IS-2 model 1943 (front) and IS-3 at the Great Patriotic War Museum, Minsk, Belarus ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 765 KB) en: Museum of Great Patriotic Wars Exhibition, Minsk, Belarus. ...
IS-2 model 1945
General characteristics
Crew	4
Length	9.90 m
Width	3.09 m
Height	2.73 m
Weight	46 tonnes
Armour and armament
Armour	30 to 160 mm
Main armament	122 mm gun model D25-T
Secondary armament	3×DT, 1×DShK machine guns
Mobility
Power plant	12-cyl. diesel model V-2 600 hp (450 kW)
Suspension	torsion bar
Road speed	37 km/h
Power/weight	13 hp/tonne
Range	240 km

The Iosif Stalin tank (or IS tank, named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin), was a heavy tank developed by the Soviet Union during World War II. The tanks in the series are also sometimes called JS or ИС tanks. A picture of a destroyed M113 armoured personnel carrier showing a section of the armour. ... 122mm gun model 1931/37 (A-19) The A-19 was a Soviet field gun designed in the early 1930s. ... The Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyarev pakhotnyi (Degtyarev hand-held infantry machine gun), more commonly called the DP-28, was a light machine gun used by the Soviet Union starting in 1928. ... DShK Type heavy machine gun Nation Era History Date of design Production period Service duration Operators Soviet Union War service WW2 Variants DShKM Number built Specifications Type air cooled Calibre 12. ... A torsion spring is a ribbon, bar, or coil that reacts against twisting motion. ... â–¶(?) (Russian, in full: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин (Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin), real name: Иосиф Виссарионович Джугашвили (Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili), Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი (Ioseb Jughashvili); December 6 (OS)/December 18 (NS), 1878 – March 5, 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from mid-1920s to his death in 1953 and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

The heavy tank was designed with thick armour to counter the German 88 mm gun, and a powerful gun that was effective against the new German Tiger and Panther tanks. It also served as a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers. The IS-2 was used as a spearhead in the battle for Berlin by the Red Army, when the war had reached its final stage. German 8. ... The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... General characteristics Length 6. ... A Red Army is a communist army. ...

Production history

The KV series of Soviet heavy tanks was criticized by their crews for their low mobility, and lack of any heavier armament than the T-34 medium tank. In 1942, this problem was partially addressed by the lighter, faster KV-1S tank. The KV series remained much more expensive than the T-34, without having greater combat power. The heavy tank program was nearly cancelled by Stalin in 1943. However, the German employment of large numbers of Panther and Tiger tanks at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 changed Soviet priorities. In response, the Soviet tank industry created the stopgap KV-85, and embarked on the KV-13 design program to create a tank with more advanced armour layout and a more powerful main gun. Because Kliment Voroshilov had fallen out of political favour, the new heavy tank series was named IS, after Iosif Stalin. The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks were a series of Soviet heavy tanks, named after the Soviet military commander and politician Kliment Voroshilov. ... The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank first produced in 1940. ... The word Panther has several meanings: Any big cat with the condition known as melanism (causing black fur), see: Black panther Leopard Puma Jaguar Any big cat from the genus Panthera, see: Lion Tiger Leopard Jaguar Codename for Mac OS X v10. ... Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four big cats in the Panthera genus. ... The Battle of Kursk was a significant battle on the Eastern Front of World War II. It remains the largest armored engagement of all time, and included the most costly single day of aerial warfare in history. ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov () (January 23, 1881 - December 2, 1969) was a Soviet military commander and politician. ...

The IS-85 prototype was accepted for production as the IS-1 heavy tank, but discussions continued about the gun the tank should carry. Two candidate weapons were the A-19 122mm gun and the BS-3 100mm gun. The 100mm gun (later adopted on the SU-100 tank destroyer and the T-55 tank) had superior armor penetration, but a less useful high-explosive round than the 122mm. Also, the 100mm gun was a relatively new weapon in short supply. Excess production capacity existed for the 122mm gun and its ammunition. Proving-ground tests showed that the A-19 122 mm gun could penetrate clear through the front and rear armour of the German Panther tank. The IS-122 prototype replaced the IS-85, and began mass production as the IS-2. The 85 mm guns could be reserved for the new T-34/85 medium tank, and the few IS-1s built were mostly rearmed before leaving the factory, and issued as IS-2s. 122mm gun model 1931/37 (A-19) The A-19 was a Soviet field gun designed in the early 1930s. ... The SU-100 was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II. // History The SU-100 was developed as an improvement to the SU-85, with a more powerful gun. ... A self-propelled anti-tank gun, or tank destroyer, is a type of armoured fighting vehicle. ... The T-54 and T-55 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... 122mm gun model 1931/37 (A-19) The A-19 was a Soviet field gun designed in the early 1930s. ...

The main production model was the IS-2, with the powerful A-19 122 mm gun. It was slightly lighter and faster than the heaviest KV model 1942 tank, with thicker front armour and a much-improved turret design. The tank could carry thicker armor than the KV series, while remaining lighter, due to the better layout of the armor envelope. The KV's armor was less well-shaped and featured heavy armor even on the rear, while the IS series concentrated the heaviest armor up front. 122mm gun model 1931/37 (A-19) The A-19 was a Soviet field gun designed in the early 1930s. ...

Early IS-2s can be recognized by the 'stepped' front hull casting with its small, opening driver's visor. There early tanks lacked gun tube travel locks or AA machineguns, and had narrow mantlets.

Later improved IS-2s (the model 1944), had a faster-loading version of the gun, the D25-T with a double-baffle muzzle brake and better fire-control. It also featured a simpler hull front without a "step" in it (using a flat, sloping glacis armour plate). Some sources called it IS-2m, but it is not to be confused with the official Soviet designation IS-2M for a 1950s modernization. Other minor upgrades included the addition of a travel lock on the hull rear, wider mantlet, and, on very late models, an AA machinegun. A muzzle brake or compensator is a device that is affixed to the muzzle of a firearm to redirect propellant gases with the effect of reducing both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire. ...

In late 1944 the design was upgraded to the IS-3. This tank had improved armour layout, and a hemispherical cast turret (resembling an overturned "soup bowl") which was to be the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks. Its pointed prow earned it the nickname Shchuka (Pike) from its crews. Its front hull armour was thicker than the IS-2's (200 mm versus 120 mm), although it weighed slightly less and stood 30 cm lower. The IS-3 came too late to see action in World War II. Though some older sources claim that the tank saw action at the end of the war in Europe, there are no official reports to confirm this. It is now generally accepted that the tank saw no action against the Germans, although one regiment may have been deployed against the Japanese in Manchuria. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Turret (highlighted) attached to a tower on a baronial building in Scotland In architecture, a turret (from Italian: torretta, little tower; Latin: turris, tower) is a small tower that projects from the wall of a building, such as a medieval castle or baronial house. ... Species  E. americanus –       grass and redfin pickerels  E. lucius – northern pike  E. masquinongy – muskellunge  E. niger – chain pickerel   – Amur pike Esox Linnaeus, 1758, is a genus of freshwater fish, the only member of the pike family (family Esocidae) of order Esociformes. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

The IS-1, with its short 85 mm tank gun, never saw service. Almost all of those produced were converted into the upgraded IS-2 version.

The IS-2 had a long 122 mm gun with a double-baffle muzzle brake. This IS-2 model 1944 is recognizable by its flat glacis plate.

The IS-3 had a superior armour layout, with a hemispherical turret like many later Soviet tanks.

In 1952, a further development was put into production, the IS-10. Due of the political climate in the wake of Stalin's 1953 death, it was renamed T-10. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Panzerkampfwagen IV with long-barrelled gun ISU-122 A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A muzzle brake or compensator is a device that is affixed to the muzzle of a firearm to redirect propellant gases with the effect of reducing both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire. ... A glacis ( or ) in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth in the front of works such as fortifications, so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders to the last possible moment. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Turret (highlighted) attached to a tower on a baronial building in Scotland In architecture, a turret (from Italian: torretta, little tower; Latin: turris, tower) is a small tower that projects from the wall of a building, such as a medieval castle or baronial house. ... General characteristics Length hull 7. ...

In the mid-1950s, the remaining IS-2 tanks (mostly model 1944 variants) were upgraded to keep them battleworthy. This upgrade produced the IS-2M, which introduced fittings such as external fuel tanks on the rear hull (the basic IS-2 had these only on the hull sides), stowage bins on both sides of the hull, and protective skirting along the top edges of the tracks. IS-3 was also slightly modernized as IS-3M. Caterpillar tracks are large (modular) tracks used on tanks, construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles. ...

Employment

The IS-2 first saw combat in the spring of 1944. IS-2s were assigned to separate heavy tank regiments, normally of 21 tanks each. These regiments were used to reinforce the most important attack sectors during major offensive operations. Tactically, they were employed as breakthrough tanks. Their role was to support Infantry in the assault, using their large guns to destroy bunkers, buildings, dug-in crew-served weapons, and other 'soft' targets. They were also capable of taking on almost any German AFV if the need arose. Once a breakthrough was achieved, lighter, more mobile T-34s would take over the exploitation.

The IS-2 weighed about the same as a German Panther, and was thus somewhat lighter than the German heavy tanks, the Tiger series. It was slightly lower than both. A major weakness was the two-part ammunition, which slowed the rate of fire considerably. A second weakness was the very limited ammunition supply of only 28 rounds. This was the price paid by the small size of the design. General characteristics Length 6. ... The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ...

The IS-3 first appeared to western observers at the Allied Victory Parade in Berlin in September 1945. By most accounts these tanks overawed the western powers, who responded with heavy tank designs of their own in the 1950s. A Regiment of IS-3s may have been deployed in Manchuria in 1945.

By the 1950s, the emergence of the main battle tank concept rendered heavy tanks obsolete. In the late 1960s, the remaining Soviet heavy tanks were transferred to Red Army reserve service and war stores. The IS-2 Model 1944 remained in active service much longer in the armies of Cuba, China and North Korea. A regiment of Chinese IS-2s was available for use in the Korean War, but saw no service there. Some Soviet IS-3s were dug in as fixed pillboxes along the Soviet-Chinese border. The IS-3 was used in the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary and the Prague Spring in 1968. It was supplied to Egypt, seeing action in the Six Day War, but by this time the concept of the heavy tank was showing its deficiencies. The Korean War (Korean hangul: 한국전쟁; hanja: 韓國戰爭; revised: hanguk jeonjang; McCune-Reischauer: hanguk chŏnjang), from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (technically speaking, the war has not yet ended), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hungarians investigate a disabled Soviet tank in Budapest The 1956 Hungarian Revolution, also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a popular revolt against Soviet influence and control in Hungary. ... Czechs in a café watch Soviet tanks roll past The Prague Spring (Czech: Pražské jaro) was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia starting January 5, 1968, and running until August 20 of that year when the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies (except for Romania) invaded the... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War or June War, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. ...

Models

• IS-1 – 1943 model armed with an 85 mm gun. When IS-2 production started, these were re-gunned with 122mm guns before being issued.
• IS-100 a prototype version armed with a 100 mm gun; it went into trails against the IS-122 which was armed with a 122 mm gun. Though the IS-100 was reported to have better anti-armor capabilities, the latter was chosen due to better all-around performance.
• IS-2 – 1943 production model, armed with A-19 122 mm gun.
• IS-2 model 1944 (sometimes "IS-2m") – 1944 improvement with D25-T 122mm gun, with faster-loading drop breech and new fire control, improved simpler hull front.
• IS-3 – 1944 armour redesign, with new rounded turret, angular front hull casting, integrated stowage bins over the tracks. Internally identical to IS-2 model 1944, and produced concurrently. About 350 built during the war.
• IS-4 – 1944 design, in competition against the IS-3. Longer hull and thicker armour than IS-2. About 250 were built, after the war.
• IS-10 – 1952 improvement with a longer hull, seven pairs of road wheels instead of six, a larger turret mounting a new gun with fume extractor, an improved diesel engine, and increased armour. Renamed T-10.

122mm gun model 1931/37 (A-19) The A-19 was a Soviet field gun designed in the early 1930s. ... 122mm gun model 1931/37 (A-19) The A-19 was a Soviet field gun designed in the early 1930s. ... General characteristics Length hull 7. ...

See also

• The IS-1's predecessor was the KV series.
• Its successors were the T-10 and T-10M heavy tanks
• Assault guns on the IS chassis: ISU-152, ISU-122.
• List of Soviet tanks - covers all periods
• March of the Soviet Tankmen

K. 1 is a designation given to two works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the original Köchel Verzeichnis. ... General characteristics Length hull 7. ... The ISU-152 was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II. // History The ISU-152 (in Russian ИСУ-152) used the same concept as the earlier SU-152: a large gun placed on the hull of a heavy tank. ... The ISU-122 was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II. Polish ISU-122 History The ISU-122 was identical to the ISU-152, but had a 122 mm A-19 gun instead of the ISU-152s 152 mm gun. ... List of Soviet tanks. ... March of the Soviet Tankmen (Russian: ) is a military march composed in the late 1930s by the Pokrass brothers, lyrics by Laskin. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Iosef Stalin tank

• AFV Interiors
• Battlefield.ru: Development history, Combat employment, Comparison to German tanks, Detailed interior view, Last Heavy Tanks of the USSR (IS-4 through IS-10, or T-10)
• OnWar: IS-1, IS-2, IS-3
• IS-2M Photobook (PDF)

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... General characteristics Length hull 7. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ...