Design Overview & Tactical Role
Named after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, the IS-2 was the most lethal Allied breakthrough heavy tank of World War II. Armed with the gargantuan 122 mm D-25T gun firing massive 25 kg high-explosive and armor-piercing shells, the kinetic energy of an IS-2 round was capable of ripping the turret entirely off a German Panther or Tiger even without penetrating the armor plate. In 1944, the front hull was redesigned into a smooth, sloped 120 mm glacis.
Combat History & Battle Records
Assigned exclusively to Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiments, IS-2s led the assaults on fortified German cities, famously blasting concrete pillboxes and bunker fortresses during the final assault on Berlin, parking outside the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate.
Related Armored Vehicles (World War II)
Cold War
1948
Cold War
1961
Cold War
1964
Cold War
1973