SU-152
The SU-152 is a unit available in Flames of War and the last Soviet armored vehicle built off the KV-1 chassis. It was armed with a 15.2 cm Cannon and earned a fierce reputation as Stalin's answer to the Tiger and Panther tanks.
IRL
Originally, the 152 traces its origins back to Stalingrad. See, the Soviets, contrary to what the Tankies will tell you, was largely a backwards state in many ways in the 1940s. Stalin's purges didn't help matters and it's why the Union struggled against Finland, and it's poor performance in Finland is one reason (among many) that the Germans thought they could roll the Soviet Union over. As such at war start the USSR was not yet big on the concept of mechanization, which meant that if you needed part of a building to not exist, you'd have to drag a really fucking big gun there with horses, and that's assuming the Commissar likes you. This left the guns incredibly vulnerable in urban combat environments to fanatic retards with 1200rpm machine guns and overrated smgs screaming about Jews and the Fuhrer.
However, the Soviets had been getting their asses handed to them by a lot of stuff, but during that time they had been figuring out how to copy Hitler's Homework. As usual, it didn't take long for a casemate vehicle to appear in the Russian army. However, it miraculously was not just a cheap copy of the STUG III, but a whole new design.
The 152 was built on a KV-1S chassis, and was armed with a 15.2 cm gun, which was later given a DsHK 50 cal for protection in urban combat. The gun quickly earned a fierce reputation for blowing anything it aimed at back to Naziland, and that's assuming it only barely missed. However, the 152 wasn't remembered for being a highly effective assault gun, though it performed this role quite well.
No, the SU-152 was remembered as the "beast killer". By which we mean it killed Panthers, Tigers, and really anything it so much as sneezed it. The gun could easily be turned against Heavy German tanks, and it often blew turrets right off anything it hit. It could even destroy Elefants. It was awesome shit like this that caused the (at points, retarded) tank arms race between the two countries in the latter part of the war, that spawned such wonderful vehicles such the Maus, IS-3, and Ratte.
For all the wonderful things about it though, the 152 had its fair share of issues. The vehicle, being an entirely enclosed Self-propelled Gun, was understandably cramped, and quite unergonomic, a pattern for many Soviet vehicles. While the HE shell being able to rip turrets off is undoubtedly awesome, Howitzers are not nearly as accurate at far ranges than they are at close range, something that the Tiger's 88mm Cannon didn't give two shits about. Additionally, Tigers could still kill them at decent ranges, and normal Panzers could too if they flanked them. The final problem is that the SU is slow to reload. So while it absolutely *could* be a tank destroyer, this was largely a secondary purpose for the vehicle.
The 152 was later superceded by the ISU-152, a tank that was largely similar, but used the IS chassis instead of a KV chassis, as the KV chassis had been retired by that point.
| Soviet Forces in Flames of War | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-70 - Valentine - M5/M3 Stuart - M3 Lee - T-34 - KV - Churchill - IS-2 - Captured Tank Platoon - T-28 - BT-7 - KV-2 - T-26 |
| Transports: | M3 Scout Car - Universal Carrier - SdKfz 251 |
| Infantry: | Rifles - Motor Rifles - Penal Company - Storm Group - SMG Company - Engineer Sapper Company |
| Artillery: | Katyusha - 152mm Artillery - 122mm Artillery - 76mm Artillery - 120mm Mortars - 82mm mortars |
| Tank Destroyers and Assault Guns: | 45mm Anti Tank - 57mm Anti Tank - 76mm Anti Tank - 100mm Anti Tank - SU-76 - SU-85 - SU-100 - SU-122 - SU-152 - ISU-122/ISU-152 |
| Recon: | Scout Platoon - BA-64 Platoon - Armored Reconnaissance Platoon - Reconnaissance Platoon |
| Aircraft: | Il-2 Sturmovik |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU M17 - DShK AA MG Platoon |
| Midwar Monsters: | KV-3 - KV-5 - T-43 |