Hobby Master Archive
Ground Power 1/72
JS/IS/ISU
The name people seem to use for this Soviet Heavy Tank is the German version JS-2, the correct Soviet version is IS-2 that stands for (Iosef Stalin) in Russian. After Kursk the Soviets realized the German Panthers and Tigers were an improvement over the previous tanks and the T-34 needed upgrading as well as something new. This gave birth to the T34/85 as well as a much improved IS-1. The new tank was an IS-1 with a new turret and the same gun as the T-34/85. The new IS-2 was ready for the battlefield by April 1944 with the 11th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment during the fighting in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation in the Ukraine. Thought to be a heavy tank the Panther.
The JS tanks were named after Joseph Stalin. The JS-2 had a 122mm D-25T main gun and 6 road wheels to improve soft ground track performance. In 1944 new specifications included new armour tempering, a 60-degree glacis replaced the 30-degree and the driver’s front hatch was removed. Also a relocated wider porthole, improved mantlet, increased lower hull side armor and a new periscope sight. The commander’s cupola moved to the left and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun attached. In 1944 2,250 JS-2’s were produced and no further improvements were made until 1954.
In late 1942 as a countermeasure to the German tanks the Soviets developed the IS-2 (Iosef Stalin - westernized Joseph Stalin). The IS tanks were improved and updated versions of the earlier KV tanks. These 40 ton+ tanks were mechanically improved and armed with more powerful 122mm main gun. Along with the new gun the armor was increased so there was 150mm on the hull, 100mm on the turret. Some short-comings of the IS-2 was the slow rate of fire because the main gun shot was comprised of two pieces, lack of storage space limited the crew to only 28 rounds and the armor would splinter internally when hit. Throughout 1943 production was greatly increased and the IS-2 was continually improved. The units received a more powerful engine, a 5-speed gearbox along with new radios. The combination of good crews, good armor and a big gun proved to be very effective. The long gun could pack a potent punch against Tiger Is and IIs. When production ceased for the IS-2 the final number stood at 4,392.
The ISU-122 was a Soviet WWII self-propelled gun designed mainly for an anti-tank role. Originally ISU hulls were being used to mount ML-20S 152mm gun-howitzers but the hull production quickly out paced the gun production so it was decided to mount surplus A-19 122 mm (4.8 in) guns. The A-19 was eventually with a semi-automatic breech block and the gun became the D-25S and the vehicle became the ISU-122S. The D-25S made it possible to double the rate of fire from 1.5 rounds/minute to 3 rounds.
The ISU-152 was a Soviet Self-Propelled gun produced in 1943 and nicknamed “Zverboy (The Beast)”. It had no turret making it necessary to maneuver the entire tank. One of the best uses for it was as a Tank Destroyer waiting to ambush German vehicles. The ISU-152 was also used in fire support as long as it was accompanied by heavily armored vehicles. The BL-10 main gun wasn’t always accurate and slow to aim but it did cause terrific damage if its shell hit the target.
