76mm Anti Tank
The 76mm Anti-Tank gun, aka the ZIS-3 (stands for "Factory named after Stalin" in Russian), was a ubiquitous AT gun and unit available in Flames of War. It was well regarded for being durable, reliable, and easy to use.
IRL
Much like modern Hollywood flops, the development of the ZIS-3 was mired in political disputes, secret agendas, and some good old fashioned fail. See, the NKVD had been watching a ton of Nazi propaganda, and while taking notes on how to brainwash people, they also assumed that GERMAN ENGINEERING WAS THE BEST IN THE WORLD. Therefore, the Soviet artillery command determined more absurdly large "practical" at weapons such as 100mm cannons would be more useful.
In spite of this, V. G. Grabin of factory No. 92 kept developing it as his own personal pet project. He reduced the amount of machine tooling and streamlined the production process for the gun, and attached it to an existing carriage. By a miracle of Marx, the NKVD did not lobotomize everyone involved in the project for developing these weapons behind Stalin's back.
Once it was discovered that Colonel Stronheim is a terrible intelligence source, the 76mm cannons were looked at. Soviet command was somewhat embarrassed, and any debate on the issue was settled when Stalin personally witnessed the weapons in trial, and said everything but that anyone opposing the project was a fucking idiot. The factory workers were even exempt from conscription in order to maximize the creative productive potential of the staff at the factory, which was actually a pretty ingenious idea.
The ZIS-3 was deployed en masse, and earned a reputation for being easy to use, durable, and reliable, particularly important for an army made up of dumb fucking farmers with limited training. It even saw use on multiple armored vehicles and was exported to foreign allies post war. It was retired after the war due to the obsolescence of 76mm AT guns.
| 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 |