Russian 85mm Divisional Gun D-44

Russian 85mm Divisional Gun D-44. . The Russians developed the 85mm antitank gun during World War II to counter the excellent German tanks employed against the Soviet Union. Design of the D-44 began in 1943 with production starting in late 1945. Because of the delay in production, this divisional gun saw no action in World War II. The D-44 and the later SD-44 models continued in use as part of the Soviet Army's arsenal throughout the Cold War. Additionally, several variants have been produced and supplied to other countries such as China for use in the Korean War and Poland., The D-44 could penetrate 130mm (5.1 inches) of armor with a high velocity armor-piercing round. The Model D-44 was considered by the Soviet Army as divisional artillery, which meant that it could be used in a variety of roles depending on what type of ammunition was used. The gun was mounted on a two-wheel carriage and towed by truck., This gun was manufactured in Russia in 1944 and captured in Vietnam. Both tires on the carriage are the original Russian tires, with markings in the Russian alphabet., (caption) This gun could be airdropped into a combat situation and was often deployed with airborne troops. Some versions were equipped with an infrared searchlight. (Defense Intelligence Agency), Specifications: , Weight: 3,803 lbs or 1725 kg , Range: 17,060 yards (9.1 miles) maximum or 15.6 km , Muzzle velocity: 338 feet per second or 1,030 meters per second , Projectile weight: 11 lbs or 5.0 kg , Rate of fire: 20 rounds/minute maximum