List of Soviet Union military equipment of World War II explained

The following is a list of Soviet military equipment of World War II which includes firearms, artillery, vehicles, aircraft and warships. World War II was the deadliest war in history which started in 1939 and ended in 1945. Following political instability built-up in Europe from 1930, Nazi Germany, which aimed to dominate Europe, attacked Poland on 1 September 1939 marking the official start of World War II. The USSR (Soviet Union) used Poland as a buffer from Germany from 17 September 1939, when the Polish state and its government actually ceased to exist. Germany with its allies attacked the USSR on 22 June 1941, and the country lost 26.6 million people during four years of the Great Patriotic war. The war in Europe ended on 7 May 1945 with the capitulation of Germany to the allied (including Soviet) forces. About 80-90% of losses during the entire war the German armed forces suffered on the Soviet (Eastern) front, whose contribution to the victory was decisive. By the end of the war, the Soviet Union produced 30.3 million rifles; 1.476 million machine guns; 516,648 artillery guns; 347,900 mortars; 119,769 tanks and self-propelled guns; 265,600 army trucks; 213,742 military aircraft; 2 cruisers; 25 destroyers; 52 submarines.^[1]

Helmets

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				It was designed by Aleksandr A. Shvartz, and began production in 1936 to 1941
	Combat helmet			The SSh-39 was of simple, more modern design, and was much easier to manufacture than the SSh-36. The SSh-39 would be the standard design for Soviet helmets for the next 29 years, with only minor changes occurring during that time.
	Combat helmet			The SSh-40 was most commonly seen in-service helmet used by the Soviet Union during World War II

Knives

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				Soviet combat knife that was produced after the Winter War in 1940.
	Bayonet/Knife			Soviet bayonet knife issued with the AVS-36 automatic rifle. The fact that the AVS-36 was used in very limited numbers; most without the bayonet; made it very rare.

Small arms

Revolvers and pistols

Name	Type	Cartridge	Origin	Photo	Notes
					7-round cylinder.
					8-round magazine. Widely used by officers, did not fully replace the Nagant M1895.
	Semi-automatic pistol				10-round internal magazine. Small amount captured from German forces.
	semi-automatic pistol				8-round detachable box magazine
	Semi-automatic pistol				8-round detachable box magazine. Some were captured during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War and put to use.^[2] ^[3] During WW2, the USA's Lend-Lease provided 12,977 extra Colt pistols.^[4]

Rifles, sniper rifles and battle rifles

Name	Type	Cartridge	Origin	Photo	Notes
	Bolt-action rifle / Sniper rifle (with 3.5× PU scope attached)				5-round internal magazine. Most widely used bolt-action rifle by the Red Army.
	Bolt-action rifle	7.62×54mmR			5-round internal magazine.
	Bolt-action rifle	7.62×54mmR			5-round internal magazine.
		7.62×54mmR			10-round magazine.
	Semi-automatic rifle / Sniper rifle (with 3.5× PU scope attached)	7.62×54mmR			10-round magazine. Most widely used semi-automatic rifle by the Red Army.
					25-round magazine. Deployed during the Winter War from stockpiles due to a shortage of submachine guns.^[5]
	Battle rifle	7.62×54mmR			15-round magazine. Produced from 1934 to 1940, it was mostly withdrawn in 1941 due to issues. Used primarily during the Winter War.
	Battle rifle	7.62×54mmR			10-round magazine. Modified SVT-40 with a different firing selector. Produced from May 1942 until halted in the summer of 1943 due to mostly uncontrollable automatic fire and breakage.

Submachine guns

Name	Type	Cartridge	Origin	Photo	Notes
		7.62×25mm Tokarev			25-round magazine. Based and adapted from the Suomi KP/-31, was not produced in larger quantities until 1937–1939.
	Submachine gun	7.62×25mm Tokarev			71-round magazine.
	Submachine gun	7.62×25mm Tokarev			35, 71-round magazine. Most widely used Soviet submachine gun.
	Submachine gun	7.62×25mm Tokarev			35-round magazine.
	Submachine gun	.45 ACP			20, 30, 50-round magazine. 137,790 supplied by the United States during the Lend-Lease program.
	Submachine gun	.45 ACP			12, 30-round magazine. Supplied by the United States during the Lend-Lease program.

Machine guns

Name	Type	Cartridge	Origin	Photo	Notes
		7.62×54mmR			47-round magazine. Most widely used light machine gun by the Red Army.
		7.62×54mmR			250-round belt.
	Medium machine gun	7.62×54mmR			200, 250-round belt.
		7.62×54mmR			250-round belt.
					50-
					30-round detachable box magazine. 2487 supplied by the British Empire during the Lend-Lease program, many mounted on Universal Carriers.
					belt-feed, 100 rounds belt

Prototype Firearms

• PPD-42 - A prototype submachine gun designed by Vasilij Deygtyaryov in 1942
• PPK-42 - A prototype submachine gun designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1942
• AS-44 - A prototype assault rifle designed by Alexei Sudayev in 1944.

Explosives, hand-held anti-tank and incendiary weapons

Grenades and grenade launchers

Name	Type	Diameter	Origin	Photo	Notes
		45mm			Limited usage during World War II.
	Fragmentation grenade	55mm			Widely produced grenade. Nicknamed the "limonka" (lemon).
	Fragmentation grenade	55mm			5 meter kill radius.
	Fragmentation grenade	54mm			Produced in 1942 to replace the complex RGD-33. Soviet partisans made copies of it when they were located behind enemy lines.
	Fragmentation grenade	45mm, 54mm (with fragmentation sleeve)			10–15 meter kill radius.
RPG-40 / RPG-41		20 cm			Effective against tanks up to 20mm of armour.
	Anti-tank grenade	95mm			Improved version of the RPG-40. Effective against tanks up to 75mm of armour.
	Anti-tank grenade	103mm			Improved version of the RPG-43. Effective against tanks up to 100mm of armour.
		40.5mm			Grenade launcher attachment for Mosin-Nagant rifle. There were four other versions of the grenade besides the main high explosive one.

Mines

Name	Type	Detonation	Origin	Photo	Notes
		Pressure			2.8 kg of TNT.
TM-38	Anti-tank mine	Pressure
	Anti-tank mine	Pressure			3.9 kg of Amatol or TNT, short cylinder with the entire top surface being used as a pressure plate.
	Anti-tank mine	Pressure			5.4 kg of Amatol, broadly similar to the earlier, smaller, TM-41 mine.
	Anti-tank mine	Pressure			3.6 kg of Amatol.
	Anti-tank mine	Pressure			9–9.7 kg of Amatol.

Infantry anti-tank rifles and rocket launchers

Name	Type	Calibre	Origin	Photo	Notes
					Single-shot reloadable rifle.
		14.5×114mm			5-round internal magazine.
	Recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher	60 mm			Single-shot reloadable launcher. 3,000 supplied by the United States during the Lend-Lease program.
	Anti-tank projectile launcher	83mm			Single-shot reloadable launcher. 1,000 supplied by the British Empire during the Lend-Lease program.
	Anti-tank rocket launcher	88mm			Single-shot reloadable launcher. Captured from German forces.
	Anti-tank recoilless gun	149mm			Single-shot disposable launcher. Some were captured in 1944, while many were captured in 1945 from retreating German soldiers and Volkssturm.

Flamethrowers and anti-tank incendiaries

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				From 1941, around 15,000 were produced and used during World War 2.
	Flamethrower			Produced from 1935 to 1945. Used also during the Soviet-Finnish War (1941–1944).
				Improvised incendiary bottles that were thrown at armoured vehicles. Invented by the Spanish Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. First widely used by Finnish troops against the Soviets during the Winter War.
	Incendiary anti-tank ampulla-thrower			125mm incendiary spherical glass projectile. Use of it was limited in 1941, and became obsolete by 1942.
	Incendiary anti-tank bottle launcher			Attachment for Mosin-Nagant rifles. Special bottles with incendiary mixtures were used. The bottles were produced in 1942, but became obsolete once Red Army troops were equipped with more anti-tank guns and rifles.

Artillery

Light and heavy infantry mortars

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				Light infantry mortar.
	82mm Infantry mortar			Light infantry mortar.
	120mm Heavy mortar			Heavy infantry mortar.
	107mm Infantry mortar			It was a lighter version of the M1938 mortar made for Soviet mountain troops.

Rocket launchers

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
BM-13 "Katyusha"				Most widely used multiple rocket launcher by the Red Army. It became known as "Stalin's organ" by German soldiers.
	82mm Multiple rocket launcher			Smaller rocket launchers that were mounted on T-40 and T-60 light tanks.
BM-31 "Andryusha"	300mm Multiple rocket launcher			Heavy rocket launcher with 12 rocket tubes which used the chassis of a ZIS-12 and the American Lend-Lease Studebaker US6 U3 truck.

Vehicular guns

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				Many tanks and other armoured vehicles later used it as their main armament.
	57mm Anti-tank gun			The main armament of the T-34-57, saw very limited usage in combat.
	76mm Anti-tank gun			The main armament of the T-28 tank.
	76mm Anti-tank gun			The main armament of the T-34 Model 1940 tank.
	76mm Anti-tank gun			The main armament of the KV-1 Model 1940 tank.
	76mm Anti-tank gun			The main armament of T-34-76 and KV-1 tanks.
	Developed from 85mm M1939 (52-K) air-defence gun			Main armament of the T34-85 (until March 1944), SU-85 and KV-85.
	Developed from 85mm M1939 (52-K) air-defence gun			Main armament of T34-85 from March 1944; also used on T-44.
	100mm Anti-tank gun			The main armament of the SU-100 tank destroyer.

Field artillery

Name	Type	Origin	Production	Photo	Notes
			Dec. 1928 – Dec. 1943: about 18,116^[7]		The 76-mm regimental guns model 1927 together with the Soviet infantry passed the Battle of Lake Khasan and the Battles of Khalkhin Gol, the Winter War and the Great Patriotic War. During offensives, such regimental guns, which were respected by soldiers, had to follow by their crews directly in infantry combat formations in order to quickly suppress the enemy firepower, interfering with the advance of troops. Until 1941, the guns were produced at Kirov Plant in Leningrad, and in 1942–1943 - at Plant No. 172 in Perm.
	76mm Infantry support gun
	76mm Mountain gun				It became obsolete after it was replaced with several other mountain guns.
	76mm Field gun				Used during the Winter War.
	76mm Field gun
	76mm Field gun				Field gun first deployed in 1941, very well-liked by Soviet and German soldiers because of its reliability, durability, and accuracy/
	100mm Field gun / Anti-tank gun
	107mm Field gun
	107mm Field gun
	122mm Field gun
	122mm Field gun
	122mm Field howitzer
	122mm Field howitzer
	152mm Field gun
	152mm Heavy gun				It was used by the Red Army in the Battle of Kursk and Battle of the Seelow Heights.
	152mm Field howitzer				Most numerously used 152mm howitzer by the Red Army.
	152mm Field howitzer
	152mm Field howitzer
	152mm Field howitzer
	152mm Field howitzer

Fortress and siege guns

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
	152mm Field howitzer
	203mm Heavy howitzer			It was used by the Red Army in the Battle of Berlin.
	210mm Heavy howitzer
	280mm Heavy mortar
	305mm Superheavy siege howitzer

Anti-tank guns

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				The gun was closely related to the German PaK 35/36.
	45mm Anti-tank gun
	45mm Anti-tank gun
	45mm Anti-tank gun
	57mm Anti-tank gun
	100mm Anti-tank gun / Field gun

Ground-based anti-aircraft weapons

Light anti-aircraft guns

Name	Type	Calibre	Origin	Photo	Notes
	Heavy machine gun	12.7×108mm			50-round belt.
	Air-defence gun	25x218mmSR
	Air-defence gun	37×250mmR			200-rounds.
	Semi-automatic air-defence gun	45×386mmSR			It was used by the Soviet Navy for most of their ships from 1934 as its primary light anti-aircraft gun until replaced by the fully automatic 37 mm 70-K gun from 1942 to 1943.
	Automatic air-defence gun	37×250mmR			Naval version of 37mm M1939 (61-K).

Heavy anti-aircraft guns

Name	Type	Calibre	Origin	Photo	Notes
	Semi-automatic air-defence gun	76.2×558mmR
	Semi-automatic air-defence gun	85×558mmR			It was successfully used against level bombers and medium/high altitude targets.

Armored fighting vehicles

Tanks

Name	Type	Origin	Production	Photo	Notes
T-18 (MS-1)					Based on the French Renault FT tank.
	Light tank				Interwar period light tank that became the most numerous tank during the German invasion.
	Amphibious light tank
	Amphibious scout tank
T-30	Light tank
	Light infantry tank
	Light scout tank				Replacement of the obsolete T-38 and T-30 tanks.
	Light tank
	Light cavalry tank
	Light cavalry tank
	Medium tank
T-34-76	Medium tank				One of the most widely used tanks in the Red Army. 35,120 were produced.
	Medium tank		Jan. 1944 – Dec. 1946: 25,914 (also under license - 2,736 in Czechoslovakia in 1951 – 1956 & 1,380 in Poland in 1952 – 1956)^[8]		A development of a deep modernization of the T-34 medium tank (especially its armament) began in summer 1943. To combat new German Tiger I and Panther tanks, a powerful 85-mm ZIS-S-53 tank gun was mounted within a new larger turret for T-34. T-34-85 medium tanks were produced at Plants No. 112 (in Gorky), No. 183 (in Nizhny Tagil) and No. 174 (in Omsk).
	Medium tank
					During the war, they were slow and proved to be mechanically unreliable. 61 were produced.
	Heavy tank prototype				Only one was produced, it was used during the Winter War. It was replaced by the KV tank series.
	Heavy tank prototype				Two were produced. There were unsuccessful trial uses of it during the Winter War. It was replaced by the KV tank series.
	Heavy tank				Known for its strong armour, it became known as the "Russischer Koloss" – "Russian Colossus" by the German Army.
					The main armament was the 152mm howitzer. Due to its combat ineffectiveness, only 334 were produced .
	Heavy tank				It became the basis for the IS Series tanks.
	Heavy tank				The IS series was a successor to the KV tank series. IS-1 was a prototype version, which had 130 produced.
	Heavy tank				3,854 IS-2s were produced.
	Heavy tank				2,311 IS-3s were produced.

Self-propelled guns

Name	Type	Origin	Production	Photo	Notes
					A self-propelled gun based on Komsomolets tractor fitted with 57 mm ZiS-2 Anti-tank gun. Only 100 were built.
SU-5-1 / SU-5-2 / SU-5-3					A self-propelled gun that was on the T-26 light tank chassis. SU-5-1 was armed with the 76.2mm divisional gun mod. 1902/30. SU-5-2 was armed with the 122mm howitzer mod. 1910/30.
	Self-propelled gun				It was on the T-26 chassis. Equipped with the 152mm mortar M1931.
	Self-propelled gun prototype				One was built as a prototype. The main armament was the 152 mm gun (U-30 or BR-2).
	Self-propelled gun prototype				One prototype was made, based on the SU-100 tank and was used during the Winter War. The main armament was the 130mm Naval Gun B-13.
	Self-propelled gun				Equipped with a 76 mm regimental gun M1927.
SU-76 / SU-76M			Dec. 1942 – Oct. 1945: 14,292 (560 SU-76 & 13,732 SU-76M)^[9]		The SU-76M was the second most produced Soviet AFV of World War II, after the T-34 medium tank. Developed under the leadership of chief designer S.A. Ginzburg (1900–1943). This infantry support SPG was based on the lengthened T-70 light tank chassis and armed with the ZIS-3 76-mm divisional field gun.
	Self-propelled gun				A modification of SU-122 self-propelled gun based on T-34's chassis, equipped with 85 mm D-5S cannon.
	Self-propelled gun				A modification of SU-85M that replaced its 85mm gun with 100 mm D-10S.
					A self-propelled gun version based on T-34's chassis, equipped with 122 mm M-30S Howitzer.
	Assault gun				Self-propelled gun based on KV-1S's chassis, equipped with 152 mm ML-20S howitzer.
	Assault gun				A rearmed ISU-152 with 122 mm A-19S for ISU-122 and D-25S for ISU-122S.
	Assault gun				Same role and armament as SU-152 but with IS-1's chassis

Wheeled anti-tank self-propelled guns

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				On the chassis of an extended GAZ-A. It was equipped with a 76 K/DRP recoilless gun.
	Wheeled self-propelled anti-tank gun			On the chassis of a GAZ-AAA. It was equipped with a 76 mm regimental gun M1927.

Tracked anti-aircraft guns

Name	Type	Calibre	Origin	Photo	Notes
		37×250mmR			It was equipped with the 37mm automatic air defence gun (61-К).
	Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun	37×250mmR			It was equipped with the 37mm automatic air defence gun (61-К).

Armoured cars

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
	Armoured car			First Soviet series-produced armoured car. The main armament was the 37mm Puteaux SA 18. Some were captured during the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
				The main armament was two 7.62 DT light machine guns. It was used during the Winter War.
	Armoured car			Replacement for the D-8 armoured car. The main armament was the 7.62 DT light machine gun.
	Armoured car			Its main armament was the 37mm 7K gun. The design of the BA-I started a series of heavy armoured cars of Izhorsky plant. These included: BA-3, BA-6, BA-9, and BA-10.
	Armoured car			The main armament was the 45mm gun 20-K.
	Armoured car			Very similar to the BA-3. Both were used against the Japanese in the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol, in the Finnish Winter War, and against the Germans in the early stages of the Eastern Front.
	Armoured car			The main armament was the 45mm gun 20-K.
	Armoured car			The main armament was the 45mm gun 20-K.
	Armoured car			Special armoured version of the GAZ-M1 passenger car. The main armament was the 7.62 DT light machine gun.
				Based and adapted from a captured German Sd.Kfz. 221. The main armament was the 7.62 DT light machine gun.

Half-tracks

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				A small number of them were produced. The main armament was the 7.62 DT light machine gun.
				Received 450 during World War II through Lend-Lease.

Improvised armoured fighting vehicles

Name	Type	Origin	Delivery	Photo	Notes
				NI tank was a Soviet improvised fighting vehicle, based on an STZ-3 agricultural tractor, manufactured in Odessa during the Siege of Odessa in World War II
				KhTZ-16 was a Soviet improvised fighting vehicle of the Second World War, built on the chassis of an STZ-3 tractor.

Lend-Lease tanks and SPGs

Name	Type	Origin	Delivery	Photo	Notes
			1,233		From 1941 to 1945, 1,676 were supplied by the United States as a part of the Lend-Lease.^[10] 443 were lost at sea.
	Light tank		5		5 were supplied.
	Light tank		2		2 were supplied in 1944.
			4,102		4,102 were suppiled, of these, 2,007 were the original 75 mm main gun model, 2,095 were with 76 mm tank gun.^[11]
			3,462		2,074 supplied by the UK, 1,388 supplied by Canada. 320 were lost at sea by both countries.
T48 Gun Motor Carriage (SU-57)			650		650 were supplied. On the chassis of the M3 Half-track equipped with a 57mm gun M1. It was designated as the SU-57 by the Soviet military.

Motor vehicles

Trucks

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				Soviet produced vehicle licensed from the Ford AA model of 1930.
	Truck
	Truck
	Truck

Passenger/utility vehicles

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				2,500 were produced during the war. The focus switched to building armoured BA-64s, with the availability of American made Jeeps.
	Light utility vehicle

Motorcycles

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				The first heavy motorcycle manufactured in the Soviet Union. Used during the Winter War with unsatisfactory results.
TIZ-AM-600	Heavy motorcycle			Used during the Winter War with unsatisfactory results, it was considered an outdated design.
	Heavy motorcycle			Motorcycle meant to replace the PMZ-A-750 and TIZ-AM-600. In the Eastern Front, motorcycles were produced at both the IMZ and GMZ motorcycle plants. All sidecars for both the M-72 and American Lend-Lease bikes were produced at the GMZ.

Tractors & prime movers

Name	Type	Origin	Photo	Notes
				Heavy tractor with a strong engine meant to haul artillery.
				Replacement of the S-60 for towing heavy weapons. Many of these and S-60s were captured by the German Army during their invasion.
	Artillery tractor			These were most often used to haul artillery, carry troops, and unintentionally as a Tankette/Gun Carrier/APC. It was used during the Winter War and the first half of World War 2. They were often captured by the German Army and fitted with Pak guns.

Miscellaneous vehicles

Aircraft

See main article: List of aircraft of the Red Army Air Forces.

Fighter aircraft

Navy ships

• List of ships of the Second World War

Rockets and bombs

• RS-82 (rocket family)
• FAB-9000
• FAB-5000
• FAB-500
• FAB-250

See also

• List of World War II weapons
• List of military vehicles of World War II
• List of British military equipment of World War II
• List of equipment of the United States Army during World War II
• List of German military equipment of World War II
• List of Italian Army equipment in World War II
• List of Japanese military equipment of World War II

Notes and References

1. Cohen. Eliot A.. Glantz. David M.. House. Jonathan. 1995. When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. Foreign Affairs. 75. 3. 306. 10.2307/20047605. 0015-7120. 20047605.
2. А. Крылов. Оружие красных командиров // «Техника — молодёжи», № 2, 1968.
3. Пистолет // Гражданская война и военная интервенция в СССР. Энциклопедия / редколл., гл. ред. С. С. Хромов. — 2-е изд. — М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1987. стр.464
4. Book: Thompson, Leroy . The Colt 1911 Pistol. Weapon 9. 20 May 2011 . 9781849084338 . Osprey Publishing. 47.
5. Book: Monetchikov, Sergei. ru:История русского автомата. The History of Russian Assault Rifle. 2005. 18–19. Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps. St. Petersburg. 5-98655-006-4. ru.
6. Web site: Soviet artillery used the during Winter War. Sami Korhonen. The Battles of the Winter War. 1 November 2000. 22 April 2018.
7. Book: Shirokorad, Alexander. ru:Энциклопедия отечественной артиллерии. Encyclopedia of Russian Artillery. 2000. 1156. Kharvest. Minsk. 985-433-703-0. ru.
8. Book: Baryatinskii, Mikhail. ru:Т-34. Лучший танк Второй мировой.. T-34. The best tank of the Second World War.. 2007. 144. Eksmo. Moscow. 5-699-19080-5. ru.
9. Book: Chubachin, Alexander V.. ru:СУ-76. "Братская могила экипажа" или оружие Победы?. SU-76. "Mass Grave of the Crew" or Weapon of Victory?. 2009. 112. Yauza. BTV-Kniga. Eksmo. Moscow. 978-5-699-32965-6. ru.
10. Web site: Lend-Lease Armoured Vehicles supplied to the Red Army 1941–1945. WW2 Weapons. 18 December 2017. 13 May 2018.
11. Lend-Lease Shipments: World War II, Section IIIB, Published by Office, Chief of Finance, War Department, 31 December 1946, p. 8.
12. Book: Kochnev, Evgenii. ru:Военные автомобили Союзников. Military Cars of the Allies. 2010. 512. Yauza. Eksmo. Moscow. 978-5-699-41199-3. ru.
13. Book: Yakubovich, Nikolai V.. ru:Истребитель Як-9. Заслуженный «фронтовик». Yak-9 Fighter. An Honored “Veteran”. 2008. 112. Kollektsia. Yauza. Eksmo.. Moscow. 978-5-699-29168-7. ru.