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SU-14

A few years before the creation of the triplex of division artillery, Spetsmashtrest was assigned to develop self-propelled Guns of Great and Special Power. The specification, issued on September 17, 1931, stipulated that, by May 1, 1932, a “self-propelled body triplex”, including a 107-mm cannon, 1907 \ 1930, 152.4-mm howitzer 1090 \ 1930, should be submitted. and a 203-mm M-type mortar, model 1929. In parallel, the “Triplex Heavy Artillery of Special Purpose” (TAON) was worked out, which included larger-caliber artillery systems: a 152.4-mm high-power cannon, a 203-mm howitzer obr. 1929/1931 and 305-mm mortar obr.1931

The GAU Technical Commission was supposed to consider the proposed projects on May 1, 1932, but due to numerous delays, the sketches of self-propelled units were submitted only in July. With the “body triplex”, for which the elongated chassis from the T-24 medium tank was chosen, the story was quite short. Due to the absence of guns, the SAU was first postponed for two years and then completely canceled, due to the obsolescence of the selected chassis type and the start of work on the SU-5 triplex. But the TAON program managed to produce several prototypes, although it was never brought to mass production.

Of the three options available for the Special Purpose ACS, only the 203 mm B-4 howitzer 1929/1931 had to be selected. The 152.4-mm and 305-mm mortar guns had not yet been created, and the last-caliber gun was subsequently reclassified as a howitzer (since the similar Skoda system was adopted as the base case) and was only adopted in 1939.

Accordingly, for the installation of a 203-mm howitzer, a specific undercarriage was needed, which in many elements was borrowed from a heavy T-35 tank, which was still being tested. Work on the production of working drawings and prototypes were started in 1933 and were carried out on the initiative of PN Syacintov at the Experimental Plant of Spetsmashrest. Interestingly, the prototype ACS, which received the SU-14 index, was ready in May 1934, when the armored armament system for the 2nd five-year plan was significantly revised and there was no place for heavy self-propelled guns. And yet, work on the SU-14 continued.

Structurally, the self-propelled unit consisted of the following catch and aggregates. The chassis, as already mentioned above, was mainly borrowed from an experienced heavy T-35 tank. It used (as applied to one board) eight support rollers of medium diameter, six supporting rollers, a rear-wheel guide wheel with a screw tension mechanism, and a drive wheel with removable gear rims for the hitch linkage with a track. The supporting, supporting rollers and guide wheels had external damping. When testing machines were used guide wheels with a metal bandage, which proved to be more reliable in operation than the wheels with a rubber bandage. Candle, spring suspension of the machine, fastened to the sides of the hull, had a shutdown mechanism for unloading it when firing.

Due to the numerous problems with the transmission of the T-35, this unit was decided to be adopted from an T-28 medium tank. It included: multi-plate main friction clutch for dry friction of steel on Ferodo, a five-speed gearbox, two multidisk onboard clutches of dry friction (24 discs) with floating band brakes, two onboard gearboxes of the original design and a power take-off reducer for the fan. The intake of cooling air was carried out by an axial fan through the intake window in the upper front hull plate and was ejected through the side hatches closed with grills.

The bottom and nose of the case (with a characteristic “wedge”), along with the layout, also moved from the T-35 prototypes without major changes. The gun B-4 was installed in the middle part of the body on an open platform. Under the floor could be placed 8 shots.

It would not be superfluous to familiarize with the characteristics of the B-4, which was adopted by the Red Army in 1933. With a barrel length of 25 calibers, the howitzer had a rollback of 850-1400 mm and angles of guidance from 0 to 60° vertically and ± 4° along the horizon. The range of ammunition consisted of high-explosive (F-625 and F-625D) and concrete-breaking (G-620 and G-620T) ammunition. It is interesting that in case of separate kartuznoy loading it was planned to use full and 11 variable charges. In this case, the mass of the full charge was 15.0-15.5 kg of powder, and the 11th 3.24 kg As a result, the initial speed of the concrete-shell projectile was 607 m / s, and the high-explosive varied within 280-607 m / s, depending on the type of charge. The B-4 howitzer was designed to combat the “especially powerful fortifications” that were abundant in various defensive lines in Poland, Czechoslovakia.

The SU-14 used a four-stroke, twelve-cylinder V-shaped carburetor engine M-17 with a power of 500 hp. (368 kW) with two Zenit carburetors (KD-1). The engine was started using a 6 hp Scintilla starter. (4.4 kW) and a voltage of 24 V. In the ignition system, two “Scintilla 12D” magnets and a starting magneto were used. The capacity of the fuel tanks was 861 liters. Electrical equipment of the machine was performed on a single-wire circuit. The voltage of the on-board network was 12 V. Two electric batteries 6STA-1X with a capacity of 144 A / h, connected in series, as well as a dynamo (generator) Scintilla with a power of 1 kW and a voltage of 24 V were used as power sources.

The first prototype of the SU-14 entered the NIAP at the end of July 1934 - up to this time two months to eliminate problems with the transmission (which, as it turned out, was not suitable for heavy self-propelled guns). Immediately before being sent to the landfill, the ACS was equipped with a B-4 gun with a “low power” barrel, after which experienced firing was started. In general, reviews about the capabilities of this artillery system were benevolent, but when the guns were swayed, it swayed and was on its deck (the platform of the SAU was called that) was possible only by holding tight to the handrails. In addition, it was not possible to invest in the standards for the rate of fire, since ammunition had to be lifted on the deck with the help of uncomfortable cranes and winches. The design of the sliding floor-hatch was recognized as unreliable, where the portable ammunition was stored, which during the tests broke down.

Regarding the chassis, too, questions remained. In the process of running tests, several tracks cracked, there was noise in the gearbox, the engine overheated, and therefore the test run of 250 km was canceled.

Repair of self-propelled guns took several months, so the improved SU-14 was delivered to the NIAP only in the autumn of 1934. Unlike the first version, the ACS received reinforced tracked tracks and an improved cooling system. The barrel of a low-power gun was replaced with a high-power barrel with a liner. Now the tests were carried out in the reverse order - first running in, then shooting. During the tests, the shots were made not only along the direction of movement at a high angle of elevation, but also horizontally, with extreme pointing angles, even with raised coulters. However, even after the modifications, the SU-14 could not be recommended for use due to the abundance of technical flaws and design flaws. On this, the first part of the history of the TAON was over.

The tests of the SU-14 were barely completed, as on January 31, 1935, the team of the Experimental Plant of Spetsmashrestrest was tasked with its capital modernization. The plan for the 2nd Five-Year Plan still did not envisage the adoption of heavy ACS, but the military was attracted by the opportunity to get a self-propelled gun equipped with 130-mm and 152.4-mm naval guns, which made it possible to create mobile coastal defense complexes. Such options were presented by ANII, after which the process of modernization of the self-propelled unit began. To this end, the design bureau of plant No. 185 developed a movable rotary base on a ball bearing, which was rotated using an ACS engine. In addition, significant changes were required to the design of the chassis and transmission. As an alternative artillery system, 152 were chosen.

Modernization of the ACS was carried out in February-March 1935. From the first attempt it was possible to improve only the chassis, which received the transmission and the main clutch from the T-35A. In addition, the drive wheels moved forward and somewhat changed the shape of the on-board screen, reducing it in size.

In this form, from April 5 to August 24, 1935, the test and assembly shop of Experimental Plant No. 185 carried out special factory tests of the modernized SU-14. The car overcame more than 500 km in various conditions, demonstrating good ride quality. However, numerous shortcomings were noted again. In particular, it turned out that it was impossible to fire through ball-like embrasures designed for DT machine guns, just as it is impossible to quickly use a portable ammunition package (8 shots), which was under removable deck lids blocked by the gun body in the stowed position.

On the basis of the data obtained in early 1936, the reference version of the self-propelled unit was built, receiving the index SU-14-1 . Once again, the design of the gearbox, main clutch, brakes and final drives were improved (a number of units were borrowed from the T-35 tank), exhaust pipes were moved to the sides of the driver’s cabin, and the support coulters were improved. The ACS received an M-17-1 engine boosted to 680 hp, which allowed for a combat mass of 48,500 kg to reach a maximum speed on the highway up to 31.5 km / h. In the chassis used thicker sheets of the main spring and abandoned the mechanism to turn off the suspension at the time of the shooting.

Armament self-propelled gun remained unchanged - transportable ammunition in 8 shots was considered a reserve and was intended only for the opening of rapid fire. The main ammunition, consisting of 50-60 shots, was to be brought up on a “Comintern” type tractor. In case of a breakdown of the ACS, its towing could be done using two such machines. However, ammunition for machine guns DT was reduced to 2196 rounds.

The armor protection remained unchanged compared with the armor protection of the self-propelled SU-14, except for the thickness of the bulwark, the value of which was reduced from 10 to 6 mm. The armor plates of the hull were connected by welding and rivets. During April-September 1936, the SU-14-1 passed about 800 km without any special remarks, and from April 28 to November 29, 1936 multiple firing was carried out at the NIAP.

Meanwhile, at the end of November 1936, 152-mm long-barreled guns U-30 and Br-2 were delivered from Uralmashzavod and the Barrikady plant, after which they were immediately mounted on both experienced ACS. The installation of the Br-2 seemed particularly successful then - this gun was serially produced from 1936 in two basic versions, with deep and fine cutting of the barrel. For it, only two types of ammunition were used (high-explosive and concrete-breaking), but the maximum projectile velocity was already 880 m / s. The firing range was 27 km, which made the SU-14 unique in fire power.

In February 1937, the SU-14 and SU-14-1, upgraded in this way, successfully passed the full test cycle. The plan for 1937 provided for the production of an installation series of five SU-14Br-2 machines , and from 1938 it was planned to establish their serial production. By the summer of 1939, they planned to create a 280-mm SU-14Br-5 self-propelled mortar , which could well take the place of the 305-mm artillery system required by the 1932 technical specifications.

In 1937, the USSR successfully passed tests of the SU-14 with an excellent 152 mm gun. For the success and achievements of the designer P.N. Syachintov was awarded the Order of Lenin. The plans were quite bright, however, the second part of the history of the TAON ended more tragically than the first.

When the Red Army was ready to adopt the new SAU into service, mass arrests among designers and engineers followed. Thus, on December 31, 1936, Pavel Nikolaevich Syachintov was arrested, and convicted under Article 58 pp.6, 7, 8 and 11. In other words, the chief designer was accused of spying, undermining state industry, committing terrorist acts, sabotaging and maintaining subversive work in a team. The trial of Syachintov took place on May 5, 1937, and the execution of the sentence (execution) the next day. Date of rehabilitation is unknown.

The same fate befell the creator of the B-4 howitzer, the head of the Bolshevik plant, Magdisiyev, who, during interrogations, fully confessed to his “sabotage” activity and was shot. Needless to say, what a blow was struck on the creation of self-propelled units in the USSR in the prewar period, because until the end of 1942, the Red Army never received a single specialized ACS.

Two copies of the SU-14, once made, were remembered during the Winter War, when it was necessary to find a means to destroy the Finnish pillboxes. The fact is that the towed guns of the RVGK had extremely lousy maneuverability in the theater of operations, which, combined with unimportant instrumental reconnaissance and target designation, led to the fact that the same powerful 203 mm howitzers capable of destroying a reinforced concrete slab with a meter more than one exact hit, could a week with a long (or rather safe for themselves) distance nail in the direction of the intended location of the bunker, but did not disable it completely.

A self-propelled gun was needed, capable of not relying on inaccurate target designation, to hit the target itself on an unequipped terrain with difficult terrain, and to destroy it by firing direct fire.

Under this task, the artillery part of the SU-14 was heavily booked (armor thickness 30-50 mm), naturally having lost a lot in its maneuverability and reliability of the hodovka (and how could it be otherwise if its weight increased immediately from 48 to 64 tons!).

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