Red Machines 2: SU-100 Self-Propelled Gun
The Red Machines Series is devoted to the hardware of the Red Army. Each book offers in-depth information, much of it new to the west, as well as a large number of photos, of which most are unpublished. Each book includes blueprints, drawings, color profiles and data tables, to describe the development and production variants of each vehicle.
The SU-100 was the Red Army’s most powerful medium tank destroyer of World War 2 and was developed for anti-tank fire support to the T-34-85 in the same way as the SU-85 had complemented the original T-34. As with the SU-85 before it, the SU-100 was delayed in entering service.
Although introduced late in the war, the SU-100 was heavily engaged in the final push into the Axis countries, with major combat engagements in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and in the assault on Berlin. The SU-100 proved a particularly potent “Zveroboi” or “animal hunter” in that it could easily dispatch Tiger, King Tiger and Panther tanks at medium range. The vehicle had no secondary armament, however, and proved vulnerable when engaged in close fighting without infantry support, as occurred during some of these late war battles.
Post-war, the SU-100 remained in Soviet Army service for many years, being subject to several capital repair upgrades over the decades. The SU-100 was also exported in large numbers, particularly to the Middle East, and was produced under license in Czechoslovakia as the SD-100.
Book Data
Authors: James Kinnear & Nikolai Polikarpov
ISBN: 9789198477580
Language: English
Pages: 176
Photos: 300+
Colour Profiles: 6
Physical: Hardcover, 280x210mm, portrait
Contents
The Ural Heavy Machine-Building Plant (UZTM)
SU-100 Prototypes
Design Changes during SU-100 Series Production at UZTM
SU-100 Self-Propelled Gun Production at Omsk Plant No174
Post-War SU-100 Modernisation
Operational Service
SU-100 Description
The Next Generation SU-100
SU-100 Walkaround
Preserved SU-100s