Difference between revisions of "SU-76M (China)"

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{{Specs-Card|code=cn_su_76m_1943}}
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{{About
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| about = tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| usage = other versions
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| link = SU-76M (Family)
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}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=cn_su_76m_1943
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
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<!-- [[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
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The '''SU-76M''' is a variant of the SU-76 (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 76), a Soviet light self-propelled gun used during and after World War II. The SU-76 was based on a lengthened version of the [[T-70]] light tank chassis and armed with the ZIS-3 mod. 1942 divisional field gun. Its simple construction and multipurpose combat role made it the second-most produced Soviet armoured fighting vehicle of World War II, after the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34 medium tank]]. From 1951 to 1954, the Chinese People's Liberation Army restructured itself based on the Soviet Army and purchased 912 [[SU-76M]] self-propelled artillery, predominantly to equip its self-propelled artillery regiments of the infantry division. It was once the backbone of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's armoured equipment, mainly employed to give direct fire support to infantry or to destroy enemy armoured vehicles.
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{{break}} -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
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Introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]], the SU-76M gives Chinese Army ground forces players significantly enhanced firepower compared to other captured/lend-lease tanks in the early ranks. It is mounted with the 76 mm ZIS-3 field gun, a flexible artillery gun capable of piercing the frontal armour of most enemies in its ranks. However, because of its open-top design, it is extremely vulnerable to aircraft strafing. It also lacks secondary armament, such as turret-mounted machine guns, to protect against oncoming planes.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
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''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
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The SU-76M shares a similar hull armour profile with the T-70 light tank on which it is based. The hull, with a large, well-angled 25 mm upper front plate, might bounce some shells when the hull is angled, but high-penetrating guns such as the 50 mm KwK39 can still penetrate it easily. Once penetrated the driver will get knocked out, or the transmission/engine will be broken, immobilising the tank. On the back of the hull, the SU-76M has a lightly armoured open-topped superstructure to accommodate the 76 mm gun. With a maximum thickness of only 25 mm and poor angling, the superstructure will not stop much more than heavy machine gun fire. Common tanks such as Pz.II, M3A3, AB 41, etc. are all able to penetrate the front of the fighting compartment with ease, and knock out any crew in the shell path. The crews are quite cramped together too, further decreasing the survivability against explosive-filled rounds. It is only able to resist rifle-calibre rounds or heavy machine gun fire from far away.
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The thin armour might sometimes save you, as many tanks at the BR will still have solid shot rounds, such as the M3 Stuart, that will simply punch through the armour hitting only one crew member or missing entirely. The open top also makes the SU-76M very vulnerable to HE or HEAT rounds: they will deal overpressure damage to the crew and knock out the vehicle with one hit. Aircraft strafing runs from above or behind are also extremely dangerous.
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'''Armour type:'''
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* Rolled homogeneous armour
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
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|-
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| Hull ||25 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 30 mm (30°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 25 mm (35-89°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 15 mm ||15 mm (1°) ''Top'' <br> 15 mm (32°) ''Lower'' || 7 mm
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|-
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| Superstructure || 25 mm (27°) || 10 mm (21-24°) ''Left'' <br> 10 mm (18-19°) ''Right'' || 15 mm
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!
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|}
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'''Notes:'''
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* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
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* Belly armour is 7 mm thick.
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* The rear superstructure does not cover the entire crew compartment.
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* A 25 mm plate of armour separates the driver's and engine compartment to the rear fighting compartment.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
  
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 199|rbMinHp= 124}}
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp=199|rbMinHp=124}}
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The SU-76M has an adequate top speed of about 30 km/h. It does have a good power/weight ratio, giving it nice acceleration. Its tracks are short and far apart, allowing it to traverse the hull relatively easy. Considering how lightly armoured it is, however, this mobility does not seem that good. It also has a poor reverse speed of only 5 km/h which can sometimes prevent the player from retreating to safety, putting the player at great risk. The tracks are very narrow, resulting in very sluggish movement and acceleration in snowy, sandy or muddy maps. Generally the SU-76 will fall behind common tanks such as M3A3 Stuart, Pz.IV C, A13, etc. Therefore, with this level of mobility, the SU-76 is limited to a short-range defensive tank destroyer that should only go to where it is needed, and cannot afford to constantly perform long-range cross-country manoeuvres.
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=== Modifications and economy ===
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{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
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{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
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''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Advise about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
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<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
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{{main|ZIS-3 (76 mm)}}
  
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=== Additional armament ===
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The SU-76M is armed with the 76 mm ZiS-3 field gun, a versatile artillery piece that is also capable of performing in the anti-tank role. It has a decent rate of fire, a wide traverse arc, and the ability to knock out most enemies at its BR, but the mounting has very poor gun depression due to the rearward placement of the superstructure.
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''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
 
  
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=== Machine guns ===
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It has a very wide-selection of ammunition, though only a few are worth using regularly. The stock BR-350A APHEBC shell is adequate enough for most purposes, although it will struggle against heavy tanks like the [[Churchill (Family)|Churchill]] at long ranges. The BR-350B APHEBC shell is arguably the best all-round projectile available, combining decent penetration with excellent lethality. Against particularly heavy armour, the BR-354P APCR shot is available, though its poor lethality and performance against sloped armour will tend to disappoint. The BR-350SP APBC shot is a solid shot round with no filler, but it creates more spalling than the APCR and is somewhat more lethal. The BP-353A HEAT round is occasionally useful for long-range fighting since it does not lose penetration with distance, but the Soviet 76 mm guns generally do not perform very well at long range, and work better at medium to close range. The Sh-354T shrapnel round creates a lot of fragments when it penetrates, but is only effective against lighter vehicles.
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''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[ZIS-3 (76 mm)|76 mm ZIS-3]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
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|-
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! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
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! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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|-
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! ''Arcade''
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| rowspan="2" | 60 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 6.2 || 8.5 || 10.4 || 11.5 || 12.2 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
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|-
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! ''Realistic''
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| 4.2 || 4.9 || 6.0 || 6.6 || 7.0
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|-
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|}
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==== Ammunition ====
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{{:ZIS-3 (76 mm)/Ammunition|BR-350A (MD-5 fuze), BR-350SP, BR-354P, BP-353A, BR-350B (MD-8 fuze), OF-350M, Sh-354T, D-350A}}
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
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[[File:Ammoracks_SU-76M.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the SU-76M.]]
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<!-- '''Last updated:''' -->
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! Full<br>ammo
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! 1st<br>rack empty
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! 2nd<br>rack empty
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
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! 4th<br>rack empty
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! Visual<br>discrepancy
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|-
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| '''60''' || 44&nbsp;''(+16)'' || 37&nbsp;''(+23)'' || 30&nbsp;''(+30)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+59)'' || No
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|-
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|}
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
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''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
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Like most turretless tank destroyers, the SU-76M needs to be handled with care. Not only does it not have a rotating turret, it is also lightly armoured, has an open top, and practically no protection from behind. The crew is quite exposed to air and rear attacks, which can disable them with even machine gun fire.
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The SU-76M lacks the speed to perform daring flanking manoeuvres or quickly take control of key locations. Unlike the high penetration 57 mm ZiS-2 gun on the preceding LVT(A)(4), the 76 mm ZiS-3 tends to struggle at long range, but it far outperforms the 57 mm gun in terms of lethality when using the APHEBC rounds, capable of creating havoc on the battlefield, the SU-76M needs to be handled with care.
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Not only does it not have a rotating turret, it has an open top and practically no protection from behind. Therefore, when an engagement's complexity evolves and the Su-76 is surrounded, there is little that can be done to survive. One well placed hit to its rear will knock out a good part of the exposed crew, even machine guns can do the job of eliminating both loader and gunner.
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It is crucial to remain at a distance from the enemy, perhaps even seek the cover of trees for protection against low-level attack aircraft, and to only ever give the front side to an enemy. The fact that this vehicle does not have a turret not only means that it is not effective when fighting more mobile enemies attempting to flank, it also means that placing the armour at an angle is not a viable strategy to increase relative armour thickness and stay more protected, since the gun's limits for horizontal traverse mean that any significant angle of the hull towards an enemy will make make it harder to keep the enemy in sight. What can be done is to fire a shot and, immediately after, angle the hull whilst reloading, to then return to facing the enemy to fire another shot. However, hiding whilst reloading is the most sensible choice.
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Unfortunately, the SU-76 has low mobility, handling, and a vastly different gun. However, the gun on the SU-76 is definitely more powerful than the 57 mm. The sheer force of the 76 mm shells will cause huge amounts of trauma to a target upon penetration. Given its poor gun depression and velocity, the SU-76 should be used as a mobile brawler and ambusher. It is well suited to performing ambushes in urban areas. The high HE filler of the 76 mm shell makes it capable of knocking nearly all enemy armour with a single shot at its 2.3 BR. A minor issue with the SU-76 is that it has no defensive machine gun, meaning that responding quickly to SPAA is difficult.
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The main gun is the one and only aspect that makes the SU-76M a great vehicle, while its performance in other areas are far from satisfactory. The wide range of available ammunition is a particular interesting aspect for this SPG, its APCR and HEAT shells actually being lethal even against higher BR tanks, empowering this tank destroyer to obliterate more advanced tanks like the Tiger H1 with accurate shots. Recently, a varied late-war BR-350B ammunition has been added to the SU-76M's ammo choices. It incorporates more penetration and a better fuze as a trade-off for than some degree less explosive filler. Despite this, the SU-76M will consistently destroy most if not all enemies in one shot when the shells go through. Once unlocked, the SU-76 is excellent at knocking out any tank from the front with a single shot, but note that there sometimes may be a need to utilise other ammunition types to effectively engage different target types. For instance, against common light/medium tanks (e.g. Chi-Ha Kai, Pz.III, Crusader), the explosive-packed AP shells are very sufficient, whereas against a tougher target (e.g. B1, M4A3 (105)), the more-penetrative APCR (BR-354P) might become helpful.
 +
 
 +
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
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* [[M4A3 (105)]]: This low-rank Sherman posts a huge threat to every of its opponents due to its superior armour and destructive firepower. Its armour is overall quite tough to penetrate with your short 76 mm gun, but it can be solved by careful aiming. If the M4 is within 200 m, use default APHE to shoot at the vertical part of its gun mantlet or its side if exposed. If it's hull down within 100 m, only target the gun mantlet with either APHE or APCR to disarm it. When the M4 is further than 400 m away, all of your shells will perform poorly at penetrating its armour, so disengage or wait until it gets closer. Remember to not get hit by it, its HE or HEAT is likely to knock the SU-76 out with ease.
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* [[B1 bis]]/[[B1 ter|ter]]: this is a French early-war heavy tank that is commonly used around your BR. Against other tanks the B1 can sometimes be an indestructible fortress on wheels, but fortunately the SU-76M is one of the few vehicles that hold the power to destroy such tough tanks. It is best to fire when the B1 has its front/side armour facing right at you without any angling. Target spots such as the section above the hull gun, the large engine vents at the side, or the side armour below the turret. The explosive-packed 76 mm shells should easily knock out multiple or even all of its crew members. If you do not feel confident, switch to APCR. Do not get hit by the B1, either of its cannons can destroy the SU-76 equally easily.
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* [[M13 MGMC|M13]]/[[M16 MGMC]], [[AS 42]], [[Flakpanzer 38]], etc: these vehicles with fast-firing autocannons or heavy machine guns are very dangerous to the SU-76M. They have adequate penetration to frontally penetrate the SU-76M's fighting compartment and knock out the crew easily. At the same time they are also thinly armoured meaning the SU-76's AP shells are likely to over-penetrate without exploding, dealing minimal damage. The SU-76 also is turretless and has no MG, making it even harder to respond to this type of vehicle quickly and effectively. It is best to stay in cover until they are distracted, reloading, or are disarmed. Be careful and quick since if you are a little slow they might respond faster than you expect with their fast-traversing guns. Being showered with bullets picking your crew members one after the other is not the most enjoyable experience.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
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*
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* Decent horizontal gun traverse of 30 degrees-no need to constantly adjust hull position
 +
* Great cannon, its deadly APHEBC packs a heavy blow for common opponents like the [[Panzer III (Family)|Pz.IIIs]], [[Crusader (Family)|Crusaders]] and [[M5 Stuart (Family)|M5 Stuarts]]
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* Offers a wide range of ammo to deal with various opponents: APHEBC for normal targets, HE/shrapnel for soft targets and APCR for the hard ones
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* Small profile makes it easy to hide and set up ambushes
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* Adequate acceleration and hull traverse
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* Carries up to 60 rounds of ammo which is plenty even for a long battle
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
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*
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* Open topped, very vulnerable to strafing aircraft
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* Thin armour struggles to protect the crew from even .50 cal
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* -3 degrees of gun depression isn't enough for hill combat, and this flaw is sometimes fatal
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* No MG, so killing vehicles with light armour/exposed crew is rather ineffective, for example SPAAs
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* Poor reverse speed of only 5 km/h might get the player killed
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* Cannon penetrates poorly at more than 700 m. Will struggle to penetrate hard targets like the [[Matilda (Family)|Matildas]], early [[Churchill (Family)|Churchills]] and [[M4 Sherman (Family)|Shermans]]
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
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''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
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<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
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=== The way to Korea ===
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In October 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army began to fight in North Korea. The 13th Corps of the Volunteer Army, which was the first troop to go abroad to fight the UN Army, and the following 9th Corps were mainly made up of infantry units. In October 1950, the 6th Guards Mechanized Army of the Soviet Transbaikal Military Region formed 10 tank self-propelled artillery regiments, each of which was equipped with 30 T-34s, 6 IS-2s and 30 SU-76Ms. In November, these 10 regiments entered China and handed over their equipment to help PLA in forming 3 tank divisions, 3 independent tank regiments, and 1 tank training base. This was the first time that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army ever had access to Soviet-made medium tanks and self-propelled guns.
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A total number of 704 SU-76M self-propelled guns were delivered to the Volunteer Army since 1951, forming about 30 self-propelled artillery regiments. Since the situation on the Korean battlefield had entered a stage of stalemate of two sides at that time, most of the tanks and self-propelled guns equipped by the Volunteer Army were mainly involved in infantry support missions. During these fire missions, the PVA realized that the 76 mm cannon of the SU-76M was not powerful enough to undertake the fire support mission. Therefore, in the latter part of the war, infantry support missions were mostly undertaken by ISU-122s and SU-152s, while the anti-tank missions carried out by SU-76M were handed over to SU-100s.
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SU-76M served in the Chinese People's Liberation Army until the 1980s. The Army still retained self-propelled artillery regiments equipped with SU-76M in 1979. It is worth mentioning that in 1960, Beijing Institute of Technology established a special militia division, and the students recovered a batch of tanks, including SU-76M, in the school. These recovered vehicles were equipped to a tank regiment of the university militia division.
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=== Rumored tank "SU-76M Gai" ===
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China seized a Soviet T-62 medium tank after the Incident of Damansky Island in 1969. In response to the threat of Soviet offensive, China made a number of exterior models based on the appearance of the T-62 for military and militia organizations for anti-tank practices. The popular Chinese "SU-76M Gai" is a teaching model made up of a scrap SU-76M hull and an imitated T-62 turret, rather than the so-called prototype of the 59-16 tank.
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''(The Incident of Damansky Island is known as Self-defense and Counterattack in Zhen Bao Island in China, that seized T-62 is the well-known T-62 No.545.)''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=cn_su_76m_1943 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
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;Related development
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* [[SU-76M (Family)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
  
 
{{China tank destroyers}}
 
{{China tank destroyers}}

Latest revision as of 00:35, 1 June 2024

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
This page is about the tank destroyer SU-76M (China). For other versions, see SU-76M (Family).
␗SU-76M
cn_su_76m_1943.png
GarageImage SU-76M (China).jpg
ArtImage SU-76M (China).png
␗SU-76M
China flag.png China
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.0 2.0 2.0
Class:
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The SU-76M is a variant of the SU-76 (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 76), a Soviet light self-propelled gun used during and after World War II. The SU-76 was based on a lengthened version of the T-70 light tank chassis and armed with the ZIS-3 mod. 1942 divisional field gun. Its simple construction and multipurpose combat role made it the second-most produced Soviet armoured fighting vehicle of World War II, after the T-34 medium tank. From 1951 to 1954, the Chinese People's Liberation Army restructured itself based on the Soviet Army and purchased 912 SU-76M self-propelled artillery, predominantly to equip its self-propelled artillery regiments of the infantry division. It was once the backbone of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's armoured equipment, mainly employed to give direct fire support to infantry or to destroy enemy armoured vehicles.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", the SU-76M gives Chinese Army ground forces players significantly enhanced firepower compared to other captured/lend-lease tanks in the early ranks. It is mounted with the 76 mm ZIS-3 field gun, a flexible artillery gun capable of piercing the frontal armour of most enemies in its ranks. However, because of its open-top design, it is extremely vulnerable to aircraft strafing. It also lacks secondary armament, such as turret-mounted machine guns, to protect against oncoming planes.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull25 / 15 / 15
Turret25 / 10 / 15
Crew4 people
Visibility75 %

The SU-76M shares a similar hull armour profile with the T-70 light tank on which it is based. The hull, with a large, well-angled 25 mm upper front plate, might bounce some shells when the hull is angled, but high-penetrating guns such as the 50 mm KwK39 can still penetrate it easily. Once penetrated the driver will get knocked out, or the transmission/engine will be broken, immobilising the tank. On the back of the hull, the SU-76M has a lightly armoured open-topped superstructure to accommodate the 76 mm gun. With a maximum thickness of only 25 mm and poor angling, the superstructure will not stop much more than heavy machine gun fire. Common tanks such as Pz.II, M3A3, AB 41, etc. are all able to penetrate the front of the fighting compartment with ease, and knock out any crew in the shell path. The crews are quite cramped together too, further decreasing the survivability against explosive-filled rounds. It is only able to resist rifle-calibre rounds or heavy machine gun fire from far away.

The thin armour might sometimes save you, as many tanks at the BR will still have solid shot rounds, such as the M3 Stuart, that will simply punch through the armour hitting only one crew member or missing entirely. The open top also makes the SU-76M very vulnerable to HE or HEAT rounds: they will deal overpressure damage to the crew and knock out the vehicle with one hit. Aircraft strafing runs from above or behind are also extremely dangerous.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 25 mm (60°) Front glacis
30 mm (30°) Lower glacis
25 mm (35-89°) Driver's hatch 		15 mm 15 mm (1°) Top
15 mm (32°) Lower 		7 mm
Superstructure 25 mm (27°) 10 mm (21-24°) Left
10 mm (18-19°) Right 		15 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
  • Belly armour is 7 mm thick.
  • The rear superstructure does not cover the entire crew compartment.
  • A 25 mm plate of armour separates the driver's and engine compartment to the rear fighting compartment.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB34 / 6 km/h
RB and SB31 / 6 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight10.5 t
Engine power
AB267 hp
RB and SB140 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB25.4 hp/t
RB and SB13.3 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 34 6 10.5 199 267 18.95 25.43
Realistic 31 6 124 140 11.81 13.33

The SU-76M has an adequate top speed of about 30 km/h. It does have a good power/weight ratio, giving it nice acceleration. Its tracks are short and far apart, allowing it to traverse the hull relatively easy. Considering how lightly armoured it is, however, this mobility does not seem that good. It also has a poor reverse speed of only 5 km/h which can sometimes prevent the player from retreating to safety, putting the player at great risk. The tracks are very narrow, resulting in very sluggish movement and acceleration in snowy, sandy or muddy maps. Generally the SU-76 will fall behind common tanks such as M3A3 Stuart, Pz.IV C, A13, etc. Therefore, with this level of mobility, the SU-76 is limited to a short-range defensive tank destroyer that should only go to where it is needed, and cannot afford to constantly perform long-range cross-country manoeuvres.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB308 → 380 Sl icon.png
RB330 → 408 Sl icon.png
SB414 → 512 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications5 980 Rp icon.png
4 520 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost410 Ge icon.png
Crew training1 800 Sl icon.png
Experts6 300 Sl icon.png
Aces75 Ge icon.png
Research Aces135 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
20 / 30 / 40 % Sl icon.png
106 / 106 / 106 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
390 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
390 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement cn.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_AP_1942_ammo_pack
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_APCR_1943_ammo_pack
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
280 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_HEAT_1944_ammo_pack
Research:
390 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_AP_1941_ammo_pack
Research:
390 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
76mm_ussr_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
390 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm ZIS-3 cannon
Ammunition60 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.8 → 6.0 s
Vertical guidance-5° / 15°
Horizontal guidance-15° / 15°
Main article: ZIS-3 (76 mm)

The SU-76M is armed with the 76 mm ZiS-3 field gun, a versatile artillery piece that is also capable of performing in the anti-tank role. It has a decent rate of fire, a wide traverse arc, and the ability to knock out most enemies at its BR, but the mounting has very poor gun depression due to the rearward placement of the superstructure.

It has a very wide-selection of ammunition, though only a few are worth using regularly. The stock BR-350A APHEBC shell is adequate enough for most purposes, although it will struggle against heavy tanks like the Churchill at long ranges. The BR-350B APHEBC shell is arguably the best all-round projectile available, combining decent penetration with excellent lethality. Against particularly heavy armour, the BR-354P APCR shot is available, though its poor lethality and performance against sloped armour will tend to disappoint. The BR-350SP APBC shot is a solid shot round with no filler, but it creates more spalling than the APCR and is somewhat more lethal. The BP-353A HEAT round is occasionally useful for long-range fighting since it does not lose penetration with distance, but the Soviet 76 mm guns generally do not perform very well at long range, and work better at medium to close range. The Sh-354T shrapnel round creates a lot of fragments when it penetrates, but is only effective against lighter vehicles.

76 mm ZIS-3 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 60 -5°/+15° ±15° N/A 6.2 8.5 10.4 11.5 12.2 7.80 6.90 6.36 6.00
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
BR-350A (MD-5 fuse) APHEBC 87 85 77 69 62 55
BR-350SP APBC 99 96 87 76 66 58
BR-354P APCR 125 117 87 60 41 28
BP-353A HEAT 80 80 80 80 80 80
BR-350B (MD-8 fuse) APHEBC 96 94 84 74 64 56
OF-350M HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Sh-354T Shrapnel 35 34 30 26 22 19
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%
BR-350A (MD-5 fuse) APHEBC 662 6.3 1.2 14 150 48° 63° 71°
BR-350SP APBC 655 6.5 - - - 48° 63° 71°
BR-354P APCR 950 3.02 - - - 66° 70° 72°
BP-353A HEAT 355 3.94 0.05 0.1 600 62° 69° 73°
BR-350B (MD-8 fuse) APHEBC 655 6.5 0.9 14 100.1 48° 63° 71°
OF-350M HE 680 6.2 0.05 0.1 621 79° 80° 81°
Sh-354T Shrapnel 618 6.44 1.2 14 85 62° 69° 73°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Screen radius
(m) 		Screen deploy
time (s) 		Screen hold
time (s) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
D-350A 680 6.45 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the SU-76M.
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
60 44 (+16) 37 (+23) 30 (+30) 1 (+59) No

Usage in battles

Like most turretless tank destroyers, the SU-76M needs to be handled with care. Not only does it not have a rotating turret, it is also lightly armoured, has an open top, and practically no protection from behind. The crew is quite exposed to air and rear attacks, which can disable them with even machine gun fire.

The SU-76M lacks the speed to perform daring flanking manoeuvres or quickly take control of key locations. Unlike the high penetration 57 mm ZiS-2 gun on the preceding LVT(A)(4), the 76 mm ZiS-3 tends to struggle at long range, but it far outperforms the 57 mm gun in terms of lethality when using the APHEBC rounds, capable of creating havoc on the battlefield, the SU-76M needs to be handled with care.

Not only does it not have a rotating turret, it has an open top and practically no protection from behind. Therefore, when an engagement's complexity evolves and the Su-76 is surrounded, there is little that can be done to survive. One well placed hit to its rear will knock out a good part of the exposed crew, even machine guns can do the job of eliminating both loader and gunner.

It is crucial to remain at a distance from the enemy, perhaps even seek the cover of trees for protection against low-level attack aircraft, and to only ever give the front side to an enemy. The fact that this vehicle does not have a turret not only means that it is not effective when fighting more mobile enemies attempting to flank, it also means that placing the armour at an angle is not a viable strategy to increase relative armour thickness and stay more protected, since the gun's limits for horizontal traverse mean that any significant angle of the hull towards an enemy will make make it harder to keep the enemy in sight. What can be done is to fire a shot and, immediately after, angle the hull whilst reloading, to then return to facing the enemy to fire another shot. However, hiding whilst reloading is the most sensible choice.

Unfortunately, the SU-76 has low mobility, handling, and a vastly different gun. However, the gun on the SU-76 is definitely more powerful than the 57 mm. The sheer force of the 76 mm shells will cause huge amounts of trauma to a target upon penetration. Given its poor gun depression and velocity, the SU-76 should be used as a mobile brawler and ambusher. It is well suited to performing ambushes in urban areas. The high HE filler of the 76 mm shell makes it capable of knocking nearly all enemy armour with a single shot at its 2.3 BR. A minor issue with the SU-76 is that it has no defensive machine gun, meaning that responding quickly to SPAA is difficult.

The main gun is the one and only aspect that makes the SU-76M a great vehicle, while its performance in other areas are far from satisfactory. The wide range of available ammunition is a particular interesting aspect for this SPG, its APCR and HEAT shells actually being lethal even against higher BR tanks, empowering this tank destroyer to obliterate more advanced tanks like the Tiger H1 with accurate shots. Recently, a varied late-war BR-350B ammunition has been added to the SU-76M's ammo choices. It incorporates more penetration and a better fuze as a trade-off for than some degree less explosive filler. Despite this, the SU-76M will consistently destroy most if not all enemies in one shot when the shells go through. Once unlocked, the SU-76 is excellent at knocking out any tank from the front with a single shot, but note that there sometimes may be a need to utilise other ammunition types to effectively engage different target types. For instance, against common light/medium tanks (e.g. Chi-Ha Kai, Pz.III, Crusader), the explosive-packed AP shells are very sufficient, whereas against a tougher target (e.g. B1, M4A3 (105)), the more-penetrative APCR (BR-354P) might become helpful.

Enemies worth noting:

  • M4A3 (105): This low-rank Sherman posts a huge threat to every of its opponents due to its superior armour and destructive firepower. Its armour is overall quite tough to penetrate with your short 76 mm gun, but it can be solved by careful aiming. If the M4 is within 200 m, use default APHE to shoot at the vertical part of its gun mantlet or its side if exposed. If it's hull down within 100 m, only target the gun mantlet with either APHE or APCR to disarm it. When the M4 is further than 400 m away, all of your shells will perform poorly at penetrating its armour, so disengage or wait until it gets closer. Remember to not get hit by it, its HE or HEAT is likely to knock the SU-76 out with ease.
  • B1 bis/ter: this is a French early-war heavy tank that is commonly used around your BR. Against other tanks the B1 can sometimes be an indestructible fortress on wheels, but fortunately the SU-76M is one of the few vehicles that hold the power to destroy such tough tanks. It is best to fire when the B1 has its front/side armour facing right at you without any angling. Target spots such as the section above the hull gun, the large engine vents at the side, or the side armour below the turret. The explosive-packed 76 mm shells should easily knock out multiple or even all of its crew members. If you do not feel confident, switch to APCR. Do not get hit by the B1, either of its cannons can destroy the SU-76 equally easily.
  • M13/M16 MGMC, AS 42, Flakpanzer 38, etc: these vehicles with fast-firing autocannons or heavy machine guns are very dangerous to the SU-76M. They have adequate penetration to frontally penetrate the SU-76M's fighting compartment and knock out the crew easily. At the same time they are also thinly armoured meaning the SU-76's AP shells are likely to over-penetrate without exploding, dealing minimal damage. The SU-76 also is turretless and has no MG, making it even harder to respond to this type of vehicle quickly and effectively. It is best to stay in cover until they are distracted, reloading, or are disarmed. Be careful and quick since if you are a little slow they might respond faster than you expect with their fast-traversing guns. Being showered with bullets picking your crew members one after the other is not the most enjoyable experience.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Decent horizontal gun traverse of 30 degrees-no need to constantly adjust hull position
  • Great cannon, its deadly APHEBC packs a heavy blow for common opponents like the Pz.IIIs, Crusaders and M5 Stuarts
  • Offers a wide range of ammo to deal with various opponents: APHEBC for normal targets, HE/shrapnel for soft targets and APCR for the hard ones
  • Small profile makes it easy to hide and set up ambushes
  • Adequate acceleration and hull traverse
  • Carries up to 60 rounds of ammo which is plenty even for a long battle

Cons:

  • Open topped, very vulnerable to strafing aircraft
  • Thin armour struggles to protect the crew from even .50 cal
  • -3 degrees of gun depression isn't enough for hill combat, and this flaw is sometimes fatal
  • No MG, so killing vehicles with light armour/exposed crew is rather ineffective, for example SPAAs
  • Poor reverse speed of only 5 km/h might get the player killed
  • Cannon penetrates poorly at more than 700 m. Will struggle to penetrate hard targets like the Matildas, early Churchills and Shermans

History

The way to Korea

In October 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army began to fight in North Korea. The 13th Corps of the Volunteer Army, which was the first troop to go abroad to fight the UN Army, and the following 9th Corps were mainly made up of infantry units. In October 1950, the 6th Guards Mechanized Army of the Soviet Transbaikal Military Region formed 10 tank self-propelled artillery regiments, each of which was equipped with 30 T-34s, 6 IS-2s and 30 SU-76Ms. In November, these 10 regiments entered China and handed over their equipment to help PLA in forming 3 tank divisions, 3 independent tank regiments, and 1 tank training base. This was the first time that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army ever had access to Soviet-made medium tanks and self-propelled guns.

A total number of 704 SU-76M self-propelled guns were delivered to the Volunteer Army since 1951, forming about 30 self-propelled artillery regiments. Since the situation on the Korean battlefield had entered a stage of stalemate of two sides at that time, most of the tanks and self-propelled guns equipped by the Volunteer Army were mainly involved in infantry support missions. During these fire missions, the PVA realized that the 76 mm cannon of the SU-76M was not powerful enough to undertake the fire support mission. Therefore, in the latter part of the war, infantry support missions were mostly undertaken by ISU-122s and SU-152s, while the anti-tank missions carried out by SU-76M were handed over to SU-100s.

SU-76M served in the Chinese People's Liberation Army until the 1980s. The Army still retained self-propelled artillery regiments equipped with SU-76M in 1979. It is worth mentioning that in 1960, Beijing Institute of Technology established a special militia division, and the students recovered a batch of tanks, including SU-76M, in the school. These recovered vehicles were equipped to a tank regiment of the university militia division.

Rumored tank "SU-76M Gai"

China seized a Soviet T-62 medium tank after the Incident of Damansky Island in 1969. In response to the threat of Soviet offensive, China made a number of exterior models based on the appearance of the T-62 for military and militia organizations for anti-tank practices. The popular Chinese "SU-76M Gai" is a teaching model made up of a scrap SU-76M hull and an imitated T-62 turret, rather than the so-called prototype of the 59-16 tank.

(The Incident of Damansky Island is known as Self-defense and Counterattack in Zhen Bao Island in China, that seized T-62 is the well-known T-62 No.545.)

Media

Skins

See also

Related development

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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


China tank destroyers
PLA 
Gun vehicles  PLZ83 · PLZ83-130 · PTZ89
Missile vehicles  AFT09
ROC 
Missile vehicles  CM25
USA 
Gun vehicles  ␗M8 HMC · LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) · ␗M10 GMC · ␗M36 GMC
Missile vehicles  ␗M113A1 (TOW)
USSR 
Gun vehicles  ␗SU-76M · ␗ISU-152 · ␗ISU-122 · ␗SU-100

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