From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

85 mm divisional gun D-44

Field	Value
name	85 mm divisional gun D-44
image	D-44-beyt-hatotchan-1.jpg
image_size	300
caption	85 mm D-44 divisional gun.
origin	Soviet Union
type	Field gun
is_artillery	yes
is_UK
service	1946–present
wars	Vietnam War
Cambodian Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
Ethiopian Civil War
Iran–Iraq War
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
War in Donbas
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
<br>Russian invasion of Ukraine<ref name	"DavidAxe85mm271022"{{cite news	author=David Axe	url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/10/27/ukraine-is-collecting-a-lot-of-russias-old-t-62-tanks/	date=October 27, 2022	title=Ukraine Is Collecting A Lot Of Russia’s Old T-62 Tanks
newspaper	Forbes}}
design_date	1943–1944
manufacturer	Uralmash
production_date	1946–1954
number	10,918
variants	D-44N
SD-44
Chinese Type 56
<!-- General specifications -->	weight	D-44: 1,725 kg
(3,803 lbs)
SD-44: 2,250 kg
(4,960 lbs)
length	8.34 m
part_length	4.7 m 55 calibers
width	1.78 m
height	1.42 m
crew	8
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->	cartridge	Fixed QF 85×629 mm. R
(R/112mm)
caliber	85 mm (3.34 in)
rate	up to 20 rounds per minute (burst)
velocity	1,030 m/s (3,379 ft/s)
range	1,150 m (1,257 yds) (HVAP-T)
max_range	15.65 km (9.72 mi)
sights	OP-2-7 w/5.5X Magnification
<!-- Artillery specifications -->	breech	Semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge
recoil	Hydro-pneumatic
carriage	Split trail
elevation	−7° to 35°
traverse	54°
haft_type
yield

Cambodian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Ethiopian Civil War Iran–Iraq War First Nagorno-Karabakh War War in Donbas Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

Russian invasion of Ukraine{{cite news|author=David Axe |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/10/27/ukraine-is-collecting-a-lot-of-russias-old-t-62-tanks/ |date=October 27, 2022 |title=Ukraine Is Collecting A Lot Of Russia’s Old T-62 Tanks SD-44 Chinese Type 56 (3,803 lbs) SD-44: 2,250 kg (4,960 lbs) (R/112mm)

The 85-mm divisional gun D-44 () was a Soviet divisional 85-mm calibre field artillery gun used in the last action of World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3). The gun was no longer in front-line service with the Russian Ground Forces, until being pressed back into service in the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2023. Wartime service included use by communist forces during the Vietnam War and by Arab forces during their conflicts with Israel.

Overview

The design of the D-44 started in 1943 at the design bureau of No.9 factory "Uralmash" and production began in 1944. Its GRAU code was 52-P-367. The SD-44 was a 1950s variant with an auxiliary propulsion unit and ammunition box for 10 rounds, with 697 issued to the airborne forces (VDV) from 1954. The D-44N was a 1960s variant with an APN 3-7 infra-red illumination device for night combat. China received D-44s during the Korean War and began manufacturing a copy, the Type 56, in the early 1960s. Finally, the Polish Army has equipped some of their D-44 guns with electrical subsystems in the early 1980s and designated them D-44M and D-44MN.

The barrel was developed from that of the T-34-85 tank and was capable of firing 20–25 high-explosive (HE), armor-piercing, and high-explosive antitank (HEAT) projectiles per minute. Subcaliber BR-365P HVAP-T (high velocity armor-piercing-tracer) projectiles were capable of penetrating 100 mm of armor at 1000 meters at a ninety-degree obliquity, and the BR-367P HVAP-T projectile penetrates 180 mm of armor under the same conditions. The post-war round O-365K HE weighed 9.5 kg and packed 741 grams of TNT as its bursting charge, while the BK-2M HEAT-FS (fin-stabilized) projectile can penetrate 300 mm of armor. The HEAT round for the Type 56 has a maximum range of 970 meters and will penetrate 100 mm of armor at an angle of 65 degrees.

The gun uses GAZ-AA tires, and is towed by a 2.5t truck or a Ya-12 tractor with the average speed of 20–25 km/h on surfaced roads, and 11 km/h over open terrain, with a maximum towing speed over asphalt roadway of about 55 km/h. The SD-44's auxiliary propulsion unit M-72 of 14 hp can move the gun at road speeds up to 25 km/h.

The gun uses the OP-2-7 sight with 5.5x magnification for day combat. The sight permits target acquisition at 1500 meters.

Data taken from Janes (1982), The American Arsenal, German Artillery of World War Two, and [tarrif.net](http://tarrif.net).

Production

The D-44 was produced from 1945 until 1953. During the years 1948-1950, over two thousand D-44s were produced per year. The D-44 also served as the basis from which the 85 mm antitank gun D-48 was developed and also the RPU-14 multiple rocket launcher uses the D-44's carriage.

Use by other nations

D-44 on display at [[Georgia Veterans State Park

By the 1950s, the D-44 had been exported for use by Warsaw Pact nations, with the gun remaining in service with the East German National People's Army until the fall of East Germany. Besides East Germany, other users include(d) Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China (Type 56), Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Laos, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Poland, Romania, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Vietnam and Zambia

Operational history

Russia has deployed D-44s in Ukraine. With one being destroyed by a Ukrainian drone on 27 September 2023 according to footage posted online. Previous footage has shown a D-44 being mounted on a tractor as a tank destroyer used by Ukraine in fighting near Kreminna.

Current users

- 80 in service.
- 35 in service.
- 100 in service.
- 150 in storage.
Cuba - Unknown number in service.
Democratic Republic of the Congo - 10 Type 56 in service.
Eritrea - Unknown number in service.
- Tigray Defense Forces
Ethiopia - Unknown number of Type 56 service.
- Unknown number in service.
Guinea - 6 in service.
Guinea-Bissau - 8 in service.
Mali - Unknown number in service
Mongolia - Unknown number of D-44 and D-48 in service.
- 12 Type 56 in service.
Russia
Sudan - Unknown number in service.
- 75 Type 56 in service.
Transnistria Transnistria
- Unknown number in service.
- Unknown number in service.
Yemen
Somaliland: 27 in service

Former users

Albania
China
East Germany
Iraq
Iran
ISIS - 1 captured in Syria.
North Vietnam - Used during Vietnam War.
Polish People's Republic - Used by Polish People's Army used during World War II and post war.
Romania
Sri Lanka - Retired and replaced by 122 mm Type 60 field guns
Somalia - Status unknown.
Soviet Union

Citations

References

Brassey's Encyclopedia of Land Forces and Warfare, Brassey's Inc., Washington D.C., 2000, .
Die Landstreitkräfte der NVA, Wilfried Kopenhagen, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttart, 2003, .
German Artillery of World War Two, Ian V. Hogg, Greenhill Books, London, 2002. .
Foss, Christopher F. (ed.) Jane's Armour and Artillery 1981-1982, Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, London & New York, 1982.
Foss, Christopher F. (ed.) Jane's Armour and Artillery 2007-2008, Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, Coulsdon, 2007.
Shunkov V. N. The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) .
The American Arsenal, Ian V. Hogg (introduction), Greenhill Books, London, 2001. .
TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide

References

"Đáng gờm khẩu pháo bắn 20 phát/phút bảo vệ đảo Việt Nam".
Foss, Christopher. (1977). "Jane's Pocket Book of Towed Artillery". Collier.
"Ukraine Update: Data shows Ukraine is laying down the heaviest firestorm of artillery in the war".
Off, David E.. (1977). "Part VI Vietnamization". Field Artillery Magazine.
"Пушки".
Six SD-44's were issued per antitank battery in each airborne regiment, for a total of 18 in an airborne division. Janes, p. 525.
The People's Liberation Army assigned 12 Type 56 guns per artillery regiment. Brassey's, p. 124.
Janes (2008), p. 899.
Brassey's p. 124.
Both ZIL-157's and URAL-375D's were used as towing trucks. See Janes and Kopenhagen.
"Д-44".
[http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/weg.pdf TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide, p. 5-4.]
WEG, p. 5-4.
For example, the East German forces first publicly displayed SD-44 pieces in 1958. Kopenhagen, p. 48.
Janes, p. 526.
(27 October 2014). "Zambia : Golden Jubilee celebrations in pictures -Part 2 of 5".
(28 September 2023). "Russian World War 2-era D-44 howitzer destroyed by Ukrainian drone".
David Axe. (5 August 2023). "Ukraine’s Latest Tank-Destroyer Is A 79-Year-Old Gun Bolted To A 50-Year-Old Tractor".
(2017). "Military Balance 2017". IISS.
(1 September 2021). "The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry".
"On 22nd September, Mali celebrated its National Independece [sic] Day. Due to Corona, the usual military parades were scaled down in size and number. But the parade in Segou nevertheless contained several rarely seen gems of the FAMA’s inventory".
(20 September 2015). "The Oryx Handbook of Pre-war Yemeni Fighting Vehicles".
(31 March 2015). "Vehicles and equipment captured and operated by the Islamic State inside Syria".
"85 mm wz. 1944 D-44, D-48, armata dywizyjna, przeciwpancerna".
(2010). "Artileria româna în date si imagini". Editura Centrului Tehnic-Editorial al Armatei.
"4th Field Regiment Sri Lanka Artillery". Sri Lanka Army.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

85-mm-artillery artillery-of-the-soviet-union world-war-ii-field-artillery world-war-ii-anti-tank-guns world-war-ii-artillery-of-the-soviet-union anti-tank-guns-of-the-soviet-union uralmash-products weapons-and-ammunition-introduced-in-1944

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 85 mm divisional gun D-44 — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report