In January 1943, A Tiger I was captured by the Soviet army on the Leningrad front, and was subsequently used on a number of tests. The results were quite revealing: The only existing guns that could harm it were the 85 mm anti aerial gun piece and the 122 mm A-19. A new and powerful enough gun was developed under the leadership of Genera F.F. Petrov. The 85mm D-5S-85 that was assigned to the self propelled SU-122 wich used the T-34 frame was the result of this effort. The tests lead to the following conclusions: This vehicle wasn't equipped with a telescopic sight for direct fire, and this made it inadequate for the gun. A ball joint was designed for the weapon which allowed for a 20 degree turn to each side and a +20 degree elevation plus a -3 degree lowering equipped with a brand new telescopic sight (TSh-15). The weapon was now housed on a redesigned casemate placed on an old SU-122. Engineers Makonin, Gorlick and Troyanov lead the team that carried out the works. The final prototype was presented to a state commission on the summer of 1943.
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