SU-152

The in-game image for the SU-152

The **SU-152** is a Soviet tier 7 tank destroyer.

Development of a tank destroyer on the basis of the KV-1S heavy tank began on January 4, 1943. The vehicle received the designation KV-14 (Object 236). A prototype underwent field trials at the beginning of February 1943 and entered service on February 14, 1943. In April, the KV-14 was renamed SU-152. By December 1943, 670 vehicles were manufactured. Thanks to its ability to successfully combat german Tiger I and Panther tanks, the SU-152 was dubbed "Hunter" by the troops.

While having a very powerful gun and based on the KV-1S chassis, the SU-152 has relatively weak armor for a tank destroyer. On top of that, it has low speed and maneuverability. Most tanks you face will have no problems piercing the frontal armor, so it is best to use the low profile of this tank and remain at range to make yourself a much smaller target.

The SU-152 initially mounts a 152mm gun. This gun should use mostly HE rounds since its AP rounds can't penetrate most heavy tanks' frontal armor or snipe weak spots with its poor accuracy. For sniping, use the upgraded 122mm series gun. The upgraded 122mm gun has decent penetration for its tier, good damage and very high rate of fire for such a large weapon. Beware, the tank doesn't carry much ammo, so for trigger happy folks, consider yourselves warned. However, some people prefer to play with the stock 152mm which can hurt any tank you face and has the advantage of increased module damage, like destroying tracks of enemy tanks you hit, immobilizing them while you reload.

The SU-152 leads to the ISU-152.

## Pros & Cons

##### Pros:

* Awesome 152mm gun with massive alpha damage capable of 1-shotting even some Tier 7; prammo has overkill penetration.
* 122mm D-25S hits reasonably hard and has great firing rate.
* Large gun mantlet with weird armor scheme can bounce some hits.
* Acceptable top speed allows for some repositioning.
* Unmatched fear factor especially when top tier, due to its high-power weapon and good camo while stationary.

##### Cons:

* Mostly irrelevant armor usually can only fend off up to mid-caliber HE shells.
* 122mm guns have mediocre to subpar penetration and their accuracy barely qualify as sniping guns.
* 152 mm ML-20 mod. 1931/37 is pretty inconsistent, has slow reload and pointless default AP shell; can be frustrating
* Very tight interior space leads to frequent vital module/crew damage
* Reputation. Because of the huge gun, teammates might over-evaluate your capability and leave you in danger of being swarmed.

## Performance

If you played the KV-2 with the 152 mm gun, you already know what the trick is like on the SU, with some differences. The gun on the SU-152 is basically a newer model of the same gun with much improved fire rate, accuracy and aiming time. This means that you can kill any tier 6 tank or lower (TOG II\* being a notable exception) with one shot if you hit weak parts of their armor where HE rounds can penetrate. As for other aspects, the SU-152, being based on the KV-1S, has its protection rather imitating the mediums, but the mobility and especially maneuverability is still distant from that. Which means the SU-152 can also one-shot-kill other SU-152 by hitting and penetrating their weak frontal plate.

Whether you use the 152 derp gun, or the 122 DPM guns, one thing to always remember as part of the mindset when playing this is that it's a Soviet Tank Destroyer, and thus your greatest defense is not your armor, but your incredibly high camo. There are two distinct playstyles for the SU-152, and it's up to you to decide which one is better.

For the 152mm gun, it is advised to buy premium HEAT ammunition if you can afford it. It has 250mm penetration for an average 700 damage. Basically, that's a mini-D-4S, so you can give yourself a little preview of what's to come. HEAT ammunition should he used mainly on close range due the low accuracy of gun. Avoid hitting spaced portions of tanks, such as tracks, gun mantlets or protective screens. With a gun with monstrous damage and penetration when using premium ammunition, target the strongest enemies first, as they can do a lot of damage to your team. The earlier they die the better. Avoid wasting shots on agile or low health tanks at all costs. 152mm gun should not generally use AP. With 135mm penetration and really bad accuracy, most targets it can damage are better handled with HE shells.

Compared to premium SU-122-44 this tank has the same damage, penetration, and somewhat higher rate of fire with its 122 mm guns. The difference is that the SU-122-44 is more maneuverable, has lower profile and better armor, whereas the SU-152 has some more health. Due to the 122mm gun's playstyle, it works better on the SU-122-44, but it works just fine on this. Also, as of 1.5, the 122mm guns no longer carry over to any other vehicle, so it is no longer a necessity to grind them out if you aren't planning on using them.

Ultimately, the gun you chose to grind the SU-152 depends on your playstyle. If you want a preview of the D-4S that can derp people in the face and prefer hand-to-hand combat with expensive ammo, the 152mm gun is for you. If you'd prefer trying to snipe and have an amazing DPM and RoF, then the 122mm is best for you. Just make sure to research both 122mm guns, as the D-25S historically was a more developed version and is performance-wise directly superior.

## History

The SU-152 was a Soviet heavy self-propelled heavy assault gun used during World War II. It mounted a 152 mm gun-howitzer on the chassis of a KV-1S heavy tank. Later production used the IS tank chassis and was re-designated as the ISU-152. Because of its adopted role as an impromptu heavy tank destroyer capable of knocking out the heaviest German armored vehicles (Tiger and Panther tanks, and Elefant tank destroyers), it was nicknamed Zveroboy: "beast killer".

## Historical Accuracy Errata

The 122 mm gun was only fitted on the SU-100 and ISU-152 (known as SU-122P and ISU-122/S respectively). Its adaptation to the SU-152 was planned but ultimately did not materialize due to production shifting to its successor, the ISU-152.