Specifications of the СТЗ-5 artillery tractor
Country: USSR
Type: Light artillery tractor
Date of production: 1937
Length: 4150mm
Width: 1855 mm
Height: 2360 mm
Frontal Armor: None
Side armor: None
Turret Armor: None
Passengers: 1 person (2 seats in the cab, 8 seats in the cargo box)
Engine: 1МА engine with power 52-56 hp at 1250 rpm
Cruising range: 140 km
Top speed: 21.5 km/h (on the road)
Weight: 6000 kg
Weapons: None
STZ-5-NATI(注:NATI "苏联汽车拖拉机研究所")炮兵拖拉机的研制和生产历史
Serial production of the СТЗ-5 artillery tractor began in 1937 at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant (СТЗ). Because of the place of production, СТЗ-5 also received the title "Stalinist farmer". The tractor was developed by a design bureau consisting of СТЗ workers and employees of the НАТИ research institute. The general leader of the project is Vinyamin · Yakovlevich · Slonimsky.
СТЗ-5 is used to tow divisional and corps artillery weighing up to 8 tons, or to transport cargo weighing up to 1.5 tons on cargo platforms.
Work on the development of a new tractor began back in 1933. It is generally considered that the СТЗ-5 was almost the first purely military tractor designed specifically for the needs of the army. But in fact, firstly, the development work was carried out in two directions at once - a military tractor and a civilian agricultural tractor, and secondly, the military tractor eventually borrowed from a number of civilian versions for compatibility, which, naturally, did not fully gain an advantage.
The СТЗ-НАТИ (СТЗ-3) TRACTOR WAS THE CIVILIAN BROTHER OF THE СТЗ-5, PRODUCTION CONTINUED UNTIL THE 1950S.
СТЗ-5-НАТИ TRACTOR IN THE SOVIET
But that's all for later. At the moment, it is enough to know that during the tests in 1935, not one, but two machines were shown at the same time:
STZ NATI 1TA(农业用拖拉机,后来称为STZ-3)
STZ NATI 2TB(军用拖拉机,称为STZ-5)
The two machines used the same chassis and engine, but the bodies were completely different. Both СТЗ-3 and СТЗ-5 successfully passed the tests, however, the improvement of the tractor and its preparation for production took another two years. Eventually, mass production of both machines began in 1937.
Production of the СТЗ-5 continued until 1942, a total of 9944 units were built, which made the СТЗ-5 the largest production of "military tractors" during the Great Patriotic War. It is a pity that even this amount could not meet half of the Red Army's needs for tracked tractors, especially considering that only 3438 tractors of this type were produced before the war (according to the establishment of January 1, 1941, the army should have 5478 tractors).
Production of the СТЗ-5 continued until August 1942, when Germany infantry captured the Stalingrad Tractor Plant.
Internal structure of the СТЗ-5 tracked tractor
The structure of the tracked tractor СТЗ-5
The tractor had a typical artillery tractor layout with the engine and driver's cockpit located in the front. The engine was installed in the cockpit, between the driver's seat and the commander's seat towing the gun.
Behind the cockpit were fuel tanks, a cargo platform with foldable side panels was installed, as well as benches with a removable canvas canopy for artillery operators. The cockpit is a metal structure, and the cargo box is a wooden structure. The cockpit is equipped with openable front and side windows, as well as ventilated shutters with adjustable front and rear sections. In winter, the СТЗ-5 is warm inside, but in summer if the shutters are closed, the temperature rises to fifty degrees.
Tracked tractor СТЗ-5 "Stalin" towed artillery
The СТЗ-5 tractor is equipped with a four-cylinder carburetor engine 1МА. The engine is a multi-fuel engine that can be started with an electric starter or a manual crank, which can be started with gasoline, and then switched to kerosene or light gasoline (heavy gasoline) after preheating. The engine has a complete lubrication, cooling, oil supply and electrical system.
Engine start can be done via an electric starter or a manual start crank, and throttle control is car-style and adjustable via a foot pedal. In contrast to the СТЗ-3, the gearbox ratio was adjusted to expand the power range (up to 9.81 compared to 2.1 for the СТЗ-3), in addition, a low-speed gear was added.
The chassis was equipped with four rubber track support wheels and two support rollers on each side. Although the rear axle and its side friction clutches and brakes were completely borrowed from the design of the СТЗ-3, the chassis of the СТЗ-5 was more suitable for high-speed driving: rubber track support wheels and support rollers were introduced, and small-pitch tracks with half the step size were adopted. In addition, a foot brake has been added.
The tractor is capable of crossing trenches up to a depth of 1 meter and wading waters up to a depth of 0.8 meters. The maximum speed of the СТЗ-5 with no load is up to 25 km / h, on the road with towed artillery up to 14 km / h, and on dirt roads up to 10 km / h.
The maximum towing force of the tractor was 4850 kgf, which was enough to tow all the artillery equipped with the infantry divisions of the Red Army during World War II.
On the rear axle housing of the СТЗ-5 tractor, under the cargo platform, a vertical winch with a 40-meter steel cable is installed for towing trailers, self-rescue and towing other vehicles. The traction of the winch is 4000 kgf.
A simple tank based on the СТЗ-5 with the model Ни-1. The artillery was decorative, and the "armor" was ordinary steel plates.
Operating tracked tractor tractor СТЗ-5
In general, the СТЗ-5 tractor received high marks in the army, and in particular, it was recognized for its simplicity and reliability. However, there are also criticisms that it is less passable on rough terrain. The reason for this "military" tractor was that it actually had a narrow "agricultural" wheelbase (in order to accompany the СТЗ-3 agricultural tractor with a four-plough, the same chassis was used), and in the famine of the 1930s, the USSR simply could not afford the luxury of creating two different tractors for the military and civilian.
"Our artillery units, which are part of the mechanized corps, are armed with a tractor - СТЗ-5, which cannot keep up with the pace of advance of tank units and, as a result, effective coordinated operations. This tractor should be withdrawn from the mechanized corps and replaced with a more powerful and cross-country tractor. - М.И.Потапов, commander of the 4th Mechanized Corps, speech at the conference in December 1940.
Just as the СТЗ-3 tractor is used to tow artillery, the СТЗ-5 tracked tractor is widely used in civilian applications.
Despite all these shortcomings, СТЗ-5 played an important role in that difficult year of 1941. When necessary, it even took on some "combat" roles, which its designers never had in mind.
In the autumn of 1941, 132-mm rocket launchers (БМ-13-16) were installed on a number of vehicles of this model. These improvised modifications of the Katyusha rocket launchers were later used in the Battle of Moscow in 1941 and the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942.
In the defense of Odessa, the СТЗ-5 tractor was used as the basis for the construction of improvised tanks "НИ" (На испуг, meaning "to fright") with thin armor and machine guns removed from destroyed armored vehicles.
After the war, the СТЗ-5 tractors were still in demand in the civilian sphere, and due to their compatibility with components of the СТЗ-3, these tractors played a role in the process of rebuilding the country until the 1950s. Therefore, the compatibility of the dual-use version has not only negative effects, but also positive aspects. For example, attempts to convert a large number of leftover tank chassis into tractors after the war were expected to be successful, as the weight of these vehicles, the width of their tracks, and their inability to work with existing equipment such as agricultural plows doomed these attempts to failure. And СТЗ-5 clearly does not have these problems.
The captured СТЗ-5 tractor was also used by the Germans under the designation СТЗ-601 (r).
The tractor СТЗ-5 is installed with a BM-13 launcher
On some СТЗ-5 tractors, the cargo compartment was dismantled, and in its place a BM-13 rocket launcher was installed, a modification that was very practical during the Second World War. The BM-13 rocket launcher, commonly known as the "Katyusha", is known for its powerful firepower and rapid deployment capabilities.
The tractor of this modification was used for a wide range of combat missions, especially in cases where mobile fire support was required. The combination of the СТЗ-5 with the BM-13 provides a flexible and powerful rocket artillery platform capable of quickly moving to the front line and providing fire support. This modification greatly enhanced the combat capability of the Soviet army at a critical moment of the war.