On July 3, 1944, the Red Army adopted the new SU-100 self-propelled artillery unit. And it became a real nightmare for Nazi German tank crews: it penetrated any armor.
In mid-1943, German Tiger and Panther tanks appeared on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. And it turned out that the vast majority of Soviet armored vehicles found it difficult to cope with them. Only the SU-152 was able to resist. Although it hit the target without a miss, it was still intended to suppress static firing points: it had a long reload time and low speed. There was a SU-85 with an 85-mm anti-tank gun. But at long distances its power was not enough.
A new self-propelled gun was needed: fast, maneuverable and rapid-fire. It was designed at the Uralmashplant design bureau on the basis of the T-34 and SU-85 medium tanks. They used an unusual solution: they chose the 100-mm B-34 ship gun, which was distinguished by good ballistics and armor penetration. But the naval gun turned out to be too heavy for a self-propelled gun.
And then Plant No. 9, under the leadership of the famous designer Fedor Petrov, created the D-10S tank gun, using the B-34 as a base. This weapon met all the necessary requirements: it was much lighter, more effective, hit targets at a distance of two thousand meters and penetrated 125 millimeters of vertical armor. And at a distance of one kilometer it left no chance for German tanks.
At that time there were other modern advantages: an improved commander’s cupola and new optics that increased visibility on the battlefield.
The SU-100 entered mass production in September 1944. And already in March 1945, they made their mark in Hungary during the Balaton operation. And although the enemy brought in large tank forces, they were unable to oppose the SU-100. Self-propelled guns even penetrated the forehead of the vaunted “Royal Tigers”.
The SU-100 was produced until 1956. It was in service with Soviet troops and the armies of other countries. It was even used in the 21st century in Yemen during the civil war.
