SU-57

This page is about the Soviet tank destroyer SU-57. For other half-track vehicles based on the M3, see M3 Half-Track (Family).

SU-57

SU-57

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Tank destroyer

Purchase:550

Show in game

Description

SU-57 was the Soviet designation for the American T48 GMC, developed by Diamond T in 1942 and actively supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. The T48 emerged as a quick solution to American and British military needs for increased mobility of anti-tank guns and is based on the M3 half-track armoured personnel carrier, armed with a US-made version of the British 57 mm Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun. A total of 962 T48s were produced between 1942 and 1943, ultimately proving unnecessary for both British and American forces. However, this self-propelled gun was actively supplied to the Soviet Union, which received 650 T48s between 1943 and 1945, and used them throughout the latter half of World War II.

Introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory", the SU-57 is similar to the American 75 mm GMC M3, mounting a gun on the back of a half-track. The most distinctive feature of this vehicle is its gun. Armed with the very accurate 57 mm M1 gun with good penetration and fast reload speed, the SU-57 is a very effective long-range tank destroyer. Aside from that, the SU-57 is very mobile, fast, and agile. This, however, is vital for its survival as the vehicle lacks adequate armour protection. In order to use the SU-57 effectively, it is essential to combine its firepower with its mobility - attack selected targets from distance and be prepared for rapid relocation, as one well-placed enemy shot can tear the vehicle apart. On the other hand, one well-placed shot of the 57 mm gun can tear apart almost everything the SU-57 will encounter, especially when aiming for weak spots.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull6 / 6 / 6

Turret6 / 6 / 6

Crew4 people

Visibility88 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Structural steel

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	6.35 mm (31°) Engine grille 6.35-12.7 mm (84°) Hood 6.35 mm (29-30°) Front plate	6.35 mm (1-2°)	6.35 mm (1°)	N/A
Turret (Gun shield)	12.7 mm (24-79°)	12.7 mm (16°)	N/A	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 7 mm thick.
• Wheels in the front are 2 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6.35 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB83 / 19 km/h

RB and SB76 / 18 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

2 back

Weight8.6 t

Engine power

AB282 hp

RB and SB148 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB32.8 hp/t

RB and SB17.2 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	83	19	8.6	210	282	24.42	32.79
Realistic	76	18		131	148	15.23	17.21

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB559

RB231

SB277

Crew training1 400

Experts9 000

Aces75

Research Aces270 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 30 / 30 / 40 %

2 × 106 / 106 / 106 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire 57mm_us_APCBC_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm M1 cannon

Ammunition99 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

5.2 → 4.0 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 15°

Horizontal guidance-26° / 26°

57 mm M1					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	99	-5°/+15°	±27°	N/A	6.2	8.5	10.4	11.5	12.2	5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00
Realistic					4.2	4.9	6.0	6.6	7.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M70	AP	118	114	97	80	66	54
M86	APCBC	122	118	103	87	73	62

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M70	AP	900	2.85	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
M86	APCBC	822	3.29	1.2	9	41.16	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the SU-57

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
99	80 (+19)	60 (+39)	40 (+59)	20 (+79)	1 (+98)	No

Bottom empty: 80 (+19)

Usage in battles

The SU-57 is an excellent tank destroyer that is capable of effectively and quickly destroying any enemy vehicle, even when in battles several BRs above its own. The 57 mm gun is excellent, and able to quickly deal with any foe you might face. The mobility is technically excellent, with good acceleration and top speed, however there are two issues. Being a half track, the SU-57 steers mostly like a conventional car, which is not ideal for a tank destroyer where the ability to neutral steer is preferable. Additionally the gun has very little depression, and the armour is only resistant to rifle-calibre rounds. These features mean that the SU-57 must seek to get the first shot on enemies. While rushing can be tempting, it will take a long time to get the gun on target when coming to a stop, so it is best to remain stationary when near enemy vehicles. Ambush tactics are very effective with this vehicle, as it is able to quickly reach good locations and deal damage effectively.

Close Range Engagements:

The SU-57 struggles at close range due to its limited turret rotation and half track steering. It is best to avoid close range engagements as it will be difficult to get the gun on target, and most enemies will be able to quickly disable the SU-57 due to its lack of armour.

Long Range Engagements:

The SU-57 does well at long range due to the quick reload, high penetration, and high velocity of its main gun. However, SU-57 players should not stay in the exact same spot for too long, as once the enemy vehicles have found the right firing solution, the SU-57 will not last long.

Arcade Battles:

In Arcade battles, the SU-57 will not generally do well. This is because in Arcade, the enemy will have a much easier time spotting and getting a good shot on the SU-57. Ambush tactics are not viable in Arcade, and the high speed nature of Arcade will pose a big challenge for the limited turret traverse of the SU-57.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Accurate and powerful gun capable of penetration even on vast distances
• Can destroy basically everything it encounters very easily
• Great mobility and speed of the half-track vehicle compared to tanks
• Ability to snipe from distance and relocate quickly if needed
• Enemy shells often fly through its thin armour without dealing any serious damage
• Crew has better protection compared to the American 75 mm M3 GMC

Cons:

• Lack of armour protection - vulnerable even to machine gun fire
• Vulnerable to shrapnel and artillery shelling due to its open top
• Rather limited gun arc
• Cannot turn on one spot as tracked SPG can due to its half-track configuration

History

Development

The SU-57 began as the T48 57 mm Gun Motor Carriage from the United States. This is similar to their previous anti-tank vehicle the 75 mm GMC M3, which mounted a 75 mm M1897A4 gun instead. The development started from a British and American requirement for a vehicle mounting the 6-pounder gun. This was fulfilled with the 57 mm gun M1 (A US version of the 6-pounder) and this was installed on the rear of an M3 Half-track. Orders came in at April 1942, but the Americans soon drop theirs after the M10 GMC was put into production. Thus, the T48 was to be lend-leased to Allied countries and was never classified in the American inventory.

The vehicle was tested at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in May 1942 and was upgraded along the way with new mounting and recoil mechanism. A gun shield with 5/8 inches of armour on the front and 1/4 inch armour on the sides and top provided protection for the crew but was relatively low in height. The employment of the 75 mm GMC M3 had the T48 equipped with headlights that were demountable. The vehicle was approved for production in 1942 and was built until 1943 with 962 vehicles produced total.

Combat usage

The vehicle was delivered to the British and the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease Act. The British were to use it in the Western Desert Campaign around Egypt and Libya, but the victory was achieved before the vehicles could arrive and do anything. After that, the 57 mm gun on the T48 was being superseded by the 75 mm gun from the US and the 17-pounder from the British. The T48 became surplus in British inventory and some were shipped to the Soviet Union as aid as well. The T48 in Soviet service was called SU-57 (Samokhodnaya ustanovka 57 - Self-propelled gun 57) and they received about 650 units in the course of the war. Some went to the Polish People's Army as well. Aside from that, British and Americans still retained several T48s but were all converted back into regular M3 Half-track carriers except for one in 1944. The German Wehrmacht also operated a few T48 as Half-track carriers due to being captured by the British and Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union employed the weapon most notably in their Summer 1944 offensive Operation Bagration. It was widely used by the Soviet 16th Separate Tank Destroyer Brigade in 1943 at the Dnieper River and the 19th Brigade in 1944 at the Baranow bridgehead. These vehicles would continue to serve in various units up until the Berlin and Prague offensives into Germany and Poland. They were allocated to 60 vehicles per brigade and the SU-57s were used as mobile fire support for the infantry due to their mobility. The 57 mm proved very well in this role as it could effectively hide behind a hill and fire from a long range due to the 57 mm gun.

Archive of the in-game description

A self-propelled artillery/anti-tank mount based on the M3 semitrack transporter. Its weapons system included a six-pound British anti-tank cannon. The entire project was completed based on an order by Great Britain in 1942. The SPG was released between December 1942 and May 1943. In the end, Great Britain determined that the project was unnecessary, so this mount was used most widely in the USSR, where most of the SPGs produced were provided as part of the lend-lease program.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the SU-57 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• M3 GMC
• Sd.Kfz.251/10

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

U.S. Army Ordnance Department/Corps*
Light tanks	T18E2 · M24 (Designed in collaboration with Cadillac)
M3 Stuart	M3 · M3A1 Stuart · M3A1 (USMC)
M5 Stuart	M5A1
Medium tanks	M3 Lee
M4 Sherman	M4 · M4A1 · M4A2 · M4A3 (105) · Calliope
	M4A1 (76) W · M4A2 (76) W · M4A3 (76) W
M26 Pershing	T20 · T25 · M26 · M26E1 · M26 T99
Patton Series	M46 · M46 "Tiger" · M47
Prototypes	T54E1 · T95E1
Heavy tanks	M103
M4 Jumbo	M4A3E2 · Cobra King · M4A3E2 (76) W
M6 Heavy	M6A1 · M6A2E1 · T1E1
M26 Pershing	T26E1-1 · T26E5
Prototypes	T14
T29	T29 · T30 · T34
T-32	T32 · T32E1
Tank destroyers	M3 GMC · M10 GMC · M56
M8 GMC	M8 HMC · M8A1 GMC
M36 GMC	M36 GMC · M36B2
Prototypes	T28 · T95
SPAAGs
Production	M19 MGMC · M42
Export/Captured	␗M8 HMC · SU-57
Stuart	Stuart I · Stuart III · ␗M3A3 Stuart · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ▄M3A3 · ▄M3A3 Stuart · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD) · ␗M5A1
Lee/Grant	▂M3 Medium · ▃Grant I · Grant I
M4 Sherman	Sherman II · ▄M4A1 · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ▀M4 748 (a) · ▂M4A2 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▅M4A3 (76) W · ▄M4A3E2
	␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ▄Sherman V · ▄M4A4 · ▄Sherman I Composito
M26 Pershing	M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1
M47 Patton	mKPz M47 G · ▅M47
M10 GMC	␗M10 GMC · ▄M10 GMC
M36 GMC	␗M36 GMC · M36B1 · ▅M36 · ▄M36B2
M19 MGMC	▅M19A1
M42 MGMC	▅M42 · ␗M42
	*The Ordnance Department was renamed to the Ordnance Corps after the Army Reorganization Act of 1950.