SU-1: A Forgotten First...

slowmo21too · August 11, 2026, 11:30am

SU-1: A Forgotten First…

(Polls are at the Bottom)

Overview

Hello Comrades!

Today I want to suggest a historical vehicle, and one with some significance! With the closing of WW1, the concept of the self propelled gun quickly began to take the minds of militaries, and the Soviet Union was the first to bite. Ordering the production of a new prototype, which would become the SU-1, the Union’s first Self-Propelled Gun!

Basic Information

Designation: SU-1

Role: Self-Propelled Gun

Crew: 4

Driver
Commander
Gunner
Loader

Total built: 1

Specifications

Dimensions:

Length: 4.62 m (15 ft 2 in)
Width: 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
Height: 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in)

Driving Performance:

Engine: 4-cyl. Air-Cooled GAZ T-26 Petrol Engine
- 90 hp (67.1 kW)
Maximum Speed: 30 km/h (18.6 mph)
Maximum Range: 110 km (68.4 mi)
Gross Weight: 8.1 tons (17,747 Ibs)

Armament:

Main Armament: 1x 76mm Obr. 1927 Regimental Cannon
- Elevation: -5°/+23°
- Ammunition: 35 Rounds
Secondary Armament: 1x 7.62mm DT Machine Gun (Coaxial)
- Ammunition: 470 Rounds (10x 47-rd. Magazines)

Usage In Battles

The SU-1 would be a nice historical addition, being a nice rank 1 SPG, able to overpressure most vehicles at that rank, with a large ammo pool as well.

Pros:

Big Gun For BR
Good Mobility

Cons:

Little Armor
Low Velocity Cannon

History

A New, Novel Idea…

In late 1930, the Soviet Union was in the search of developing a “Samohodnaya Ustanovka” or Self-Propelled Gun, with several projects being designed in tandem on vehicles like the T-24 and T-19. Also being used as a vehicle base for this new SPG was the T-26, its design requirements being written by then-director of the Scientific-Technical Committee (NTK) of the Directorate of Mechanization and Motorization (UMM) of the Red Army, Ivan Andrianovich Lebedev.

The design was intended to be made in assistance with Germany via a Soviet-German Technical Commission between Daimler-Benz and the Leningrad Plant, and as development continued, parallel proposals using other vehicles began to fall out due to being deemed too complicated, too expensive, or in the case of the T-24, additional chassis would stop being produced. By 1931, only the T-26 chassis would be left standing in development.

With the expected deadline rapidly approaching, engineers would continue designing the SU-1, prioritizing as little radical alterations to the base design of the chassis as possible, with the added benefit of being easy to incorporate into the tank manufacturing pipeline of the Soviet Union already established. The crew compartment would be expanded into a casemate, and the gun cradle would be borrowed from the Garford-Putilov Armored Car to carry the Gun.

The final design would be completed by mid-1931 and by October, the prototype would be rolled out, being moved to the Okhta Field Research Artillery Range (Rzhevsky range), to begin field trials.

A Good Start to Testing…

Testing of the SU-1 would fall short of satisfactory, as the test crew would note the cramped conditions within the SPG and unergonomic controls; and when firing the gun, the gun cradle was too light to properly absorb the force of the 76mm gun, dislodging the gun from its mount. Despite this, after small redesigns and repairing/reinforcing the cradle, testing would continue.

The following tests would be less disastrous, with the only major complaints being poor ventilation and spent casings from the coaxial DT machine gun flying throughout the fighting compartment. Apart from one misfire, the SU-1 would preform well enough, firing 44 shells in testing (41 Stationary, 3 While Maneuvering).

The Final Fate…

Despite successful testing, the SU-1 would not be accepted into service, prefrence rather being given to the T-26-4 design, leaving the SU-1 to be scrapped sometime in 1933. Throughout development, the Germans would slowly pull away from the project to focus on their own indigenous design for an SPG, which would eventually develop into the StuG III.

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