The SU-76 (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 76) was a Soviet light self-propelled gun used during and after World War II. The SU-76 was based on a lengthened version of the T-70 light tank chassis and armed with the ZIS-3 mod. 1942 76-mm divisional field gun. Developed under the leadership of chief designer S.A. Ginzburg (1900–1943). Its quite simple construction and multipurpose combat role made it the second most produced Soviet armored fighting vehicle of World War II, after the T-34 medium tank.

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SU-76M[1]
SU-76M light self-propelled gun in the Memorial Complex "Gorky citizens in the Great Patriotic War", Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, Russia
Type	Light self-propelled gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Production history
Designer	S.A. Ginzburg Design Bureau
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	GAZ (Gorky), Plant No. 40 (Mytishchi), Plant No. 38 (Kirov, Kirov Oblast)
Produced	December 1942 – October 1945
No. built	14,292 (560 SU-76 & 13,732 SU-76M)
Specifications
Mass	10,500 kg (23,149 lb)
Length	4.97 m (16 ft 4 in)
Width	2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)
Height	2.10 m (6 ft 11 in)
Crew	4
Armour	Front: 25–35 mm (0.98–1.38 in) Side: 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in)
Main armament	76.2 mm (3.00 in) ZIS-3 mod. 1942 divisional field gun
Secondary armament	7.62 mm (0.300 in) DT tank machine gun
Engine	GAZ-203 (2 × GAZ-202 6-cylinder gasoline engines) 2 x 70 hp (2 x 51.5 kW)
Power/weight	13.3 hp/t
Suspension	torsion bar
Fuel capacity	412 L (108.8 gal)
Operational range	Road: 250 km (160 mi) Cross-country: 175 km (109 mi)[1]
Maximum speed	45 km/h (28.0 mph)

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OSU-76

Experimental model based on the T-60 light tank chassis and armed with the 76-mm gun ZIS-3, three prototypes were built in summer 1944.

SU-76 (factory designation SU-12)

Based on a lengthened T-70 light tank chassis, with the inferior dual-engine arrangement of earlier T-70s. Only 560 units were produced, and these were quickly withdrawn from front line service because of transmission problem, which was the parallel installation of two twin engines that worked on a common shaft. The casemate of this version had armored roof, but it caused ventilation issues and was sometimes removed in field depots. Combat mass was 11,200 kg (24,692 lb).

SU-76M (factory designation SU-15)

Main production model (13,732 units were produced). The casemate was open at the top and partly behind. The power plant was taken from the later T-70 light tank and consisted of two GAZ-202 engines connected in series. Combat mass was 10,500 kg (23,149 lb).

SU-85A/SU-85B (factory designation SU-15A/SU-15B)

The SU-76M with elongated hull armed with the 85-mm gun (D-5S-85A/LB-2 respectively), two prototypes were tested in 1944 and 1945 respectively.

ZSU-37

Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, based on the SU-76M.

In 1978, Institute 111 from Romania designed an armoured personnel carrier based on the SU-76M chassis, equipped with the TAB-71 turret. The vehicle entered service as the MLVM (Romanian: Mașina de Luptă a Vânătorilor de Munte, meaning "infantry fighting vehicle of vânători de munte").

The unrelated SU-76i (the "i" standing for "inostrannaya", or 'foreign', in Russian), first designed and fielded in 1943, was based on captured stocks of German Panzer III and StuG III chassis, a large quantity coming from defeated German troops after the Battle of Stalingrad that year. This partially-modified vehicle was armed with an S-1 76.2 mm tank gun (a cheaper variant of the renowned F-34/ZIS-5 guns which were already mounted on T-34 and KV-1 tanks respectively) in a casemate superstructure but retained the original German Maybach gasoline engine and its torsion-bar suspension system. Around 200 of these ex-German vehicles were sent for conversion into SU-76is at Factory No. 37 to supplement the existing SU-76. They were issued to tank and self-propelled gun units starting in the fall of 1943.^[11] They were eventually withdrawn from the front in early 1944 and then used for training and testing until the end of 1945.^[12] Only 2 have survived the war, most having been scrapped after 1945. A similar vehicle called SG-122 existed, which was a similar Panzer III conversion, but armed with 122 mm M-30 howitzer. Only around 20 were converted, as the M-30 was considered an insufficient weapon for infantry support.

The also unrelated SU-76P (1941) was based on the T-26 chassis. It was built in Leningrad during the Siege of Leningrad and involved removing the turret from the T-26 and mounting a 76 mm regimental gun M1927 on the engine deck. This was created due to the lack of high-explosive 45 mm ammunition inside Leningrad due to the siege, so some T-26 tanks were rearmed with 37mm or 76mm guns for which a reliable source of ammunition was available. They served until 1944, when the siege was broken. They were originally called "SU-76s", until the SU-76 came into service, upon which it was renamed "SU-76P" ("polkovaya" - regimental).^[13]

The SU-76M virtually replaced light tanks in the close support role. While its thin armour and open top made it vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and grenades, its light weight and low ground pressure gave it good maneuverability and low noise on the move. SU-76M was a reliable vehicle (the GAZ-203 engine unit confidently worked out not less than 350 hours without serious breakdowns).^[14] But the main advantage of light SPGs was their wide versatility.

According to table of organization and equipment of 1943, each light self-propelled gun regiment was equipped with 21 SU-76M, there were 119 such regiments in the Red Army by the end of World War II.^[15] In the end of 1944 and the beginning of 1945, 70 self-propelled gun divizions (16 SU-76M in each) were formed to be included into rifle divisions.^[16] Also 4 light self-propelled gun brigades of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (60 SU-76M SPGs, 5 T-70 light tanks and 3 US M3A1 Scout Car armored personnel carriers in each) were formed, starting from the first half of 1944.^[17]

The SU-76M was a multipurpose SPG and combined three main battlefield roles: light assault gun for infantry support, mobile anti-tank weapon and mobile gun for indirect fire. With all these tasks, light SPGs successfully coped.^[18] The SU-76M had a large number of ammunition types. They included armour-piercing (usual, with ballistic nose and subcaliber hyper-velocity), hollow charge, high explosive, fragmentation, shrapnel and incendiary projectiles. This made the SU-76M an excellent multi-purpose light armoured fighting vehicle.

As a light assault gun, the SU-76M was well-regarded by Soviet infantrymen (in contrast with their own crews). It had more powerful gun than any previous light tank for close support of infantry in defense and offensive, and communication between infantry and the SU-76M crew was simple due to the partially open fighting compartment. This was extremely useful in urban combats like the Battle of Berlin where good teamwork between infantry and AFVs was a key to success.

The SU-76M was effective against any medium or light German tank. It could also knock out the Panther tank with a flank shot, but the ZIS-3 gun was not effective against Tiger tanks. Soviet manuals for SU-76M crews usually instructed the gunner to aim for the tracks or gun barrels when facing Tigers. To improve the SU-76M's anti-armour capabilities, armour-piercing composite rigid (APCR) and hollow charge projectiles were introduced. This gave the SU-76M a better chance against heavily armoured German vehicles. A low profile, a low noise signature and good mobility were other advantages of the SU-76M. This was ideal for organizing ambushes and sudden flank or rear strikes in close combat, where the ZIS-3 gun was sufficient against most German armoured fighting vehicles.

The maximum elevation angle of the SU-76M's gun was the highest of all Soviet self-propelled guns. The maximum indirect fire distance was nearly 13 km. SU-76Ms were sometimes used as light artillery vehicles (like the German Wespe) for counter-battery fights, bombardments, indirect fire support. However, the power of the 76.2 mm shells was not sufficient in some cases.

The SU-76M was the single Soviet vehicle able to operate in swamps with minimal support from engineers. During the Belarus liberation campaign in 1944 it was extremely useful for organizing surprise attacks through swamps; bypassing heavy German defenses on firmer ground. Usually only lightly armed infantry could pass through large swampy areas. With SU-76M support, Soviet soldiers and engineers could effectively destroy enemy strongpoints and continue to advance.

One famous crewman was Rem Nikolaevich Ulanov. In his younger days he was a mechanic-driver and later a commander of a SU-76. He and some other soldiers called their SU-76 Columbina after the female Renaissance Italian Commedia dell'Arte personage.

The reliability and good driving performance of the SU-76M proved to be especially in demand at the final stages of World War II, during the liberation of Poland and battles in Germany. Quite maneuverable and fast, SU-76Ms sometimes additionally armed with trophy machine guns and carried infantrymen on its armour were often included into vanguards to pursue the retreating enemy. SU-76M SPGs took part in combat operations on the Eastern Front until the end of World War II, and then in the Soviet–Japanese War. During World War II, 130 SU-76Ms were given to the Polish People's Army.^[19]

In the post-war period, the SU-76M was in service with the Soviet Army until the early 1950s, and in the armies of a number of countries even longer. The SU-76M SPGs of the Korean People's Army took part in the Korean War, a small number of them were captured and used by South Korea after the landing at Incheon. The SU-76M was in service with the Polish People's Army until the mid-1950s.^[19] During the same period, SU-76Ms were used in the Czechoslovak and Romanian armies.^[20] The SU-76M served in the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) until the early 1960s, and in the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic they served even longer - until the early 1970s.^[20]

•  Soviet Union – in active service in the Soviet Army until the early 1950s.^[10]
•  Poland^[21] – 130 were given to the Polish People's Army during WWII, in active service until the mid-1950s.^[19]
•  North Korea – 75 were transferred by the Soviet Union, saw extensive combat during the Korean War.^[20]
• Romania – 352 acquired by 1957.^[22]
• Czechoslovakia^[20]
•  East Germany – 260,^[23] in active service until the early 1960s in the National People's Army and until the early 1970s in the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic.^[20]
•  People's Republic of China^[24]
• Hungary – 147
• Afghanistan
•  North Vietnam – 30,^[25] saw extensive combat during the Vietnam War.^[26]
•  Yugoslavia^[27]
•  Albania^[28]

Due to the large number of vehicles produced, many SU-76Ms have survived the post-war years, and most of the larger Russian military museums have examples of the SU-76M in their exhibitions. They can also be found at the German-Soviet War monuments or memorials in different Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian cities.

• List of Soviet tanks
• List of Soviet Union military equipment of World War II