ZIS-5 MOBILE ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN

This vehicle is something of an oddity for the Red Army since it was not sanctioned by the Soviet Government, which normally had to approve any vehicle to be built. In this case, the vehicle arose out of grave necessity, to protect Leningrad during that hard-fought struggle in 1941. Based on GAZ-AAA and ZIS-5 trucks, it has improvised armor plating and is fitted with a variety of weapons, using only those which were available locally from the Izhorsky Plant which produced them. The weapons ranged from 20mm anti-aircraft guns up to 45mm anti-tank guns. The Red Army suffered heavy losses in those terrible times at Leningrad, but these vehicles helped them to eventually win the battle.