SU-85

A step in the right direction but outclassed by a superior successor

The SU-85 is a fun vehicle, bringing a powerful 85mm cannon that can kill tigers and panthers from the front on a chassis that is slightly less armored then a T-34. It has the same Fearless Veteran Careful stats that make all the Soviet TDs so deadly, but with a 4+ cross that is sure to hurt. In late war, we get the SU-85m with improved armor for a minor points hike. An all around capable vehicle.

In Real Life

The SU-85 was built by the Soviets to counter the German heavies that were arriving on the field. While the T-34 could handle Panzers well enough, the arrival of the Panther's sloped armor and the Tiger's FUCK-OFF range and gun meant they needed something with similar range and armor penetration.

So they did exactly what the Germans did and repurposed an 85mm anti-aircraft gun. It made sense, because AA guns at the time were the perfect mix of high-velocity (speed/force whatnot), range (planes tend to be really high up) and mass (AA shells would explode either on contact or at a certain height, the larger the shell, the bigger the explosion and chance of hitting).

The answer was simple enough, but the execution was another matter entirely. The T-34 of the time only had enough space in the turret for two people and anything larger than a 76mm would require serious overhauling of the turret system. And while the engineers were doing that, the German advance continued. So while they waited for the T-34-85 to be ready, the Russians did what they did best and jury-rigged a solution: the SU-85.

By switching out the howitzer of the SU-122, they turned an anti-fortification SPG into a tank-hunter. The SU-85 was by no means game-breaking, more like "good enough." It could penetrate a Tiger a kilometer away and had a low enough silhouette that they could avoid being spotted, but the earliest models also had absolute shit optics and the commander could only see what was literally ahead of him. Still, the German tanks had better range, and the 85 could only manage sure kills at closer ranges, or on flanks, both of which the SU-85 couldn't do.

Eventually, the Soviets managed to mass produce the T-34-85 and the SU-85 was made redundant. The Soviets took all that they learned from the SU-85, like its sloped armor and low profile, and began to develop the SU-100, which was an improvement on pretty much all grounds. And then the Soviets got drunk and decided that armor penetration is for pussies, who cares about German technological advances and heavy armor when you have a siege gun that destroyed tanks through sheer concussive power alone?

Soviet Forces in Flames of War
Tanks:	T-70 - Valentine - M5/M3 Stuart - M3 Lee - T-34 - KV - Churchill - IS-2 - Captured Tank Platoon - T-28 - BT-7 - KV-2 - T-26
Transports:	M3 Scout Car - Universal Carrier - SdKfz 251
Infantry:	Rifles - Motor Rifles - Penal Company - Storm Group - SMG Company - Engineer Sapper Company
Artillery:	Katyusha - 152mm Artillery - 122mm Artillery - 76mm Artillery - 120mm Mortars - 82mm mortars
Tank Destroyers and Assault Guns:	45mm Anti Tank - 57mm Anti Tank - 76mm Anti Tank - 100mm Anti Tank - SU-76 - SU-85 - SU-100 - SU-122 - SU-152 - ISU-122/ISU-152
Recon:	Scout Platoon - BA-64 Platoon - Armored Reconnaissance Platoon - Reconnaissance Platoon
Aircraft:	Il-2 Sturmovik
Anti-Aircraft:	ZSU M17 - DShK AA MG Platoon
Midwar Monsters:	KV-3 - KV-5 - T-43