The ZIS-30 was among a handful of designs created by the Soviets as a stopgap measure in an attempt to stem the German tide after the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa. In August 1941, the design bureau at Gorky Factory No. 92 mounted the 57mm ZIS-2 gun onto the chassis of a Komsomolets artillery tractor. It proved a successful design and was quickly pressed into service.
The new 57mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun had excellent range and could penetrate up to 90mm of armor; more than sufficient to penetrate any tank the Germans could put in the field at the time.
However, only about 100 were made due to lack of Komsomolets and ZIS-2 guns. It was issued to the anti-tank brigades in October 1941.
