mounted on the chassis of the M3 half-track armored personnel carrier.
ZSU M17
These ZSU proved to be a very effective means of protecting tank units and formations on the march from an air attack. In addition, M17s were successfully used during battles in cities, firing heavy fire on the upper floors of buildings.
The task of covering the troops on the march was assigned mainly to anti-aircraft machine gun mounts (ZPU) of 7, 62-12, 7-mm caliber installed on trucks.
The mass production of the 25-mm 72-K assault rifle, which was put into service in 1940, began only in the second half of the war due to difficulties in mastering mass production. A number of design solutions of the 72-K anti-aircraft gun were borrowed from the 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939 61-K.
Anti-aircraft machine gun 72-K
Anti-aircraft guns 72-K were intended for air defense at the level of a rifle regiment and in the Red Army occupied an intermediate position between the large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns DShK and the more powerful 37-mm anti-aircraft guns 61-K. They were also installed on trucks, but in much smaller quantities.
Anti-aircraft machine gun 72-K in the back of a truck
Anti-aircraft guns 72-K and paired installations 94-KM based on them were used against low-flying and diving targets. In terms of the number of copies produced, they were much inferior to 37-mm assault rifles.
94-KM units on trucks
The creation of an anti-aircraft machine of this caliber with a clip-on loading does not seem entirely justified. The use of a clip-on loader for a small-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun greatly reduced the practical rate of fire, slightly surpassing the 37-mm 61-K machine gun in this indicator. But at the same time, it is much inferior to him in range, altitude and the damaging effect of the projectile. The production cost of the 25mm 72-K was not much less than the production cost of the 37mm 61-K.
The installation of the rotating part of the gun on a non-detachable four-wheeled vehicle is the object of criticism based on comparison with foreign anti-aircraft guns of a similar class.
However, it should be noted that the 25 mm shell itself was not bad. At a distance of 500 meters, an armor-piercing projectile weighing 280 grams, with an initial speed of 900 m / s, penetrated 30-mm armor along the normal.
When creating a unit with a tape feed, it was quite possible to achieve a high rate of fire, which was done after the war in anti-aircraft 25-mm machine guns created for the Navy.
With the end of the war in 1945, the production of 72-K was discontinued, however, they continued to be in service until the early 60s, until the 23 mm ZU-23-2 were replaced.
Much more widespread was the 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 61-K model, created on the basis of the Swedish 40-mm Bofors cannon.
The 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model is a single-barreled small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft gun on a four-carriage with an inseparable four-wheel drive.
The automatic gun is based on the use of the recoil force according to the scheme with a short recoil of the barrel. All actions necessary for firing a shot (opening the bolt after a shot with extracting the sleeve, cocking the striker, feeding cartridges into the chamber, closing the bolt and releasing the striker) are performed automatically. Aiming, aiming of the gun and the supply of clips with cartridges to the store are carried out manually.
According to the leadership of the gun service, its main task was to combat air targets at ranges up to 4 km and at altitudes up to 3 km. If necessary, the cannon can be successfully used for firing at ground targets, including tanks and armored vehicles.
61-K during the Great Patriotic War were the main means of air defense of the Soviet troops in the front line.
During the war years, the industry supplied the Red Army with more than 22,600 37-mm anti-aircraft guns mod. 1939. In addition, at the final stage of the war, the SU-37 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, created on the basis of the SU-76M self-propelled gun and armed with a 37-mm 61-K anti-aircraft gun, began to enter the troops.
self-propelled anti-aircraft guns SU-37
In order to increase the density of anti-aircraft fire at the end of the war, a two-gun installation V-47 was developed, which consisted of two 61-K machine guns on a four-wheeled cart.
two-gun mount V-47
Despite the fact that the production of 61-K was completed in 1946, they remained in service for a very long time and took part in numerous wars on all continents.
37-mm anti-aircraft guns mod. 1939 was actively used during the Korean War by both North Korean and Chinese units. Based on the results of the application, the gun has proven itself positively, but in some cases insufficient firing range was noted. An example is the battle in September 1952 of 36 P-51 aircraft with the 61-K division, as a result of which 8 aircraft were shot down (according to Soviet data), and the division's losses amounted to one gun and 12 people from the crew.
In the post-war years, the gun was exported to dozens of countries around the world, in the armies of many of which it is still in service today. In addition to the USSR, the gun was produced in Poland, as well as in China under the designation Type 55. In addition, in China, on the basis of the Type 69 tank, the Type 88 self-propelled twin anti-aircraft gun was created.
The 61-K was also actively used during the Vietnam War (in this case, a semi-handicraft self-propelled self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the T-34 tank, known as the Type 63, was used). Used 37-mm cannon mod. 1939 and during the Arab-Israeli wars, as well as during various armed conflicts in Africa and in other regions of the world.
This anti-aircraft gun is perhaps the most “belligerent” one in terms of the number of armed conflicts where it was used. The exact number of aircraft shot down by him is not known, but we can say that it is much higher than that of any other anti-aircraft gun.
The only medium-caliber anti-aircraft gun produced in the USSR during the war was the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939 g.
During the war, in 1943, in order to reduce the cost of production and increase the reliability of the gun mechanisms, regardless of the elevation angle, a modernized 85-mm gun mod. 1939 with a semiautomatic copying machine, an automatic reel speed control and simplified units.
In February 1944. this gun, which received the factory index KS-12, went into mass production.
In 1944, the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1944 (KS -1). It was obtained by imposing a new 85-mm barrel on the carriage of an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939 The purpose of the modernization was to increase the survivability of the barrel and reduce the cost of production. The KS-1 was adopted on July 2, 1945.
85 mm anti-aircraft gun KS-1
For aiming the gun according to PUAZO data, receiving devices are installed, connected by synchronous communication with PUAZO. Installation of fuses with the help of a fuse installer is carried out according to PUAZO data or at the command of the commander 85 mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939 was equipped with PUAZO-Z receiving devices, and the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1944 - PUAZO-4A.
Rangefinder calculation PUAZO-3
At the beginning of 1947, a new 85-mm anti-aircraft gun KS-18 was received for testing.
The KS-18 cannon was a four-wheeled platform with a mass of 3600 kg with a torsion bar suspension, on which a machine was installed with an instrument weighing 3300 kg. The gun was equipped with a tray and a projectile rammer. Due to the increased length of the barrel and the use of a more powerful charge, the area of destruction of targets in height was increased from 8 to 12 km. Camora KS-18 was identical with the 85 mm D-44 anti-tank gun.
The gun was equipped with a synchronous servo drive and PUAZO-6 receiving devices.
The KS-18 cannon was recommended for service with the military anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft artillery of the RVK instead of the 85-mm anti-aircraft guns mod. 1939 and arr. 1944
In total, over the years of production, more than 14,000 85-mm anti-aircraft guns of all modifications were produced. In the postwar period, they were in service with anti-aircraft artillery regiments, artillery divisions (brigades), armies and RVK, and corps anti-aircraft artillery regiments (divisions) of military anti-aircraft artillery.
85-mm anti-aircraft guns took an active part in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, where they showed themselves well. The defensive fire of these guns often forced American pilots to move to low altitudes, where they came under fire from small-caliber anti-aircraft guns.
Anti-aircraft 85-mm guns were in service in the USSR until the mid-60s, until they were supplanted in the air defense forces by anti-aircraft missile systems.
