- Yes, as a tech tree vehicle.
- Yes, as an event vehicle.
- Yes, as a squadron vehicle.
- No
- 2.0
- 2.3
- 2.7
- 3.0
- 3.3
- 3.7
- I said no.
- SU-76i
- SU-76i Command Vehicle
- Sturmgeschütz SU-76i (r) (German captured)
- None
The SU-76i (with the “i” stand for “Inostrannaya” or foreigner) was a Soviet SPG based on the chassis of the StuG III or Pz.III armed with a 76.2mm S-1 gun. Around 181 SU-76i were built along with 20 Command Vehicles.
History:
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In early 1943, many Su-76 suffered from transmission breakdowns. This issue was so significant that production was halted until a solution could be found, but resolving it would take time. On January 18th, 1943, the GKO (State Defense Committee) promptly issued Decree #2758 to Factory №37, №592, and the Kashtanov Design Bureau in Sverdlovsk. They were commissioned to design and build an experimental prototype SPG using the chassis of captured StuG III and Pz.III tanks as a stopgap measure.
The SU-76I was a big revision of the SG-122. Instead of the 122mm M-30 howitzer, it was replaced by the 76.2mm S-1 cannon. The S-1 (C-1) cannon was essentially a more cheaper version of the F-34/Zis-5. Initially, the design called for mounting the gun on a semi-traversable pedestal similar to early Italian TDs. However, this would mean reducing ammunition storage and left the crew highly exposed to artillery and shrapnel. Consequently, the design was modified to mount the gun in a fixed casemate with limited traverse.
The prototype was completed and tested on March 6th at the Sverdlovsk testing grounds. The superstructure was welded, with only the roof being bolted and removable. The S-1(C-1) gun could traverse vertically from -5 to +15 degrees and horizontally from +(-)10 degrees. It used the TMFD-7 gun sight and could fire most 76.2mm rounds of that era. Ammunition storage included 96 rounds: 48 on a horizontal rack in the right rear corner, 38 in vertical racks on the left side, and 10 in a vertical rack on the right side. The Maybach HL120 TRM engine was retained from the original chassis. The crew consisted of four members: a driver, commander, gunner, and loader. Anti-infantry capabilities were limited to firing PPSh submachine guns through slits, as the Pz.III/StuG hull mg had been removed.
The SPGs were put into service on March 20th, 1943, and saw action on the Eastern Front. By November 1943, a total of 201 Pz.III and StuG had been converted to SU-76i, with 20 serving as command variants. They were eventually withdrawn from service in 1944, and the surviving vehicles were repurposed as training vehicles at tank and artillery schools.
Command variant: The command variant was fitted with the Pz.III cupola and the left-side ammo racks were removed to accommodate a high-power radio.
Beutepanzer variant: This one is particularly interesting. In late 1943, the Soviets knocked out a German SPG, and upon inspection, it was discovered to be an Su-76I. This makes it a double recapture.
Currently, only 3 vehicles survived with one Sarny, Ukraine, another in the UMMC Museum of Military Equipment near Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, and a restored one in the Poklonnaya Gora Museum in Moscow.
Specification:
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Dimensions:
Length: 6 900 mm.
Width: 2 910 mm.
Height: 2 375 mm.
Clearance: 350 mm.
Weight: 22 500 kg.
Crews: 4 (driver, commander, gunner, loader)
Engine: 12-cylinder Maybach HL120 TRM, 296 bhp
Top road speed 50 km/h
Hull Armor Front 30 mm, sides 30 mm, rear 20 mm.
Upper Armor Front 35 mm, sides 25 mm, rear and roof 15 mm.
Armaments:
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76.2mm gun S-1 (C-1), (96 rounds): BR-350A (MD-5 fuze), BR-350B (MD-8 fuze), BR-350SP, BR-354P, BP-353A, OF-350M, Sh-354T, D-350A.
Vertical: -5°/+15°
Horizontal: ±10°
2x submachine gun PPSH, (994 ammo, 14 drums).
In game:
In game this would be a great low tier SPGs for USSR tt, it could be foldered with the SU-122 or a low tier event vehicle.
Photos:
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A whole album on the Sarny surviving example can be found here.
Sources: