A small truck GAZ-ST (medium tractor) was developed in the 1930s at the request of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR as a tractor for artillery systems of medium and large caliber. The ST differed from its AA counterpart, a shorter 25 cm base, and in that it had a four-wheel drive, and a more powerful engine - at a volume of 3.5 liters it produced 64 hp. Tests ST began in 1938. "STeopa", as it was nicknamed for the raucous nature and power of the test drivers, showed very good results. He calmly dragged a 122 mm howitzer in the swamps with ammunition and squad. The motor proved to be hardy and unpretentious, the air intake system made it possible to overcome fords with a depth of up to 1.5 m. This gave "Stepan" a great advantage over his rear-drive brothers. The People's Commissariat issued an order for 35 machines for testing and adaptation in artillery units. In 1940 the Gorky plant passed to the experimental party ST. So what is next…
And then the Winter War began. More than half of the experienced ST's were sent to the front. Severe conditions were not a strong handicap for these "downed" trucks. They carried guns, ammunition, transported Red Army men. In the process of combat testing, a number of shortcomings were revealed. As it turned out - the prototype of the all-wheel drive was difficult to repair in the field, the lack of spare parts sometimes forced the cars to be thrown. Nevertheless, the "Stepans" have come out of difficult trials with honor. Of the 28 sent to the front by their own way in the part, and then to the factory in Gorky, 10 machines returned for refinement.
Designers immediately took up the modernization of the car. But the command of the WPRA considered that the Red Army needed more reliable, and passable caterpillar tractors. Yes they were inferior on the march in speed, but the possibility of booking, installing weapons ("Komsomolets"), a greater load capacity ("Comintern" or "Voroshilovets") played a role.
During the Great Patriotic War, virtually all GAZ-STs were sent to the front. At the plant, only two cars remained as prototypes. The difficult years of the war were going on and the STs were also near Moscow, in Stalingrad, on the Black Sea-they brought victory nearer. At the end of the war, it turned out that out of the 27 cars that remained before the war, only two survived! One at the Gorky Factory - which was used for its intended purpose, and the second was found in Odessa - was involved in "Stepan" in the defense of the hero city, was easily damaged and later assigned to one of the factories. In the illustration we see precisely the Odessa GAZ-ST on-board number 27 (corresponding to the chassis number). As you can see in the picture - a veteran laborer "Stepan" is engaged in direct duties - dragging a broken agricultural tractor robot (most likely SHP-49- the earliest models of agricultural assistants) in a mahmaster.
The article on the request of the group's administrators was assembled by the amateur historian of Soviet robotics and electronics Gabriel Ardalionovich
