Wednesday 29 March 2017

Tractor Tanks and SPGs

"Minutes from a technical meeting at Comintern factory #183 regarding producing SPGs at factory #183
August 27th, 1941

Participants:
  • Factory director, Y.E.Maksarev
  • Chief engineer, P.M. Krivich
  • Chief designer, A.A. Morozov
  • 52nd Department Chief, N.G. Zubarev
  • GABTU regional engineer, D.M. Kozyrev
  • Military Engineer 2nd Class R.E. Sorkin
  • Senior GAU military representative, G.P. Lozbinev
The following topics were discussed:
  • Installation of an 85 mm AA gun designed by factory #8 in an SPG designed on the T-34 chassis.
  • Installation of a 76 mm F-34 tank gun designed by factory #92 in an SPG designed on the Vorozhilovets tractor chassis.
  • Installation of an 85 mm AA gun designed by factory #8 in an SPG designed on the Vorozhilovets tractor chassis.
The meeting established that:
  1. Installing an 85 mm gun on the A-42 tractor can only be done at the cost of reducing the amount of T-34 tanks that are produced, as the A-42 tractor has not entered production.
    Due to this fact, the meeting decided that continuing work on this SPG is senseless. Work on this SPG should be ceased.
  2. Approve the production of a prototype of the SPG with an F-34 gun on the Voroshilovets tractor platform designed at factory #183 with the following characteristics:
    1. Armament: ZIS-4 or F-34 gun, DT coaxial machinegun.
    2. Horizontal range: 360 degrees.
    3. Type of SPG: turreted.
    4. Combat mass: 23,000 kg
    5. Armour:
      1. 20 mm sides and turret
      2. 20-30 mm front and lower rear
      3. 15 mm roof
      4. 10 mm floor
    6. Bore axis height: 2300 mm
    7. Maximum speed: 35 kph
    8. Range: 200 km
    9. Engine: 375 hp V-2V or M-17T powered by kerosene.
  3. Accept the F-34 gun as the armament.
  4. Approve the production of 25 of these SPGs in October and November, under the condition that the amount of SPGs produced will not count towards the number of Voroshilovets tractors ordered by the NKO.
  5. The first prototype of the SPG will be delivered to the NKO/NKSM commission. Trials will determine the necessary changes to be made to production SPGs.
  6. In order to increase the firepower of the Voroshilovets tractor, GAU, factory #183, and factory #8 will investigate the possibility of installing an 85 mm AA gun designed by factory #8 on its chassis.
  7. The deadline for this investigation at factory #8 is September 10th, 1941. The deadline for communicating the results of the investigation to factory #183 is September 15th, 1941.
  8. These decisions must be approved by the NKSM and GAU/GABTU.
Signed
[Signatures]"

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