Unimodels 305 ZSU-37 (early)

The ZSU-37 was a Soviet, tracked, self-propelled short-range anti-aircraft system from the Second World War and the post-war period. The first prototypes were built in 1944, and serial production continued in 1945-1948. Approximately 300 vehicles of this type were created in its course. The vehicle was powered by two GAZ-202 carburetor engines with a capacity of 140-160 hp. It was armed with a single 37mm 61-K anti-aircraft gun and two 7.62mm PPS submachine guns.

The ZSU-37 was developed on the modernized SU-76M self-propelled gun chassis to provide Soviet mechanized and armored units with short-range anti-aircraft cover. A long period of research and development related to the selection of the appropriate chassis meant that the ZSU-37 entered production only in March 1945 and was not used in combat during the fighting in Europe. The gun did well in the field, but it had a manual turret rotation and weapon lifting mechanism, which made the effectiveness of the new weapon questionable. What's more - the very rapid development of aviation technology after 1945 and the large-scale introduction of jet aircraft completely canceled the usefulness of the ZSU-37 for the tasks for which it was designed. Ultimately, in the 1950s, cars of this type were withdrawn from the line.