'Russian artillery on American tracked vehicles - convenient and effective'
The Vietnamese army has converted the American M548 into a self-propelled anti-tank gun by installing Soviet-made 76mm to 85mm guns. According to Russian military experts, this is an excellent example of the skillful use of used military technology that is still ready for combat.
Recently, in An Giang province of Vietnam, firing exercises were held with the participation of self-propelled artillery. These were American M548 tracked transport vehicles - spoils of war of the Vietnamese Army - turned into advanced self-propelled artillery by installing Soviet ZiS-3 76mm and D-44 85mm guns.
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| One of the weapons used by the Vietnamese Army. Illustration photo. |
According to Vietnamese experts, the installation of these artillery systems on self-propelled chassis significantly increases mobility in combat conditions. Of course, these guns produced in the mid-20th century can hardly cope with modern tanks. But, with a team of experienced officers, these self-propelled guns can easily deal with armored vehicles, unarmored vehicles, ships and enemy manpower.(By the way, the Russian army still uses ZiS-3 towed guns when organizing fireworks. The immediate impression from the salvo is that it is more powerful and more beautiful than multi-barreled mortars - Ed).
In a commentary for Sputnik, military expert Viktor Murakhovsky, Editor-in-Chief of the "Arsenal of the Fatherland" magazine, noted that the self-propelled artillery that the Vietnamese army created by installing Soviet artillery on American tracked vehicles was a wise decision.
Viktor Murakhovsky commented: “Local military conflicts in recent years have shown that any weapons can be used to fight the enemy, including old ones, because they can be mounted on any chassis. The most recent example is the fight against terrorist groups in the Middle East. In conditions of lack of funds, the Syrian army is widely using the method of installing ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns, D-44 and D-48 guns, recoilless rifles, grenade launchers on various types of tracked vehicles. And on the Syrian battlefield, these mobile systems have proven to be very effective. Of course, Vietnam has different conditions. But Vietnam is a large country with diverse terrain, including mountainous terrain and wetlands. In these conditions, the mobility of military vehicles is of particular importance. It is difficult to carry artillery systems on trucks through dense forests and swamps. In my opinion, the best solution is to turn trucks self-propelled artillery by mounting guns”.
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| Illustration. |
Answering Sputnik's question,“How could this self-propelled gun be used in Southeast Asian conditions?”, Russian expert said:
“This self-propelled gun is capable of fighting illegal armed groups or enemy reconnaissance and sabotage groups on land, and fighting small landing craft when defending the coast. In short, the installation of ZIS-3 and D-44 guns on amphibious transport chassis will significantly increase the artillery effectiveness of the Army and Marine Corps of Vietnam”.
By the way, mounting Soviet-made artillery systems on American truck chassis is not the only example of the Vietnamese military's technical ingenuity. They mounted American mortars on M548 tracked vehicles. And placed American M101 105mm howitzers on Soviet Ural trucks. These were cheap, convenient and highly effective solutions.