View source for 85 mm divisional gun D-44

{{Infobox weapon
| name               = 85 mm divisional gun D-44
| image              = D-44-beyt-hatotchan-1.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = 85 mm D-44 divisional gun.
| origin             = Soviet Union
| type               = Field gun
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged          = 
| is_bladed          = 
| is_explosive       = 
| is_artillery       = yes
| is_vehicle         = 
| is_UK              = <!-- Service history -->
| service            = 
| used_by            = 
| wars               = [[Vietnam War]]<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://danviet.vn/dang-gom-khau-phao-ban-20-phatphut-bao-ve-dao-viet-nam-7777779912.htm|title=Đáng gờm khẩu pháo bắn 20 phát/phút bảo vệ đảo Việt Nam|website=danviet.vn}}</ref><br>[[Lebanese Civil War]]<br>[[Iran-Iraq War]]<br>[[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]]<br>[[War in Donbas (2014–2022)|War in Donbass]]<br>[[Second Nagorno-Karabakh War]]
<br>[[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]<ref name="DavidAxe85mm271022">{{cite news|author=[[David Axe]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/10/27/ukraine-is-collecting-a-lot-of-russias-old-t-62-tanks/ |date=October 27, 2022  |title=Ukraine Is Collecting A Lot Of Russia’s Old T-62 Tanks
|newspaper=[[Forbes]]}}</ref>
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = 
| design_date        = 1943–1944
| manufacturer       = [[Uralmash]]
| production_date    = 1944–1953
| number             = 10,800
| variants           = D-44N<br>SD-44<br>Chinese Type 56
<!-- General specifications -->| weight             = D-44: 1,725 kg<br>(3,803 lbs)<br>SD-44: 2,250 kg<br>(4,960 lbs)
| length             = {{convert|8.34|m|ftin}}
| part_length        = {{convert|4.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 55 calibers<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Jane's pocket book of towed artillery|last=Foss|first=Christopher|date=1977|publisher=Collier|page=45|isbn=0020806000|location=New York|oclc=911907988}}</ref>
| width              = {{convert|1.78|m|ftin}}
| height             = {{convert|1.42|m|ftin}}
| crew               = 8
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->| cartridge          = [[Glossary of British ordnance terms#Fixed QF|Fixed QF]] 85×629 mm. R<ref name=":0" /><br>(R/112mm)
| caliber            = 85 mm (3.34 in)
| action             = 
| rate               = up to 20 rounds per minute (burst)
| velocity           = 1,030 m/s (3,379 ft/s)
| range              = 1,150 m (1,257 yds) ([[HVAP]]-T)
| max_range          = 15.65 km (9.72 mi)
| feed               = 
| sights             = OP-2-7 w/5.5X Magnification
<!-- Artillery specifications -->| breech             = Semi-automatic [[Rifled breech loader#The sliding block|vertical sliding-wedge]]<ref name=":0" />
| recoil             = [[Hydraulic recoil mechanism|Hydro-pneumatic]]<ref name=":0" />
| carriage           = [[Gun carriage#Modern gun carriages|Split trail]]
| elevation          = -7° to 35°
| traverse           = 54°
<!-- Bladed weapon specifications -->| blade_type         = 
| hilt_type          = 
| sheath_type        = 
| head_type          = 
| haft_type          = <!-- Explosive specifications -->
| diameter           = 
| filling            = 
| filling_weight     = 
| detonation         = 
| yield              = <!-- Vehicle specifications -->
| armour             = 
| primary_armament   = 
| secondary_armament = 
| engine             = 
| engine_power       = 
| pw_ratio           = 
| suspension         = 
| vehicle_range      = 
| speed              = 
}}

The '''85-mm divisional gun D-44''' ({{lang-ru|85-мм дивизионная пушка Д-44}}) was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Infantry division#Infantry|divisional]] 85-mm [[caliber|calibre]] [[field artillery]] gun used in the last action of [[World War II]]. It was designed as the replacement for the [[76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3)]]. The gun was no longer in front-line service with the [[Russian Ground Forces]], until being pressed back into service in the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]] in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukraine Update: Data shows Ukraine is laying down the heaviest firestorm of artillery in the war |url=https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/30/2196246/-Ukraine-Update-Data-shows-Ukraine-is-laying-down-the-heaviest-firestorm-of-artillery-in-the-war |website=Daily Kos |access-date=1 October 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Some 200 of the Chinese '''Type 56''' variant are still in service with the [[Pakistan Army]].<ref name=PentagonPress>{{cite book|last=Mehta|first=Admiral Sureesh|title=South Asia Defence And Strategic Year Book 2008|year=2008|publisher=Pentagon Press|isbn=978-81-8274-320-5|page=329}}</ref> Wartime service included use by [[communist]] forces during the [[Vietnam War]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/1977/JAN_FEB_1977/JAN_FEB_1977_PAGES_42_47.pdf|last= Off  |first=David E.|pages=42–47|date=1977|work=Field Artillery Magazine |title=Part VI Vietnamization|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110518071445/https://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/1977/JAN_FEB_1977/JAN_FEB_1977_PAGES_42_47.pdf |archive-date= 2011-05-18 }}</ref> and by [[Arab]] forces during their conflicts with Israel.

==Overview==
The design of the D-44 started in 1943 at the design bureau of No.9 factory "[[Uralmash]]" and production began in 1944. Its [[GRAU]] code was '''52-P-367'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.russianarms.ru/forum/index.php?board=270.0|title=Пушки|website=www.russianarms.ru}}</ref> The '''SD-44''' was a 1950s variant with an auxiliary propulsion unit and ammunition box for 10 rounds, with 697 issued to the [[Soviet Airborne Forces|airborne forces]] (VDV) from 1954.<ref>Six SD-44's were issued per antitank battery in each airborne regiment, for a total of 18 in an airborne division. Janes, p. 525.</ref> The '''D-44N''' was a 1960s variant with an APN 3-7 infra-red illumination device for night combat.  China received D-44s during the [[Korean War]] and began manufacturing a copy, the Type 56, in the early 1960s.<ref>The People's Liberation Army assigned 12 Type 56 guns per artillery regiment. Brassey's, p. 124.</ref>  Finally, the [[Polish Army]] has equipped some of their D-44 guns with electrical subsystems in the early 1980s and designated them '''D-44M''' and '''D-44MN'''.<ref name="Janes (2008), p. 899.">Janes (2008), p. 899.</ref>

The barrel was developed from that of the [[T-34 variants#Tanks|T-34-85 tank]] and was capable of firing 20–25 high-explosive (HE), armor-piercing, and high-explosive antitank (HEAT) projectiles per minute.  Subcaliber BR-365P HVAP-T (high velocity armor-piercing-tracer) projectiles were capable of penetrating 100&nbsp;mm of armor at 1000 meters at a ninety-degree obliquity, and the BR-367P HVAP-T projectile penetrates 180&nbsp;mm of armor under the same conditions.<ref name="Janes (2008), p. 899."/>  The post-war  round O-365K HE weighed 9.5&nbsp;kg and packed 741&nbsp;grams of [[Trinitrotoluene|TNT]] as its bursting charge, while the BK-2M HEAT-FS (fin-stabilized) projectile can penetrate 300&nbsp;mm of armor.  The HEAT round for the Type 56 has a maximum range of 970 meters and will penetrate 100&nbsp;mm of armor at an angle of 65 degrees.<ref>Brassey's p. 124.</ref>

The gun uses GAZ-AA tires, and is towed by a 2.5t truck<ref>Both ZIL-157's and URAL-375D's were used as towing trucks. See Janes and Kopenhagen.</ref> or a Ya-12 tractor with the average speed of 20–25&nbsp;km/h on surfaced roads, and 11&nbsp;km/h over open terrain, with a maximum towing speed over asphalt roadway of about 55&nbsp;km/h.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://easyget.narod.ru/artl/d_44.html|title=Д-44|website=easyget.narod.ru}}</ref> The SD-44's auxiliary propulsion unit M-72 of 14&nbsp;hp can move the gun at road speeds up to 25&nbsp;km/h.<ref>[http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/weg.pdf TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide, p. 5-4.]</ref>

The gun uses the OP-2-7 sight with 5.5x magnification for day combat.  The sight permits target acquisition at 1500 meters.<ref>WEG, p. 5-4.</ref>

{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 style="margin:0 0 .5em 1em; background:#fff; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #996; line-height:1.5; font-size:95%;"
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; border:1px solid #996; background-color:#996; color:#fff"
| colspan="3" | '''Performance of D-44 and comparable weapons'''
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; border:1px solid #996; background-color:#ddb;"
| colspan="3" | Explosive projectiles and range
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center; border:1px solid #996;"
| width="33%"  style="border:1px solid #996" | Weapon
| width="33%"  style="border:1px solid #996" | Projectile Weight (Bursting charge), kg
| width="33%"  style="border:1px solid #996" | Maximum range, meters
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 85&nbsp;mm D-44 (firing O-365K)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 9.5 (0.74)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 15,650
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
| style="border:1px solid #996" | [[Ordnance QF 25 pounder|25 Pounder Mk II]] (firing HE Mk. I D)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 11.33 (0.82)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 12,253
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
| style="border:1px solid #996" | [[8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41|8.8&nbsp;cm FlaK 18]] (firing SprGr L4.5)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 9.4 (0.87)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 14,815
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
| style="border:1px solid #996" | [[90 mm Gun M1/M2/M3|90&nbsp;mm M3]] (firing M71)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 10.64 (0.93)
| style="border:1px solid #996" | 17,337
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
| colspan="3" | Data taken from ''Janes'' (1982), ''The American Arsenal'', ''German Artillery of World War Two'', and [http://tarrif.net tarrif.net].
|}

==Production==
The D-44 was produced from 1945 until 1953.  During the years 1948-1950, over two thousand D-44s were produced per year.<ref name="Janes (2008), p. 899."/> The D-44 also served as the basis from which the [[85 mm antitank gun D-48]] was developed and also the [[BM-14|RPU-14]] multiple rocket launcher uses the D-44's carriage.

==Use by other nations==
[[File:Type 56 85 mm gun MW side.JPG|thumbnail|Type 56, PLA D-44 variant]]
[[File:16 18 057 D44.jpg|thumb|D-44 on display at [[Georgia Veterans State Park]]]]
By the 1950s, the D-44 had been exported for use by [[Warsaw Pact]] nations,<ref>For example, the East German forces first publicly displayed SD-44 pieces in 1958. Kopenhagen, p. 48.</ref> with the gun remaining in service with the East German [[National People's Army]] until the fall of the [[German Democratic Republic|East Germany]].  Besides Pakistan and East Germany, other users include(d) Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China (Type 56), Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Laos, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Poland, Romania, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Vietnam<ref>Janes, p. 526.</ref> and Zambia <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lusakatimes.com/2014/10/27/jubilie/|title = Zambia : Golden Jubilee celebrations in pictures -Part 2 of 5|date = 27 October 2014}}</ref>

==Operational history==

Russia has deployed D-44s in Ukraine. With one being destroyed by a Ukrainian drone on 27 September 2023 according to footage posted online. Previous footage has shown a D-44 being mounted on a tractor as a tank destroyer used by Ukraine in fighting near [[Kreminna]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.armyrecognition.com/ukraine_-_russia_conflict_war_2022/russian_world_war_2-era_d-44_howitzer_destroyed_by_ukrainian_drone.html#google_vignette|title = Russian World War 2-era D-44 howitzer destroyed by Ukrainian drone|access-date=29 September 2023 |date = 28 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/08/05/ukraines-latest-tank-destroyer-is-a-79-year-old-gun-bolted-to-a-50-year-old-tractor/?sh=1ce435cd563b|title = Ukraine’s Latest Tank-Destroyer Is A 79-Year-Old Gun Bolted To A 50-Year-Old Tractor|access-date=29 September 2023|author=David Axe |date = 5 August 2023}}</ref>

===Current users===
*{{ALG}} - 80 in service.<ref name="IISS">{{cite book |date= 2017 |title= Military Balance 2017 |publisher= IISS |isbn=978-1857439007 }}</ref>
*{{ARM}} - 35 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{AZE}} - 100 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{BUL}} - 150 in storage.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Cuba}} - Unknown number in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flaglist|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} - 10 Type 56 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Eritrea}} - Unknown number in service.<ref name="IISS" />
**[[Tigray Defense Forces]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mitzer |first1=Stijn |last2=Oliemans |first2=Joost |title=The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/09/the-tigray-defence-forces-documenting.html |website=Oryx Blog |date=1 September 2021}}</ref>
*{{flag|Ethiopia}} - Unknown number of Type 56 service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{GEO}} - Unknown number in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Guinea}} - 6 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Guinea-Bissau}} - 8 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Mali}} - Unknown number in service<ref>{{cite tweet|user=tom_nachtrab|number=1582021934673702913|title=On 22nd September, Mali celebrated its National Independece Day. Due to Corona, the usual military parades were scaled down in size and number. But the parade in Segou nevertheless contained several rarely seen gems of the FAMA’s inventory}}</ref>
*{{flag|Mongolia}} - Unknown number of D-44 and D-48 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{MOZ}} - 12 Type 56 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Pakistan}} - 200 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{flag|Sudan}} - Unknown number in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{TAN}} - 75 Type 56 in service.<ref name="IISS" />
*{{Flagicon|Transnistria}} [[Transnistria]]
*{{UKR}} -  Unknown number in service.<ref name="DavidAxe85mm271022"/><ref name="IISS" />
*{{VIE}} -  Unknown number in service.<ref name="auto"/>
*{{flag|Yemen}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mitzer |first1=Stijn |last2=Oliemans |first2=Joost |title=The Oryx Handbook of Pre-war Yemeni Fighting Vehicles |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2015/09/pre-war-yemeni-fighting-vehicles_20.html |website=Oryx |date=20 September 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Somaliland}}: 27 in service

===Former users===
*{{flag|Albania}}
*{{flag|China}}
*{{flag|East Germany}}
*{{flag|Iraq}}
*{{flag|Iran}}
*{{flaglist|ISIS}} - 1 captured in Syria.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vehicles and equipment captured and operated by the Islamic State inside Syria|url=http://spioenkop.blogspot.com/2014/11/vehicles-and-equipment-captured-and.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311055855/http://spioenkop.blogspot.com/2014/11/vehicles-and-equipment-captured-and.html|archive-date=11 March 2016|url-status=dead|date=31 March 2015|website=spioenkop.blogspot.com|access-date=25 March 2019|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
*{{flag|Mali}}
*{{flag|North Vietnam}} - Used during [[Vietnam War]].
*{{flag|Polish People's Republic}} - Used by [[Polish People's Army]] used during World War II and post war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.2wojna.pl/encyklopedia-su-art-009.html|title=85 mm wz. 1944 D-44, D-48, armata dywizyjna, przeciwpancerna|website=www.2wojna.pl}}</ref>
*{{flag|Romania}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stroea |first1=Adrian |last2=Băjenaru |first2=Gheorghe |date=2010 |title=Artileria româna în date si imagini |language=ro |trans-title=Romanian artillery in data and images |publisher=Editura Centrului Tehnic-Editorial al Armatei |isbn=978-606-524-080-3 |page=130}}</ref>
*{{flag|Sri Lanka}} - Retired and replaced by [[Type 60 122 mm field gun|122 mm Type 60 field gun]]s<ref>{{cite web |title=4th Field Regiment Sri Lanka Artillery |url=https://alt.army.lk/gunner/4-sla |website=army.l |publisher=Sri Lanka Army |access-date=3 October 2021}}</ref>
*{{flag|Somalia}} - Status unknown.
*{{flag|Soviet Union}}

==See also==
* [[85 mm vz. 52]] - A similar Czech gun which used the same ammunition.

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Brassey's Encyclopedia of Land Forces and Warfare, Brassey's Inc., Washington D.C., 2000, {{ISBN|1-57488-087-X}}.
* ''Die Landstreitkräfte der NVA'', Wilfried Kopenhagen, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttart, 2003, {{ISBN|3-613-02297-4}}.
* ''German Artillery of World War Two'', Ian V. Hogg, Greenhill Books, London, 2002. {{ISBN|1-85367-480-X}}.
* Foss, Christopher F. (ed.) ''Jane's Armour and Artillery 1981-1982'', Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, London & New York, 1982. {{ISBN|978-0-531-03976-2}}
* Foss, Christopher F. (ed.) ''Jane's Armour and Artillery 2007-2008'', Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, Coulsdon, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-7106-2794-0}}
* Shunkov V. N. ''The Weapons of the Red Army'', Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - ''Оружие Красной Армии.'' — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) {{ISBN|985-433-469-4}}.
* ''The American Arsenal'', Ian V. Hogg (introduction), Greenhill Books, London, 2001. {{ISBN|1-85367-470-2}}.
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/weg.pdf TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.battlefield.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=65&lang=ru Ammunition data on BattleField.Ru] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929104359/http://www.battlefield.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=65&lang=ru |date=2007-09-29 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060621143648/http://www.freeweb.hu/gva/weapons/soviet_guns5.html Armor penetration table]
*[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:D-44_85_mm_gun More photos of the D-44 at Wikimedia Commons]

{{SovArtyGPW}}

[[Category:85 mm artillery]]
[[Category:Artillery of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:World War II field artillery]]
[[Category:World War II anti-tank guns]]
[[Category:World War II artillery of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Anti-tank guns of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Uralmash products]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1944]]