Development History
Work on the SU-101 and SU-102 at the Uralmash design bureau had basically started parallel to the creation of the SU-100, in summer 1944. While the latter, based on the chassis of the T-34 medium tank, proved satisfactorily in combat, its basic layout with crew compartment in the front and engine in the back was considered a flaw. The lowly mounted gun protruded far from the vehicle's front, which resulted in cumbersome maneuverabilty in urban or forrested areas and could cause problems in undulating terrain, where the vehicle could potentially ram its own muzzle into the ground if not driven carefully. Additionally, the SU-100 was very front heavy, which resulted in excessive stress on the forward road wheels, risking mechanical failure. Should the need for upgrading the vehicle with a bigger and heavier gun arise, all these problems were expected to be massively exacerbated.
To address these deficiencies, UZTM designer N.V. Kurin had developed a number of preliminary designs of new self-propelled guns, using the chassis of different contemporary Soviet tanks, both with crew compartment in the front and in the back. In October 1944 the bureau offered five projects to the technical review board of the Commissariat of Heavy Industry for further examination:
- SU-122P, a regular SU-100 equipped with the 122 mm D-25S gun.
- ESU-100, a regular SU-100 with an electric transmission.
- SU-100-M-1, armed with the 100 mm D-10S gun, based on the chassis of the T-34 tank, with a rear fighting compartment.
- SU-100-M-2, armed with the 100 mm D-10S gun, based on the chassis of the T-44 tank, with a rear fighting compartment.
- SU-122-44, armed with the 122 mm D-25-44S gun, based on the chassis of the T-44 tank, with a forward fighting compartment.
The technical review board recognized the SU-100-M-2 and the SU-122-44, both based off the new T-44 medium tank, as the most promising ones, and by order of directive № 625 to the tank industry, dated October 26, 1944 to the plant of UZTM, ordered the finalization of the design, distribution of the technical drawings and preparation of one prototype each.
While the SU-100-M-2 proved to be compact and light enough for a medium tank chassis as well sufficiently armoured, the SU-122-44 soon emerged as too big and too heavy. Thus, on March 7, 1945, by the commissariat's order № 107, all work on the SU-122-44 was terminated, whereas the SU-100-M-2 was redesignated as Uralmash-1 and the production of a first prototype by May 1, 1945 was ordered. The designation Uralmash-1 had already been used for a different self-propelled gun design in August 1943, but that design had not been approved by the commissariat and was frozen at that time.
In March and April 1945, two prototypes were build, one equipped with the 100 mm D-10 tank gun (to be designated SU-101 when inducted into actual service), the other with the 122 mm D-25S tank gun (to be named SU-102). Additionally, a third, empty, hull was made for armour tests under life fire circumstances.
While the war with Germany had already ended in May 1945, the prototypes were for the time being further tested by the UZTM design bureau during summer and autumn 1945. Several problems emerged, among them was the heating up of the vehicle's interior due to insufficient engine cooling. This was especially severe in the case of the driver, who was seated next to the engine and whose working station heated up to unbearable temperatures in summer. Another problem emerging was the very crammed and uncomfortable crew compartment. Finally, the SU-102 prototype faced structural problems, being not entirely suitable for absorbing the recoil of the powerful 122 mm gun. Yet these issues were deemed solvable and the vehicles were recommended for mass production after application of several modifications to address the prototypes' problems. Eventually, however, the end of World War II finally led to the conclusion that the vehicles had by now become unnessecary, and in the end, the production of the SU-101 and SU-102 was terminated before it began.
The SU-101 prototype survived and is now preserved in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow, where it is displayed as an indoor exhibit.
Read more about this topic: SU-101 And SU-102 Self-propelled Guns
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