Artillery

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun

Also known as
  • 57 mm anti-tank gun model 1941
  • 57 mm anti-tank gun model 1943
  • 57-mm anti-tank gun M1943
  • 52-P-271
  • 5.7 cm Pak 208(r)
  • B-22
  • ZiS-2 obr. 1941
  • ZiS-2 obr. 1943
  • Type 55
  • 57-мм противотанковая пушка образца 1941 года (ЗиС-2)

The ZiS-2 is a Soviet 57 mm towed anti-tank gun developed under V. G. Grabin at Factory No. 92 and built around a high-velocity armor-piercing round. Production began in 1941, paused after a short run, and resumed in 1943; its modern catalog record is tied to a Houthi-aligned Yemen example adapted in 2018 as a pickup-mounted direct-fire weapon.

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun, Towed 57 mm anti-tank gun, Artillery
Image source: Commons ZiS-2 Saint Petersburg Museum Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Towed 57 mm anti-tank gun
Service note
World War II; postwar Soviet and export service
Designer
V. G. Grabin design bureau, Artillery Factory No. 92
Designed
1940; adopted March 1941
Produced
1941; 1943-1949
Number built
13,710 total (371 in 1941; 9,645 in 1943-1945; 3,694 in 1946-1949)

Specifications

Caliber
57 mm
Cartridge
57x480 mmR
Weight
1,250 kg in firing position
Overall length
7.03 m
Barrel length
4,160 mm (3,950 mm rifled)
Crew
5
Rate of fire
25 rounds/minute
Maximum range
8,400 m
Direct fire range
1,120 m
Muzzle velocity
About 1,000 m/s
Carriage
Two-wheeled split-trail carriage with gun shield
Traverse
54 degrees total
Elevation
-5 to +25 degrees
Design And Adaptations

The ZiS-2 remained useful in unusual postwar settings because its basic package was compact for a high-velocity anti-tank gun: a 57 mm barrel on a split-trail carriage, a semi-automatic breech, and a crew-served layout that could be towed, manhandled short distances, or adapted to vehicles.

Towed-gun family

The 1941 and 1943 marks share the same anti-tank role, with the later production model tied to resumed 1943 manufacturing and ZiS-3 carriage features.

Vehicle branches

The ZiS-4 tank-gun branch and BTR-50 prototype firing trials show how the 57 mm gun family was tested beyond a standard towed carriage.

Irregular reuse

The Yemen example shows the gun surviving as an improvised direct-fire weapon long after its Second World War anti-tank role had become obsolete.

Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943; WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2; Tank Archives Soviet 57 mm Guns; WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War.

Variants

The ZiS-2 family includes the original 1941 towed gun, the revised 1943 production model, postwar sight upgrades, and the related ZiS-4 tank-gun adaptation.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
ZiS-2 obr. 1941Original production model

First accepted as the 57 mm anti-tank gun model 1941; production was stopped after 371 guns.

Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943, WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

ZiS-2 obr. 1943Resumed wartime production model

Reaccepted on 15 June 1943 after German Panther and Tiger tanks exposed the limits of common 45 mm and 76 mm guns; the 1943 model used a more production-friendly configuration with ZiS-3 carriage features.

Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943, WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

ZiS-2NNight-sight modernization

A 1957 modernization of existing guns with APN-57 or APN3-55 night sights.

Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943, WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

ZiS-4Tank-gun adaptation

A shorter ZiS-2-derived 57 mm gun fitted experimentally and in limited numbers to T-34 tanks.

Sources: Tank Archives Soviet 57 mm Guns, ZiS-2 (M1941 / M1943) 57mm Towed Anti-Tank Gun

5.7 cm Pak 208(r)German captured-service designation

German Beutewaffen designation for captured ZiS-2 guns.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

Gun Carriers

The BTR-50 connection is a carrier and firing-trial relationship, not evidence of a standard self-propelled ZiS-2 production variant.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
BTR-50, Tracked amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesBTR-50Tracked amphibious APC

Tank Encyclopedia describes Object 750/BTR-50 trials firing a 57 mm ZiS-2 mounted on top while afloat; GlobalSecurity describes the BTR-50P as able to transport 57 mm guns in its fighting compartment.

Sources: BTR-50, BTR-50P Amphibious Armored Personnel Carrier

Timeline

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun Key Events

  1. Design work begins

    Factory No. 92's Grabin design bureau developed the 57 mm anti-tank gun in response to expectations that heavier armor would require more penetration than earlier Soviet anti-tank guns could provide.

    Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943

  2. Model 1941 accepted

    The Red Army accepted the gun as the 57 mm anti-tank gun model 1941, better known as the ZiS-2.

    Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943, WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

  3. Production halted

    Production was stopped late in 1941 after 371 guns, with sources citing excessive performance for then-current targets and the need to prioritize easier-to-produce anti-tank weapons.

    Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943, WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

  4. Production model returns

    The State Defense Committee accepted the gun again as the 57 mm anti-tank gun model 1943 after Panther and Tiger armor made many existing Soviet anti-tank guns less effective.

    Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943

  5. ZiS-2N modernization

    The ZiS-2N modernization added APN-57 or APN3-55 night sights to existing guns.

    Sources: Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943, WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2

  6. Yemen pickup mount documented

    WWII After WWII documented a Houthi-aligned ZiS-2 in 2018 after removal from its carriage and installation on a Toyota pickup.

    Sources: WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War

Media

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun Images

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun, Towed 57 mm anti-tank gun, Artillery - view 1
Source: Commons ZiS-2 Nizhny Novgorod Memorial Image
ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun, Towed 57 mm anti-tank gun, Artillery - view 2
Source: Commons ZiS-2 Belgrade Military Museum Image
Related Weapon Systems
ZU-23-2, Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannon, Air DefenseAir DefenseZU-23-2Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannonThe ZU-23-2 is a Soviet twin 23 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon built around two 2A14 guns on a light carriage. Its manual sighting, rapid emplacement, and high volume of fire make it a close-range air-defense weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and drones, while many operators also use it for direct fire against light vehicles and infantry positions. Ukrainian forces have used ZU-23-2 guns in mobile and positional air-defense teams during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, Armenian-side losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting included towed and vehicle-mounted ZU-23 guns, and conflict monitors documented ZU-23 or ZU-23-2-pattern use in Yemen, Tigray, and northern Mali.
Iranian anti-aircraft artillery, Gun-based short-range air defense artillery, Air DefenseAir DefenseIranian anti-aircraft artilleryGun-based short-range air defense artilleryIranian anti-aircraft artillery is an aggregate category for gun-based air-defense systems in Iranian service, including ZU-23-2 and Mesbah 23 mm weapons, Oerlikon-derived 35 mm Samavat guns, and older heavy-caliber systems. The record is most directly documented in the 1988 Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, where a Sassan platform 23 mm gun mount engaged U.S. forces, and in the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict, where ZU-23-2-type guns appeared as low-altitude point-defense threats and strike targets.

Sources

Victory Museum ZiS-2 Model 1943Publisher: Victory Museum | Note: Supports ZiS-2 technical specifications, 1941 adoption, 1941 production halt, 15 June 1943 reacceptance, 1943 production changes, 1957 ZiS-2N modernization, and 13,710-gun total production from 1941 to 1949. | Accessed: 2026-07-03WeaponSystems.net 57mm ZiS-2Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports ZiS-2 designations and aliases, Factory No. 92 producer attribution, variant labels, German 5.7 cm Pak 208(r) captured designation, and cross-checked specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Tank Archives Soviet 57 mm GunsPublisher: Tank Archives | Note: Supports the ZiS-4 relationship: a shorter ZiS-2-derived 57 mm gun fitted to T-34 tanks, with 1941 and 1943 development context from translated Soviet archival material. | Accessed: 2026-07-03ZiS-2 (M1941 / M1943) 57mm Towed Anti-Tank GunPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports ZiS-2 background, design origin, Artillery Factory No. 92 contractor attribution, ZiS-4 relation, German captured designation, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-03BTR-50Publisher: Tank Encyclopedia | Note: Supports Object 750/BTR-50 prototype trial context for firing a 57 mm ZiS-2 while afloat and broader BTR-50P light-gun transport context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03BTR-50P Amphibious Armored Personnel CarrierPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports BTR-50P transport provisions for 57 mm, 76 mm, or 85 mm guns in the fighting compartment. | Accessed: 2026-07-03WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil WarPublisher: WWII After WWII | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: used by Houthi-aligned forces in 2018 after the ZiS-2 was removed from its carriage and mounted on a Toyota pickup; also supports older Egyptian and royalist North Yemen context without adding a pre-1995 conflict row. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons ZiS-2 Saint Petersburg Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a ZiS-2 photographed at the Military-historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps; the uploader released the image into the public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons ZiS-2 Nizhny Novgorod Memorial ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a ZiS-2 at the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin memorial under CC BY-SA 3.0 / GFDL licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Commons ZiS-2 Belgrade Military Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a ZiS-2 at the Belgrade Military Museum under CC BY-SA / GFDL licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-03