Some combat vehicles look frankly strange. The Soviet cannon, captured in the photograph, is the clearest example of this. Avoiding too bright and straightforward epithets about her, we can say that she looks "very unsightly." Especially against the background of other anti-tank guns of the Second World War. However, behind the appearance of this weapon, in reality, an amazing and dramatic story is hidden.
Back in 1940, Leningrad became one of the centers of Soviet tank building. The local enterprises also assembled T-26, T-28 tanks and KV-1 heavy tanks. However, already in 1941, against the background of the catastrophic failures of the Red Army, it became clear that the troops near the northern capital of the USSR did not have enough anti-tank guns. Something had to be done urgently. At the same time, it turned out that a fairly large number of 45-mm tank guns of the 1932 model of the year remained in the Leningrad warehouses and factories.
The problem was that the tank gun was not designed to be used as an artillery gun. Therefore, in an accelerated manner, several projects of an ersatz anti-tank gun were developed. The work of engineer Antonov, an employee of the plant number 7 named after Frunze, was recognized as the best. At the same time, the weapon was not officially accepted into service. For obvious reasons, there were also no state tests for an anti-tank gun.
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The drawings of the gun were ready by July 25, 1941. The Leningrad factory workers started production of the first batch after 17 days. The project was called: 45-mm simplified anti-tank gun on a 7-33 wheeled carriage. At the same time, despite a single drawing, guns assembled even in the same workshop could differ in gun carriages, wheels, sights. Only the same 45-mm gun of the 1932 model of the year did not change in the guns. Otherwise, the guns were literally "sculpted" from everything that was in the factories. For example, due to the lack of a sufficient number of artillery sights, guns were often equipped with an optical sight for the Mosin rifle.
For all its outward unsightliness, high mass, uncomfortable gun carriage and too strong recoil (the gun is in the moment of the shot “jumped” a little), the 7-33 guns greatly helped the defenders of Leningrad in 1941-1942 years. The soldiers nicknamed the ersatz cannon the name "Leningradka". With a circulation of several hundred cannons, only three of these have survived to this day. However, it was recently discovered by a search team of archaeologists.
In continuation of the topic, read about "Sherman Firefly" - the last thing German tankers saw through the periscope on the second front.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/311021/61079/