The ZiS-5 was a 4x2 truck that was used by the Soviet Union during World War II.
Description[]
The ZiS-5 had a 68 hp SV engine that was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The ZiS-5 could carry a single passenger in the cab with up to twenty men in the rear flatbed. The ZiS-5 was one of the standard trucks of the Red Army during World War II. It was critical in transporting valuable supplies, personnel, and weapons across the front quickly. Most notably, the ZiS-5 was used to carry the BM-8 Katyusha rocket launcher.
The total length of ZiS-5 was around six meters with a total weight of 3,100 kilograms unloaded. The armament of the ZiS was generally nothing but the weapons the soldiers carried on them but sometimes, a 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun was mounted on the rear flatbed as an AAA gun.[1]
Variants[]
The first variant of the ZiS-5 series was the ZiS-5V which was a simplified production model. It had its all metal cab replaced by wood. Following it was the ZiS-6, a similar truck with a strengthened cab and a 6x4 wheel base. Next was the ZiS-8, a bus type conversion to carry additional personnel. The ZiS-10 was a conversion in which the flatbed was removed and a tow was added to carry a trailer.
Continuing the series would be further conversions up to designation ZiS-44. These models would be used for various purposes during the war. For example, the ZiS-44 was a converted ambulance with the ZiS-42, ZiS-33, and ZiS-22 being half-tracks. The ZiS-12, ZiS-11, ZiS-14 being long wheelbase conversions.
History[]
The ZiS-5 was initially developed in 1931 with the help of American truck companies for use by the Soviet Union. Following the development of a new design, the ZiS-5 entered production in 1933 and was well received. Once adopted into the Red Army to be the standard workhorse truck, the ZiS-5 entered mass production with thousands available to Red Army troops even by the first days of Barbarossa. Operating with such a large amount of troops and over such a large front required the use of mobile equipment to move personnel en masse and the ZiS-5 certainly was the solution. It and its variants was used in many roles from personnel carrier to ambulance. In total, hundreds of thousands of ZiS-5s were made for use during the war. This made up to 530,000 examples.[2]
References[]
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