Type: Heavy Tank
Nation: Soviet Union
Period: World War 2
Location: Muzeum Pamiątek 1 Armii Wojska Polskiego w Starych Łysogórkach, Siekierki, Poland
The IS-2 (named after Iosif Stalin) was a direct response to the latest generation of German tanks being fielded in 1942 (Tiger) and 1943 (Panther). It was designed to replace the KV-1 heavy tank, which was painfully under-armed by that time, and therefore received a massive 122 mm gun.
Although built as a heavy tank, it was surprisingly compact. At only 46 tons it weighed only one ton more than the Panther medium tank. The IS-2 only had to accomodate a crew of four men since there was no bow gunner in the hull. IS-2s were organised in small independent units under control of the high command (similar to the Tigers) and they were used for breakthroughs in important areas.
This particular vehicle is a late production version from 1944 which features an all-sloped glacis plate (the 1943 model had a stepped slope with a vision port for the driver which proved to be a weak point). It belonged to the 4th Independent Heavy Tank Regiment of the People’s Army of Poland who fought in the Oder area in 1945, crossing the river on 16 April and finishing the war in Zuhlsdorf near Berlin.
tanks_butnothanks 
7 responses to “IS-2 (Model 1944)”
[…] ISU-152 was a self-propelled assault gun based on the chassis of the IS-2 Heavy Tank. It looks almost identical to its predecessor SU-152, which had been built on the older KV-1 hull. […]
LikeLike
[…] out to fit into the T-34 with a new turret in 1943/1944. The KVs were eventually replaced by the IS heavy tank […]
LikeLike
[…] Ferdinands and Panthers. But when manufacturing of the KV-1S tank was switched to the superior IS-2 in August, the SU-152 was soon discontinued as well: In January 1944, the last of around 700 units […]
LikeLike
[…] onwards by the renowned engineer Josef Kotin who previously had supervised the design of the KV-1, IS-2, SU-152 and ISU-152. When the Soviet Navy became interested in the new amphibious light tank, they […]
LikeLike
[…] „Eighty-eight“ flak – outclassed every enemy tank until the introduction of the Soviet IS-2 and the British 17-pounder Sherman […]
LikeLike
[…] And of course no armour is completely impenetrable: The Sherman Firefly, M36 Jackson and the Soviet IS-2 and ISU-152 all posed a serious threat against the King […]
LikeLike
[…] M26 Pershing. The Soviet Union‘s latest heavy tank had been developed on the basis of the IS-2. It kept the same 122 mm gun, the same 12-cylinder 600 hp V-2 diesel and the same transmission, but […]
LikeLike