SU-5-1

SU-5-1

SU-76M

SU-5-1

SU-76M

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

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Description

The SU-5-1 is a rank I Soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault".

The SU-5-1 is a crude SPG built off the T-26 chassis. The T-26 chassis of the SU-5-1 allows it to place itself with relative ease on any spot of the map. The high gun shield can lure the enemy into firing too high, missing the crew. If a hit goes into the body, with a bit of luck, APHE ammo will not detonate on contact and instead go straight through, leaving little spalling damage. The vehicle's crew of 5 will allow some casualties before loss of efficiency.

General info

Survivability and armour

Given the 10 mm and 5 mm armour on the hull and turret plate respectively, this vehicle is a textbook example of a glass cannon. The T-26 chassis has mobility, and due to the top and back having no armour, stray artillery strikes can easily decimate the whole 5 crew members. Moreover, any flanking light tank poses a paramount threat to you, since a spray of their machine gun and your crew is dead. However, you have a 76 mm gun armed with APHEBC, so a skilled marksman with this vehicle will pose a threat to any light or medium tank, easily one-shotting any of them at your battle-rating.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	33	4	10	128	172	12.8	17.2
Realistic	31	4		80	90	8	9

SU-5-1 has very low mobility, sharing the chassis with T-26-4 and all of its drive characteristics. It will be left behind by pretty much every other unit, including low-BR SPGs, so taking the most attractive points will be tricky, but it's still sufficiently mobile to climb the hills or traverse muddy terrain. It's also able to turn in spot, although by braking one of the tracks, so neutral steering is not available.

Armaments

Main armament

The main gun has very good handling and above average horizontal guidance for the SPGs of ±15°. The APHEBC shell is able to destroy pretty much every target it encounters within its BR. A similar gun can be found on the KV-1 (L-11), being a great testament to the staying power and the capability of this gun.

76 mm 1902/30					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	8	-5°/+60°	±15°	N/A	7.04	9.75	11.84	13.09	13.93	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					4.76	5.60	6.80	7.52	8.00

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 fuze)	APHEBC	87	85	76	67	59	52
BR-350SP	APBC	102	100	91	81	72	64
OF-350M	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	37	35	29	25	20	17

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Normalisation at 30° from horizontal	Ricochet
								0%	50%	100%
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	662	6.3	1.2	14.0	150	+4.0°	48°	63°	71°
BR-350SP	APBC	655	6.78	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4.0°	48°	63°	71°
OF-350M	HE	680	6.2	0.05	0.1	621	+0.0°	79°	80°	81°
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	680	6.2	0.5	8.0	85	+0.0°	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the SU-5-1

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
8	1 (+7)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• It is recommended to go into battle with a full rack as the ammo capacity is already limited.

Usage in battles

This vehicle is the perfect (and only) SPG for Russian tech tree beginners: somewhat fragile, decently fast and a gun similar to what is found on higher ranks, it is a great trainer for later gameplay.

As an open-backed SPG, the SU-5-1 should never be seen by the enemy, especially if flanked. Since the gun's ballistics are somewhat tricky and the ammo count is limited, it is recommended to ambush enemies near capture points (preferably by your team's side). Aim carefully, regarding both the vertical and horizontal leading when attacking a moving target, although this is not recommended if the moving target is a heavy tank or is very fast, since that will make leading your heavy shells a hard task. With a capacity of 8 shells, you cannot afford to miss a shot

As a Tank Destroyer/SPG, you should bring supporting fire in the rear lines of the team, never at the front but not too far, repelling enemy assaults on the point. Find a spot with a good view near a capture point or bury yourself in a dark alley (if you have fast reflexes since if you miss the target might be aware and attack you) and wait to see the enemy fall into your sights. Do not forget to move to the nearest captured point after each 1-2 enemy down to reload since your ammo count is that low (sometimes you won't even have enough ammo to finish the second enemy, make sure to engage only if necessary in this case).

This role can be accomplished at any time in the game but it needs two things to be fulfilled: a captured objective nearby and a cooperative team. The objective will be your ammo and target supply since when waiting on a captured point you get an ammo refill. Ammo will be refilled one by one at roughly the same rate as your vehicle can shoot (about a minute for full loadout in this case). A cooperative team will help holding the point, since you can't do it all by yourself since moving means putting yourself in high risk of being spotted in a wrong position. If your team looses the point, do not rush for it (if you're not out yet...) since the enemy team may follow behind the person capturing the point. Wait for your allies to help and stay hidden, taking careful shots at well-chosen enemies. Remember to mobilize after firing a shot, since you pose a large threat in terms of firepower at that battle-rating, and the light tanks will start hunting for you if you keep camping.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	BR-350SP
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent penetration on stock rounds
• Decent reload (6.5s base)
• Good gun traverse angle
• High crew count means it can afford to take a few shots, especially from tanks without HE filler or MG
• Transmission in the front can absorb shots (i.e. in a sniper battle, it is the "ideal" spot to be shot)
• Good shell diversity (somewhat meaningless since it is recommended to fill it with APHE)

Cons:

• Extremely low ammo count (8 rounds)
• Exposed and cramped gun crew that can be destroyed with machine gun fire, or a HE shell somewhere in the rear
• Rather tall profile due to gun placement
• Poor gun depression of -2°
• Weak front armour (machine guns can penetrate this vehicle)
• Somewhat low shell speeds means it's hard to land a shot on a moving target

History

Photograph of one of the SU-5-1 units built

SU-5-1 (СУ-5-1) was conceived as the first of "small triplets" (малого триплекса, the other two being SU-5-2 and SU-5-3), with a goal of providing support for the mechanized troops and cavalry using a standardized chassis for multiple roles. SU-5-1 was anti-tank, -2 was howitzer and -3 provided mortar support. This was to ease maintenance and production. An estimated 5 units were built, after testing they took part in 1939 invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War 2, however they never fired at the Polish units.

The dated, but abundant, 76 mm divisional gun M1902 is put on a modified chassis of the T-26. The key difference includes moving the engine to the front of the chassis, to make space for the gun crew. Overall the evaluators concluded the chassis to be overweight, and pressed for AT-1 instead, which in the end didn't enter into serial production either. Eventually the Soviet army settled for T-26-4 and BT-7A (BT-7a is the basis for the in game BT-7 (F-32)).

This SPG was operated from a stationary position, where two crew members operated the gun from the ground. It was designed to be accompanied by an ammunition carrier based on the same chassis, that would support the firing position.

Media

SU-5-1 Tank Review - NUSensei

A Meme Gone Too Far - ☭ SU-5-1 Tank Destroyer - MikeGoesBoom

Community Choice, SU-5-1. Putting the record straight - Joseph 2000

See also

Vehicles of comparable role, configuration and era

• Panzerjager I
• Ho-Ro

External links

• [GlobalSecurity.org] SU-5 self-propelled artillery
• [The Online Tank Museum] SU-26