History, Development, and Use of the
M-1943 (ZIS-2) 57mm Anti-Tank Gun

This section will cover the history, development, and use of the M-1943 anti-tank gun. In this section you will find where the gun has been used, when it was designed, its limitations and abilities, and how the anti-tank gun functions.

 

Brief Operational History

The M-1943 anti-tank gun was developed at Artillery Plant No. 92 in Gorki.  By June 1943, V. G. Grshin's design team had standardized the design which had been based on proven components.  The carriage was the same as the 76mm divisional gun (ZIS-3), while the 57mm cannon and recoil system had come from an earlier M1941 model anti-tank gun.  When it entered service the gun was called ZIS-2, this was because Artillery Plant No. 92 had received the honorary name - Zavod imeni Stalina (Stalin's Factory).  It was later known as the "57mm Anti-tank Gun Model 1943".

Early versions of the weapon were equipped with a folding flat topped gun shield, while later models used after the Great Patriotic War often had a wavy topped gun shield.  The later versions could also be equipped with an infrared targeting sight. 

The M-1943 gun would see action almost as soon as development was completed and production began.  It was sent to anti-tank gun teams who had previously been using the M-1942 45mm anti-tank gun.  The M-1943 offered much better performance over the 45mm gun, especially in the face of ever improving German armor.   The gun was also easily transported around the battlefield by common GAZ trucks.

Selected Munitions
O-271U BR-271 BR-271P
Type FRAG-HE AP-T HVAP

Weight

3.75kg

3.14kg

1.76kg
Fuze

KTM-1

MD-5

- none -
Explosive TNT RDX - none -
Velocity 700 m/s 990 m/s 1270 m/s
Penetration at 1000 meters - none - 96mm 95mm
Penetration at 500 meters - none - 106mm 140mm

After the war the anti-tank anti-tank gun was widely exported to the Warsaw Pact, Arab and African countries, and with other communist nations.  It was during this period that it's gun shield was changed from its straight top to the wavy top design.  In 1957 an infrared gun sight (either an APN-57 or an APNZ-55) was added by Factory #235.  These guns were designated ZIS-2N.

 

Tactical Use and Limitations

The M-1943 anti-tank gun was used at the Regimental level by anti-tank units during the Great Patriotic war, and then with airborne units during the Cold War.  In various Third world nations the gun would often be used with anti-tank units, or singly in the ambush role.  When it was phased out of front line Soviet service the weapons were transferred to militia units for training purposes.

The weapon was valued for its high rate of fire which allowed its gun crew to rain fire down on enemy armor.  This also gave the gun crew a greater chance to score a mobility kill on even very heavy tanks.  Its light weight was another advantage.  The gun could be rapidly traversed or moved short distances on the battlefield by its crew without any special equipment.

It also suffered from several limitations.  The first was that it soon found its ability to penetrate armor outpaced by rapidly increasing armor of newer tanks.  That soon relegated it to taking on only lighter armored vehicles, leaving the heavier tanks to 76mm or larger anti-tank guns.  Another limitation was that the weapon was much more expensive to produce (due to its long barrel) when compared to the 76mm divisional gun.  One other fault was that it was not very mobile.  It had to be towed by either GAZ series trucks or BTR-152 armored personnel carriers.  This was later corrected by making the gun mobile.  This resulted in the Ch-26 and ASU-57, both of which gradually replaced the M-1943 anti-tank gun.

 

Deployment Chronology

Here you can see what type of anti-tank guns the M-1943 ZIS-2 replaced and what AT guns eventually replaced it.  You can find out more about those artillery systems if we have them on the site by clicking on the links below.

The M-1943 AT Gun replaced... M-1943 (ZIS-2) 57mm Anti-tank Gun The M-1943 AT Gun
was replaced by...
M-1942 45mm AT Gun Ch-26 57mm AT Gun
ASU-57 Tank Destroyer

 

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.