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TL;DR: A tractor with a funny name and a 122mm howitzer.
History:
Motorizing howitzers and anti-tank guns has always been a necessity when it comes moving them through hostile territory. Towed guns, while cheaper, take time to set up and would be near useless if their column were to be ambushed. Combating this would mean placing howitzers and anti-tank guns onto mobile and armored chassis. This would mitigate, or even entirely eliminate, set up time once they reach a position and would give their crews more protection and quicker firepower during an ambush. The cheapest way to do this would be to just plonk them onto tractors or trucks, which is exactly what the People’s Commissar of Armament ordered to be done on July 1st, 1941. The deadline for designs was in 2 weeks. This would result in a number of very interesting tractor-based SPGs such as Factory #92’s ZiS-30, which was based on the Komsomolets tractor . ChTZ’s design would be based on the Stalinets S-2 tractor, a strange decision as it was very heavy and very slow. Nevertheless, ChTZ persisted and eventually produced a prototype, which would be designated SU-S2. The SU-S2 differed greatly from its Stalinets S-2. It’s suspension system was completely redone and lengthened, leaving only the return rollers and drive sprocket from the original system. It now used torsion bars and shrunken versions of the KV-1 idlers and road wheels. The main armament was the M-30 122mm howitzer and the original tractor body was covered by a thin armored shell. The SU-S2 would undergo factory trails in October of 1941, however, its story would stop there. The army took one look at it and rejected it. What they needed was KV-1 tanks, not improvised SPGs.
Place In War Thunder:
To be honest, the SU-S2 would not be very useful in-game. It’s big and slow and would have poor gun handling. That being said, not being useful doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be fun. The monotony of the high-tier grind is draining. Sometimes a wild change of pace is necessary to regain some sanity. The SU-S2 would easily provide that. Yeah, it’s the size of a barn and as slow as freeway traffic but it also has a big old donker of a gun. Anything you hit would die, no questions asked. If put into the right position, the SU-S2 could easily secure a few frags before getting strafed or bombed. Just stick back and play support and you’ll do just fine. The SU-S2 would bit in perfectly as either a low-tier event or squadron vehicle.
Specifications:
Armament: 122mm M-30 howitzer and 1x 7.62mm MG
Dimensions: 4.67m, 2.44m, 2.75m (Dimensions of the original Stalinets S-2. This vehicle is taller and longer.)
Weight: 12000~kg
Armor: Unknown. Likely very thin.
Crew: 4
Ammunition: Same as SU-122 in-game
Speed: 20~kph
Horsepower: 160hp
Pictures:
Front View:Side View:
Sources:
https://kknews.cc/military/gxgn2n8.html
STALINETS S-2 - Quartermaster Section
Tank Archives: Self Propelled Artillery on a Tractor Chassis