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| ZIS-5 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | ZIS |
| Production |
|
| Assembly | Moscow |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Truck |
| Layout | FR |
| Related | ZIS-6 Autocar Dispatch SD[1] |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.6LZIS-5 I6 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual + 2-speed gearbox |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,810 mm (150.0 in) |
| Length | 6,060 mm (238.6 in) |
| Width | 2,235 mm (88.0 in) |
| Height | 2,160 mm (85.0 in) (cabin) |
| Curb weight | 3,100 kg (6,834 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | AMO-3 |
| Successor |
|
TheZIS-5 (Russian:ЗИС-5) was a 4x2 Soviet truck produced by MoscowZIS factory from 1932 to 1948 (first one made at the end of 1930).
In 1931, MoscowAvtomobilnoe Moskovskoe Obshchestvo (AMO, Russian Автомобильное Московское Общество (АМО) — Moscow Automotive Enterprise) truck plant was re-equipped and expanded with the help of the American A.J. Brandt Co., and began to produce a new truck with designation of AMO-2. The AMO-2 was intended as a replacement of the previousAMO-F-15, the first Soviet truck ever built (it was a copy of the ItalianFiat F-15).
However, the AMO-2 was not an original development but instead was based on theAutocar Dispatch SD truck,[2] after a license agreement with theAutocar Company. Some time later, the AMO-2 was modernized and improved, being renamed the AMO-3. In 1933 AMO was rebuilt again and renamed into Factory No. 2 Zavod Imeni Stalina (or Plant of Stalin's name, abbreviated in ZIS or ZiS).
The ZIS-5 is based on theAutocar Model CA which was produced under license (though two references state it was based on the AMO-3).[3][4][5]
Serial production of the new truck started on October 1, 1933. The truck was an instant success and, which together with theGAZ-AA, became the main Soviet truck of the 1930s through the 1950s. It also evolved into the workhorse of the Soviet Armed Forces 104,200 trucks were in use by the Red Army as of 20 June, 1941.[6]
Facing the German invasion, in the autumn of 1941 the production line at Moscow plant was stopped. Some 12,800 pieces of equipment were moved toUlyanovsk (on theVolga), toMiass (in theChelyabinsk region of theUrals), and also toShadrinsk andChelyabinsk.[7][8] Production at UlyanovskUAZZIS lasted from February 1942 to 1944.UralZIS at Ulyanovsk installed radiators with their own label and production there ran from July 1944 to 1955, well after the war.
At the end of 1941 war shortages of raw materials forced change to the construction of the ZIS-5. All changes were focused on simplifying manufacture and using less raw materials: the round, stamped fenders were replaced with flat, bent ones, cabs and foot boards were now made from wood, brakes were removed from front wheels, and the rear body had the tailgate swinging only. Sometimes the right headlight was also removed, while bumpers were omitted from these versions.[9][10]
The simplified model, designated ZIS-5V, was produced from May 1942 inUlyanovsk, and later also inMoscow andMiass. Overall production of all models tallied about 1 million units (all plants),[11] with ZIS alone producing 532,311 examples. During the War years about 83,000 ZIS-5 of both versions were produced.
The Moscow ZIS plant restarted production of the ZIS-5V in April 1942. Near the end of 1947 the new ZIS-120 engine was complete, but the truck (theZIS-150) was not, so these engines were placed in ZIS-5V chassis, where they were named the ZIS-50. 13,701 ZIS-50s were produced in 1947 and 1948. The Moscow plant discontinued ZIS-5V & ZIS-50 trucks on 30 April, 1948, in favor of the ZIS-150 replacement. In 1956 UralZIS modified the ZIS-5 with a new engine, carburetor, steering mechanism, 12V electrical system, and oval fenders. This new model received the designation of UralZIS-355 or ZIS-355. The Miass plant continued to produce the ZIS-5V until 1958.[12][13]
During the war the ZIS-5 was used on all fronts, where it was greatly appreciated for its remarkably simple and reliable construction. Apart from cargo duties, the ZIS-5 was used as a light artillery tractor and for troop transportation (25 soldiers could sit in five benches placed in the rear body). ZIS-5 served also as base for many special trucks like refuellers, field workshops, ambulances, portee guns, and AA platforms.
After theGAZ-AA, the ZIS-5 was the 2nd most used Red Army truck of 1933-1943 period. The intensive growth of Lend Lease trucks shipping in 1943-1944 did not affect the first line use of the "Tryohtonka" (as soldiers called the ZIS-5 for its 3-ton payload), while the GAZ-AA got somewhat phased out to secondary roles.
ZIS-5 trucks were used on the "Road of Life", the only supply line to the besieged city ofLeningrad, on the frozen surface ofLadoga Lake. The remains of one was recovered from the bottom of the lake in 2024 and is to be exhibited in the Battle of Leningrad Museum.[14]
The ZIS-5 was used as the basis for improvised armored cars made by the Izshorsky plant in 1941 under the designation "IZ". The initial order of 20 vehicles were equipped with a45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K), 3-10mm of armor, and aDegtyaryov machine gun. The engine compartment was sealed with two armored intakes over the front grill. Suspensions remained unchanged despite the increased weight from the gun and armor, but this did not seem to hamper the truck's performance. It was decided that the design was successful enough to warrant around 80 more vehicles being built after the initial order for 20 had been completed. Not all of these carried the 45mm gun, some carried quad-Maxim guns, and others were left unarmed to function more asArmoured personnel carriers. The first of the cars was delivered to the Leningrad People’s Militia on 15 July, 1941. One car was captured by theWehrmacht. A few were captured by theFinnish Army and used through early 1942. The last operational cars were seen aroundLeningrad in January 1943.[15][16]
ZIS-5 was the first Soviet motor vehicle to be exported. With over 1 million ZIS-5 trucks made overall, the USSR had ample opportunity to offer it for sale abroad.
A batch of 100 trucks were sold to Turkey in 1934; other quantities were subsequently purchased by Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran,Spain, China, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Mongolia, and Romania. Export versions featured a nickeled radiator and a bumper with two strips of nickel.[17]
Some trophy vehicles were used by Finns who had captured them during theWinter War of 1939–40, and by Germans after the invasion of theSoviet Union in June 1941 until Germany's surrender in 1945.
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(*) People who investigated ZIS-5 state that the real power of the engine was less than claimed in official documents and equal to 67-68 hp (ratedhorsepower is not the same asbrake horsepower).