SECOND LIFE ANTI-AIRCRAFT “LIZARD”

 

Of the 220 cars Praga PLDvK vz. 53/59, who served in the army of Yugoslavia, have been the Croatian army. Two of them recovered in two-tone camouflage are exhibited in the Museum of the army of Croatia and participate , parades and exhibitions of historical equipment

 

 

ZSU was intended to destroy air targets flying at altitudes up to 3500 m with a speed of 350 m/s, air assault at ranges up to 2000 m, as well as ground targets roughly in the same ranges. The crew consisted of five people: commander, gunner, two loaders and driver.

 

Much of the success and long life designed equipment was applied due to all-terrain chassis of the Praga V3S. After the nationalization of the factory in 1945, with the start of the cold war, the government set the task to start production of a new generation of modern trucks dual purpose, first, three axis army military all-terrain vehicles. Technical specification for three-axle vehicle the military introduced in 1951 Known the names of the creators of such a machine – a factory engineer lunch and responsible for the project from the Prague Scientific automotive Institute Korbel. Due to the nature of those years in which these people were not. Having collected and having experienced three of the prototype in 1952, they gave documentation on the production, which began a year later. No changes in the documentation did not have the machine, that is, turned “with drawing”.

To 1980-m to years, just the M53/59 is morally and technically outdated. Western reference books of the time carried the equipment to the types of weapons that can not be taken into account, approximately, as the tanks of the Second world war, standing on pedestals of numerous memorials. It was noted the following shortcomings: the lack of the detection system the aim of the machines was carried out only visually overloaded chassis did not provide the desired mobility in the field of middle Eastern terrain. In addition, the lack of the hermetic housing is not allowed to use the machine in conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction. Nevertheless, ZSU continued to consist on arms of armies of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Libya.

 

You should have completed service of this armored self-propelled anti-aircraft guns without military involvement, if not fighting in the falling apart of the Yugoslav Federation. From the very beginning of the Yugoslav conflict installation M53/59 was included in the composition of combat groups. In the beginning, mainly for defense, and later, for direct fire support. Due to the high density of fire and high initial velocity 30-mm shells penetrated through even the walls of houses, and the antiaircraft guns have become indispensable tools in urban combat.

 

 

All-Terrain Vehicle “Prague”

 

 

ZSU M53/59:

 

1 – armored cab; 2 — peepholes cab; 3 – barrel anti-aircraft 30-mm cannon ZK 453; 4 – spare stores of shells; 5 – armor artillery tower; 6 – inserted shop shells; 7 – side platform; 8 – a protective armor plate of the tower; 9 – box for the ammunition; 10-mount replacement canister; 11 – commander’s cupola; 12-the door of the fighting compartment

 

 

The chassis of the vehicle “Prague”

 

 

Artillery ZSU could be removed from the armored car and used for firing from prone. Installing anti-aircraft gun on the ground

 

 

The scheme of loading of artillery part of the unit on Board with the help of special guides, ropes, winches

 

 

The artillery part of the installation: rapid-fire 30-mm automatic

 

Especially a lot of these anti-aircraft units were used during the fighting in Bosnia. After the first clashes distinctive sound of their fire rendered the soldiers strong psychological effect: invulnerable to small arms fire M53/59 was easily stopped attack infantry and light armored vehicles.

 

However, in order not to incur losses from artillery, “lizards” tried to use on the second line of fire. But in urban combat, these machines are operated in direct contact with the enemy, which they armed additional 12.7-mm machine gun.

During the bombing of Serbia and Montenegro by NATO forces in 1999, the M53/59 was actively involved in anti-aircraft defense. Hoping to deal in Yugoslavia with the technology of the late twentieth century, NATO troops used effective electronic warfare systems, making it difficult to use radar. But the M53/59 did not have centralized control systems with this technique of detection. Because radar counter is not touched, a well-prepared calculation could and visual data effectively destroy flying for direct air targets. According to official data, the fire was knocked down 12 cruise missiles and one drone.