2014 Yemen Civil War

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun in the 2014 Yemen Civil War

Houthi-aligned forces are documented with at least one Soviet ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun in the 2014 Yemen Civil War, adapted from a towed gun into an improvised Toyota Land Cruiser or pickup-mounted direct-fire weapon.

Weapon profileZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun
SideHouthi-aligned forcesRoleAnti-ArmorFire SupportInsurgent / Guerrilla Use
ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun, Towed 57 mm anti-tank gun, Artillery - 2014 Yemen Civil War
Image source: Commons ZiS-2 Saint Petersburg Museum Image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Houthi-aligned forces fielded at least one ZiS-2 in the 2014 Yemen Civil War as a Toyota-mounted improvised direct-fire weapon.

Sources: WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War, Type 1 Technical

The ZiS-2 was present in Yemen's legacy equipment pool before or at the start of the current civil-war period.

Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles

The cited public sources do not identify a specific firing incident, target, unit designation, or battle-damage result for the Houthi-mounted ZiS-2.

Sources: WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War, Type 1 Technical

Timeline

ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gun In 2014 Yemen Civil War

  1. ZiS-2 listed in pre-war Yemeni inventory

    Oryx listed the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun among towed artillery in pre-war Yemeni fighting-vehicle and artillery holdings.

    Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles

  2. Houthi Land Cruiser with ZiS-2 documented

    Tank Encyclopedia captioned a Houthi Toyota Land Cruiser Type 1f with a Soviet 57 mm ZiS-2 mounted on the back, photographed on May 21, 2017.

    Sources: Type 1 Technical

  3. Houthi pickup-mounted ZiS-2 reported

    WWII After WWII reported that at least one ZiS-2 remained in Houthi service in 2018 after being removed from its carriage and mounted on a Toyota pickup.

    Sources: WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The ZiS-2 appears in the 2014 Yemen Civil War record as a Houthi-aligned improvised vehicle-mounted gun. WWII After WWII reported in September 2018 that at least one ZiS-2 remained in service with Houthi forces, removed from its carriage and mounted on a Toyota pickup truck.

Tank Encyclopedia separately described a Houthi Toyota Land Cruiser Type 1f photographed on May 21, 2017 with a Soviet 57 mm ZiS-2 mounted on the back. That source places the gun within the Houthi practice of mounting captured or legacy heavy weapons on Toyota Land Cruisers during the Yemen conflict.

Sources: WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War, Type 1 Technical

Timeline

Oryx listed the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun among towed artillery in its September 2015 handbook of pre-war Yemeni fighting vehicles, supporting the gun's presence in the Yemeni equipment pool available after the Houthi takeover and the start of the civil-war period.

By May 2017, a Houthi Land Cruiser carrying a ZiS-2 had been photographed, according to Tank Encyclopedia. WWII After WWII then reported in September 2018 that at least one ZiS-2 was still in Houthi service after conversion from a towed carriage to a Toyota pickup mount.

Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles, Type 1 Technical, WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War

Narrative

The cited Yemen evidence supports an improvised direct-fire role rather than a normal towed anti-tank battery. The ZiS-2 was a Soviet 57 mm anti-tank gun from the Second World War, but the documented Yemen example had been removed from its original carriage and placed on a light civilian vehicle chassis, trading stability and protection for mobility.

The likely provenance is legacy Yemeni stock rather than a modern transfer. Oryx documents ZiS-2 guns in pre-war Yemeni holdings, while WWII After WWII traces the Yemen ZiS-2 population to Egyptian use during the earlier North Yemeni civil war, after which some guns were destroyed, captured, abandoned, or left in the country. The public sources used here do not identify a specific battlefield firing, target, unit, or battle-damage result for the 2017-2018 Houthi-mounted example.

Sources: Handbook Of Pre-War Yemeni Fighting Vehicles, WWII Weapons in Yemen's Civil War, Type 1 Technical

Related Weapons by Role

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.
2 more weapons
Back to ZiS-2 57 mm anti-tank gunBrowse 2014 Yemen Civil War

Sources