opens a box of dirt roads with shellholes and tread marks on them.
The Red Army sees the welcome return of not one, but three tank destroyers this week – the Su-85, Su-100 and Su-122M. These armored fighting vehicles have been heavily remastered, and have loads more detail than the previous incarnations.
The SU-85 self-propelled gun based itself on the proven T-34 chassis which had stood the Red Army in good stead against their German counterparts. As with other 'SUs', the SU-85's name came from the Russian for 'self-propelled carriage' (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka) and the bore of the gun – in this case, the high velocity 85mm D-5T anti-tank gun. With the all-important low profile of a tank hunter, it also had good mobility but at the expense of lighter armor. Entering active service in autumn 1943, the SU-85 would be found in all self-propelled regiments and brigades.
The SU-100 was to replace the SU-85 in front-line service, and started to do so from late 1944. Improvements over the SU-85 were the almost doubling of the frontal armor to three inches, improved commander's fighting compartment and cupola, and a beast of a naval gun – able to penetrate the frontal armor of any German tank (with the possible exception of the King Tiger!). Indeed, the Soviet tank crews gave the new tank destroyer a nickname that we cannot publish here as a result!
Borne out of the need to replace the SU-122, the SU-122M was to mount the D-11 howitzer, which took up far less space than the M-30S howitzer in the SU-122. The first prototype was built in April 1943, but the SU-85 won out as the tank destroyer of choice to replace the SU-122, and as a result, the SU-122M wasn't put into production. Despite that, we think it would make a nice addition to your army in place of the usual SU-85, and will also keep your opponent guessing as to what he's facing!
To give you more variety than having your tank destroyers buttoned up, we have these excellent Soviet tank crews for you. Ideal for use on the SUs and the T34s, these have four commanders and a driver model.
As you know, it's not just the inside of the tank that Soviet troops make good use of – they're well-known for riding into battle on the back of their fighting vehicles, and popping a few of these on the back of your tank destroyers will look great.
We couldn't really talk about SU tank destroyers without showing off our SU-76, could we? So here she is! Coming complete with two metal Soviet crewmen, this is the classic Russian tank destroyer, with only the T4 being more numerous during WWII.
With free worldwide shipping on orders over £50.00 GBP (just a solitary £1.00 GBP per order if under that), you can add several of these deadly Soviet tank hunters to your Red Army…