Design of the SU-76, armed with the 76-mm anti-tank gun, began in November 1942. A month later it completed the tough 10-day qualification testing stage and was introduced into service. First SU-76 with fully enclosed turret were sent to the Volkhov Front.
Many drawbacks caused by parallel engine mounting led to the development of a new, uprated model, which was the SU-76M. Acceptance tests in June 1943 showed the necessity to reduce its weight, so the thicker frontal and side armoured plates were introduced and the turret roof plate was removed. In August 1943 the SU-76M successfully passed the acceptance tests and entered service with the Red Army.
A total of 560 SU-76 and 11494 SU-76M were produced during the war. This self-propelled gun was the second most produced Soviet armoured vehicle of World War II, after the T-34 tank. Mass production of the SU-76M ceased in the second half of 1945.
If you want to learn more about the SU-76M, you definitely shouldn’t miss an autobiographical novel by Konstantin Kolesov, which is called “Self Propelled Gun № 120”
First an infantry fighting vehicle’s hull was remodelled into the one of the SU-76M, the engine and the transmission were installed:
Then on April 2017 the 76-mm divisional gun (ZiS-3) was mounted on the replica:
After the gun was mounted, we began working on the vehicle’s turret
