IS-2

This page is about the Soviet heavy tank IS-2. For other versions, see IS-2 (Family).

IS-2

IS-1

IS-2 (1944)

IS-2

IS-1

IS-2 (1944)

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.3	6.3	6.3

Class:

Heavy tank

Research:54 000

Purchase:185 000

Description

The IS-2 is the early-generation second variant of the IS heavy tank family. With the arrival of the Panthers and Tiger Is on the German side, the escalation between German and Soviet engineers reached a new level, and the IS-2 was forced into service as soon as its primary armament was ready. The new heavy tank was the Soviet response to the increasingly superior German tanks, with a partially sloped hull front armour plate and a new enormous 122 mm D-25T tank gun. However, the IS-2 design would prove to have several flaws in the long term, beginning with the tank gun itself, which was difficult to reload and used heavy two-piece naval ammunition. The most innovative feature of both the IS-1 and early-generation IS-2 was their new frontal hull design, which was still sloped but uniformly "blended," with a 120 mm armour plate angled at 30° and a 60 mm armour plate angled at 72°, providing improved protection while still maintaining weight. As a result, the frontal hull could now withstand a German 88 mm armour-piercing shell at 1,000 m. The internal space was restricted because of the huge recoil mechanism of the tank gun and a small 1,800 mm turret ring radius, allowing only a four-man crew, with the commander commanding, ordering fire, and making radio contact. The majority of the production began in February 1944, with around 2,252 units supplied by the end of the year.

Introduced in the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41, the IS-2 provides the same level of protection as the earlier IS-1. The introduction of a new enormous 122 mm D-25T tank gun, however, considerably improves firepower. This effectively puts the IS-2 on par with standard tank destroyers in World War II. Players will be glad to discover that fighting opponents has never been easier, as the IS-2 is capable of eliminating any enemy ground vehicle it encounters in a single shot. A bigger tank gun calibre, on the other hand, leads to longer reload times. Missing a shell can be frustrating, as players will frequently wait more than 20 seconds for the next shell to be ready. As a result, it is critical not to get involved in confrontations with several enemies during engagements.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull120 / 90 / 60

Turret100 / 100 / 100

Crew4 people

Visibility102 %

The historical armour layout of the IS-2 for the 1943 and 44 models

The IS-2 has sufficient armour, but will not protect from the guns of its rank. The frontal plate has 120 mm of armour plating, which will not stop anything the IS-2 faces, making slight angle adjustments paramount survivability essential. However, due to a tendency for the driver's view port to literally absorb the round, most players will not aim here. The LFP has a value of 100 mm angled at 27 degrees, and will not bounce any shots. Since behind the LFP is the driver and the 2 main fuel tanks, a penetrating round will have catastrophic results for the IS-2. The side armour is 90 mm, and observing the front of the tank, it has a noticeable curvature to it. When viewed from the front, the 90 mm of armour will deflect or absorb a high number of shots contrary to the 120 mm plate. Angling with large adjustments will cause the IS-2 to render this part useless and make the tank extremely vulnerable. The frontal turret armour is 100 mm with a distinctive "cheek" construction. As with any "cheek" construction, the lower part may act as a shot trap and the middle may absorb shots, but it is more than likely to fail against high-penetration guns.

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Hull front and side, turret)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, engine compartment side & rear, turret and cupola roof, gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	120 mm (27-34°) Driver viewport 60 mm (74°) Front glacis 100 mm (28-36°) Lower glacis	90 - 100 mm (9-25°) Top 90 mm Bottom	60 mm (49-50°) Top 60 mm (38°) Bottom	30 mm
Turret	100 mm (7-72°) Turret front 100 mm (5-60°) Gun mantlet	100 mm (12-22°)	100 mm (5-35°)	30 mm
Cupola	90 mm (cylindrical) Base 90 mm (spherical) Upper part			90 mm Outer ring 30 mm Centre

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB40 / 16 km/h

RB and SB38 / 15 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

2 back

Weight46.0 t

Engine power

AB992 hp

RB and SB520 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB21.6 hp/t

RB and SB11.3 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	40	16	46	671	992	14.59	21.57
Realistic	38	15		460	520	10	11.3

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 479 → 4 303

RB3 730 → 4 614

SB5 172 → 6 397

Total cost of modifications46 700

85 100

Talisman cost1 500

Crew training52 000

Experts185 000

Aces710

Research Aces480 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 170 / 190 %

166 / 166 / 166 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 600 150 Suspension Research: 2 100 Cost: 3 800 100 Brake System Research: 2 100 Cost: 3 800 100 Filters Research: 3 900 Cost: 7 100 190 Transmission Research: 7 600 Cost: 14 000 370 Engine Research: 7 600 Cost: 14 000 370	Improved Parts Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 600 150 Improved FPE Research: 2 100 Cost: 3 800 100 Crew Replenishment Research: 3 900 Cost: 7 100 190	Horizontal Drive Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 600 150 Adjustment of Fire Research: 2 100 Cost: 3 800 100 122mm_APHE_ammo_pack Research: 2 100 Cost: 3 800 100 Elevation Mechanism Research: 3 900 Cost: 7 100 190

Armaments

Main armament

122 mm D-25T cannon

Ammunition28 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

27.1 → 20.8 s

Vertical guidance-3° / 20°

Many players find it hard to get used to similar Soviet cannons mainly due to their absurdly long reload. This can be caused by inaccurate aiming, resulting in the shell missing or not penetrating, so the player have to wait for half a minute to reload, which is of course frustrating. Players can overcome this by practising shooting and getting used to the ballistics, to make most if not every shell count. Once one is able to consistently knock out opponents with a single shot, the reload will not seem as long, since it generally takes quite a few minutes before the next target shows up.

Ammunition-wise, the best ammo is of course the BR-471B. The added ballistic cap can really make a difference when shooting angled armour. For example shooting at the UFP of an angling M4A3E2 with BR-471 might not penetrate, however with a BR-471B it will decrease the compound angle at which the shell impacts the armour for quite a bit, therefore easily pierce through. This can be the difference between getting a kill or getting killed. If you want to save silver lions, you can bring a mix of the two shells. The BR-471 works great as well.

The last aspect to overcome is the painful gun depression. Make sure to fight on flat ground so you do not have to aim down. Even if you fight in an urban environment, be careful in the streets, since some curbsides lift up one of your tracks and may prevent you from aiming at an opponent.

122 mm D-25T					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	28	-3°/+20°	±180°	N/A	11.3	15.7	19.0	21.1	22.4	27.04	23.92	22.05	20.80
Realistic					8.3	9.8	11.9	13.2	14.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
BR-471	APHE	205	201	182	161	143	127
BR-471B	APHEBC	205	203	192	178	166	155
OF-471	HE	37	37	37	37	37	37

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
BR-471	APHE	795	25	1.2	19	246.4	47°	60°	65°
BR-471B	APHEBC	795	25	1.2	19	246.4	48°	63°	71°
OF-471	HE	795	25	0	0.1	3,600	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the IS-2

Full ammo	Ammo part	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
28	Projectiles Propellants	13 (+15) 27 (+1)	1 (+27) 24 (+4)	N/A 21 (+7)	N/A 11 (+17)	N/A 6 (+22)	N/A 1 (+27)	No

Notes:

• The IS-2 uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Centre floor rack emptied: 11 (+17) shells.

Machine guns

7.62 mm DT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 890 rounds

Belt capacity63 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.62 mm DT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,890 (63)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

As the tank's design purpose suggests, the IS-2 is a heavy tank built with an emphasis on engaging hostile armoured vehicles as well as a breakthrough tank. The tanks heavy armour retains the similar properties of its IS-1 and previous KV line of battle-tanks but introduces some sloped armour on the front plate and turret mantlet. Differing from its IS-1 predecessor, the IS-2 comes equipped with the large 122 mm D-25T gun and a slightly more armoured but elongated turret. Although powerful, the D-25T main cannon of the IS-2 is encumbered by a slow reload time, mimicking that of the Soviet Tank-Destroyer line of vehicles at around the mid-20 seconds. Nevertheless, this vehicle with its powerful cannon and shell will commonly destroy almost all but the most heavily armoured vehicles with a single shot, behaving similarly to the older KV-2 predecessor, albeit with half the time required for reloading. In the tank's BR and rank, the armour of the IS-2 no longer stands up to much punishment with the advent of opponents with more powerful weaponry, and caution should be taken. Close-quarters combat and brawling against more than one target at a time is highly discouraged due to the long reload speed unless the tank operator is trapped and situation requires this as an absolute necessity. Alternatively, if escorted and accompanied by other friendly tanks, the IS-2 can be supplemented and perform better in dire close-quarters situations.

If you are to apply bushes onto the IS-2, consider putting most of them on upper frontal hull and the curved sides next to it. This is because that quite some opponents will automatically target the curved armour, knowing that area is a common weak spot when the IS is angling. By covering up the hull front and the curves, the IS's frontal hull will now look flatter, somewhat resembling the hull of an IS-2 1944. This will cause some confusion and delay the enemy's reaction & aiming time, as they now cannot directly see where your curved armour is, gifting you a few precious seconds before they open fire. For any leftover bushes, the turret front and the lower front plate are also good spots to put them on.

General Gameplay

Arcade Battles

In Arcade, the IS-2 proves to be quite mobile when fully upgraded. This can be used effectively to get into superior positions to engage enemies early in the match when they haven't yet set-up camp in well-covered positions and/or presented their strongest armour. Thus, it's easy to gain a kill at the start of the match, if you are comfortable with the 122 mm gun.

Close quarters combat proves even more deadly in Arcade Battles because all opposing vehicles will be able to easily overrun a single IS-2, especially after it has shot and is now waiting through its long reload (> the 20s). Hence why it's advised to use your improved reverse speed to quickly disengage after shooting and retreating towards your teammates, who will likely be able to return fire. If the map forces you to fight in close quarters, attempt to get into a position where your teammates can cover your sides, while you can face forwards and clear the road. If the map allows, you can try taking 5 rounds of ammunition and camp at a capture point (usually one that's given to your team) to snipe all enemies that enter your line of sight while reducing your chances of blowing up at the first incoming shot.

In rare cases, it's possible to rush with the IS-2 and surprise lighter vehicles at a contested capture point in the early stages of a game. This strategy relies on the capture point being unpopular and being lucky to face only one enemy vehicle at a time. Some light tanks are unable to penetrate the IS-2 frontally, especially if they are from a much lower rank (e.g. BT-7, the Puma or the R3), so that's an added benefit of being a decently mobile heavy tank. If successful, the IS-2 can then flank to other objectives or advance to the enemy spawn to destroy another enemy or two. You shouldn't expect a lot of easy targets with this strategy, because it exposes your tank to potentially a lot of enemy fire.

Realistic Battles

In Realistic, the IS-2 begins to feel like a heavy tank. Its mobility is heavily reduced and its speed is outmatched by practically everything, mostly due to poor acceleration off-roads. However, this should be used as an advantage to gauge where the enemies are set-up, by looking where your teammates are killed from. You can then decide to return fire, although sometimes opponents don't show themselves until later in the match, in which case you should stay passive and try to remain behind your team's front lines.

Due to generally increased map size in Realistic, you will have to get comfortable with the bullet drop. There is an added benefit to that because the following IS-3 and IS-4M mount the same gun (as does T-44-122 and KV-122, if you have them), and T-10M has similar bullet drop. Now, the IS-2 performs decently well at longer ranges, but it will cost you a lot if you miss or don't penetrate, because the reload is so long. Often, you will need to rely on the rangefinder, the teammates or map knowledge to gauge how high you need to shoot, so it might be a great idea to take out another vehicle first (such as the T-44 or T-34-85) remember the distance and then take the IS-2 out. However, on larger maps, it is generally a better idea to take out other vehicles.

A more reliable strategy for the IS-2 is to camp nearby an objective and pick off any enemies who pose a threat. Just make sure to find a flat spot with cover, because your poor gun depression and long reload will be your death in hilly or open areas. It's also a good idea to target heavy enemies, because they are easier to hit, and also will likely pose a larger threat to your general team (e.g the Ferdinand, the Ho-Ri or the Tiger II (H)).

General Tactics

Although classified as a heavy tank and an upgraded improved design over the KV predecessor, the IS-2's armour will no longer hold up to its more common and heavier opponents of its BR and rank. Compared with other vehicles such as the new German Tiger II, American heavy T-series tanks; most of which can easily deflect even the most powerful shots of the IS-2 unless targeted specifically and known weak spots. Because of this, it is recommended to always travel and fight in groups of two or more vehicles. The slow and difficult in the manoeuvring of the vehicle (especially in confined spaces) will more than once place the IS-2 in significant danger. It is recommended to field the IS-2 into a fire-support role, peeking over the shoulder of friendly, more heavier vehicles and firing a shot against the opposition in tandem.

Another significant note of this vehicle is the IS-2's considerably fast reverse rate, the highest at its BR for the nation's faction inherited from its IS-1 predecessor, topping at 17 km/h. During situations where engagement is expected, an unorthodox strategy can be utilized where the operator of the IS-2 tank re-positions the vehicle 90 degrees and drive in reverse with the rear-facing towards the enemy. By driving in reverse this way, the engine blocks make a crude yet somewhat effective shield to protect the more delicate crew members. As the fuel tanks are mostly stored at the front on the left and right side of the driver's station, the risk of fire and fuel-tank explosion is reduced significantly (but not completely eliminated) and thus, the tank is able to resist even the most powerful of shots. Be aware that more experienced players may attempt to instead fire at the more exposed turret of the IS tank and instantly knocking out the crew with a common APHE penetrating shell in this way.

Despite the overall below-average protection for a heavy tank, the IS-2 can actually act as a shell magnet without being penetrated. The IS-2 can take advantage of the tactic of "side-scraping" thanks to its sturdily thick side armour and fast reverse speed. First find some solid cover and hide the entirety of the tank's front behind it, then point the rear hull outside a bit so you can reverse and peek the back half of the hull side out at an extremely tiny angle from the direction of incoming shots. Now what the enemy should see is a part of your hull side forming a very small angle of incidence. Due to the fact that not a lot tankers know this tactic, they will take the bait and fire at your side armour. The shell will either hit the side armour and ricochet away, or damage the track but not break it. This way, you can safely lure the enemy to fire first, then poke out and finish them with your powerful cannon. However, do note that in an uptier, there will be vehicles equipped with HEAT/HEATFS shells (e.g. ST-A1, M56, T114, Type 60) that can easily penetrate you regardless of how hard you angle. So if you know they are present, do not use this tactic. Your engine/fuel tank will get damaged. Rather, wait until they fire at a teammate or are distracted. Another factor to take into account is the curved armour connecting the front and the side, it will increase the incidence angle of enemy shells, resulting in you being penetrated, so do not expose too much of the side.

In regards to shells, the D-25T cannon is also equipped with powerful High-explosive (HE) Shells which should not go ignored. Firing a HE shell with precise aim directly underneath the chassis of enemy vehicles where the armour is thinnest, like on the top of the vehicle, can cripple or instantly destroy said enemy vehicles. In rare instances, the HE shell of the D-25T is so powerful to the point two or more medium or heavy tanks close to each other can be destroyed with a single exploding HE shell. Alternatively, the powerful armour-piercing capability of the D-25T cannon's APHE rounds has also been documented to pierce two or three light-armoured targets without exploding.

Against the IS-2

Light tank/SPAA: the nations that fight the USSR the most are the US and Germany. Their light tanks (e.g. M24, Sd.Kfz.234/2) are usually armed with a rather powerful cannon that can destroy an IS-2 by targeting certain weak spots. Be careful though, only peek out to shoot when you are sure that you will not get hit, the IS-2 will easily knock you out with a single shot. For tanks like the M24, the commander's cupola is a great weakness as it is 90 mm thick without any slopes. The short 75 mm shell will go straight through and explode right at the other side, sending a shower of shrapnel down to every crew in the turret, destroying the IS-2. Other than this, the IS-2 is frontally immune to the M24's short 75 mm. The Puma, on the other hand, can consistently penetrate not only the cupola, but also the lower front plate and the turret cheeks. Avoid the gun mantlet, driver's port and the shot trap between them. The IS-2's side is of course vulnerable to any gun, a penetrating shell through the side of the hull below the turret will knock out all the crew easily. SPAA can use their autocannons and break the IS-2's large gun barrel or tracks, and call for teammates of an artillery strike.

Medium tank: the weak spots for medium tanks are not limited to the cupola, lower front plate and turret cheeks. Now the driver's port and side armour all become vulnerable to common medium tanks such as the Comet, Panther and M4A2/3 (76) W. Explosive-filled shells will knock out the IS-2 with a single shot, while solid shots might need a few more penetrations. Still you want to avoid the gun mantlet as volumetric shells are very likely to scratch the barrel before hitting the mantlet, and it will lose lots of penetration that way. Be more careful, as medium tanks lose the advantage of manoeuvrability and small profile, meaning the IS-2 is more likely to see and shoot you.

Heavy tank: heavy tank commanders should not be any less careful when fighting an IS-2, due to its destructive 122 mm cannon that can frontally penetrate all tanks around its BR. Because that heavy tanks usually have longer reload, you want to make every shell count. In front of a common heavy tank, the IS-2 is no longer protective and you can penetrate it almost anywhere, however there are still spots that you should definitely avoid shooting at. The frontal glacis joining the driver's port and the lower front plate is quite thick, at 60 mm with a slope angle of 74°, drastically increasing its effective thickness to ~210 mm. The side armour, when angled, is very strong too, so if an IS-2 tries to lure you into shooting at its angled side, do not. The shell will certainly bounce.

Tank destroyer: for tank destroyers around the IS-2's BR, its weak spots remain overall the same, and you should still be careful when hunting down an IS-2. But for late-war tank destroyers with absurd armour and huge cannons, like T28, Jagdtiger, Ho-Ri, the player can be more confident. Sit in front of the IS-2 at a comfortable distance and it will simply not penetrate your armour. If you gunsight magnification is high enough it is better to force the IS-2 into a long range battle. Its gunsight zoom is really poor and the gun is not beginner friendly, meaning that most IS-2 players will miss their shots. Still, its strong points are there to bounce/absorb the most powerful kinetic shells so aim carefully away from the front glacis, gun mantlet and the turret ring.

Specific enemies worth noting

German Tiger IIs, Panthers will be common encounters at the IS-2's BR, combined with the more threatening and heavier American T-Series tanks such as the T34 and M26. At this Battle Rating and Rank, more powerful British Tanks such as the Centurions will be encountered. As previously specified above, The IS-2 no longer retains its armour advantage at this BR unlike its IS-1 predecessor and thus, it is important to identify and fire on targets first before they do. In this rank, Tanks such as the Panthers, Tiger II and similar vehicles will be present with sloped armour, strong enough to even withstand the might of the 122 mm Shells of the D-25T gun. A common design flaw, however, is the turret of said vehicles, commonly being mostly blunt and flat and easy to penetrate. A patient and well placed aim and shot against these surfaces will destroy the target with no more than a single shot. Be aware that most opposition vehicles at this rank have the lower calibre and puncturing power than the D-25T of the IS-2, but come with an improved reload speed, a reload speed commonly faster than the IS-2. Japanese line of tanks at the same rank as the IS-2 is of little concern; their poor armour and armaments at the same rank will render them relatively easy to destroy.

Differences between non-volumetric shells and volumetric shells hitting a Tiger I

An important note when engaging tanks, especially Tiger I's, is that, with the implementation of volumetric shells, you can no longer expect your shells to pierce through small openings or right past an obstacle. The large 122 mm calibre of your shells will result in it catching on an armour plate's edge very often, losing all of its penetration. For example, a Tiger I has some edges that can absorb your shell unexpectedly, despite having flat armour. Thus you must always make sure that where you are aiming at is absolutely free of obstruction, or it may result in a non-penetration or a ricochet. This can be seen in the diagram to the right.

Another specific enemy vehicle worth noting is the German Ferdinand tank destroyer. Most new players in Rank IV battles fielding the IS-2 may commonly mistake the front armour of the Ferdinand as appearing as thin as similar-looking tank destroyers such the Nashorn and are commonly caught unaware that almost the entire front of the Ferdinand consists entirely of heavy 100 mm and 200 mm plate armour, the largest being the fighting compartment located behind the driving compartment. Due to it being such a large target, many players including both IS-2 users and other vehicle type users alike will be tempted into firing at that portion expecting easy wins, only for almost all shots to be absorbed, even the powerful shells of the D-25T. It is recommended to avoid engaging the Ferdinand or ignore it entirely. If the opportunity arises, Ferdinand's weaker side and rear armour should be targeted (80 mm).

The Stock Grind

When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's a priority to research Parts and FPE (you may want to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups to be able to respawn twice in one match if you really wish to upgrade this vehicle quickly).

General stock grind advice:

• Don't show your rear to any enemies, because a single fire will be your death.
• Your gun is still very effective, so don't be afraid to attack enemies frontally, just make sure to aim for weak spots if possible.
  • Shooting at planes in Arcade with your machine gun (or main gun) and scoring some hits can often award you a kill if the plane crashes, which grants points.
• Play as a support tank - push with your team and let them take fire, then poke out and take your shots, then retreat back into cover.
  • Try to push into objectives with your team to gain those points as well.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent firepower with nearly unmatched potential for single-shot knock-outs
• Considerably good speed for a heavy tank: around 40 km/h on road
• Very fast reverse speed at -15 km/h
• Repositioning of fuel tanks reduces chances of fires
• Players proficient with the KV-2 and Soviet heavy tank destroyers will feel comfortable with the IS-2
• Has quite a low profile for a heavy tank

Cons:

• Sub-par armour for a heavy tank, inherited from the IS-1
• Big weak spots that directly lead to the driver or an ammo rack
• Very cramped interior, causing it to be easily knocked out with a single shot
• Poor manoeuvrability, very bad hull traverse speed, often needing forward acceleration before turning
• Extremely poor gun depression
• Very low rate of fire demanding every shot to count
• Slow turret traverse speed
• Despite being a heavy tank, turret cheeks and lower front plate are vulnerable and usually a single shot by most of the enemies at this BR to these parts kills the IS-2

History

Development

The effort began on another heavy tank after the IS-1's 85 mm gun no longer had a firepower advantage after the standard T-34 medium tank was upgraded with the same gun into the T-34-85. Due to that, the IS-1 was discontinued in January 1944 with about 107 units produced. Those in storage still awaited upgrade to become a more powerful heavy tank.

In late 1943, the upgrade of the IS tank began and the choices available were rounded down to two weapons, the 122 mm A-19 gun and the 100 mm D-10 gun. Both guns had their advantages and disadvantages in their specifications, the 100 mm D-10 had a much better armour penetration capabilities and uses a single-piece ammunition, the 122 mm A-19 has a better high-explosive round and used a two-piece ammunition In the end, the 122 mm A-19 (adopted as the D-25T) gun was chosen as the gun of the new IS tank due to larger supply of the gun available for use (the D-10 was a newly produced gun) and the better high-explosive round available. The better high-explosive round is due to the heavy tank's specification as a "breakthrough" tank than an anti-tank role, so it was meant to fight fortifications more than against armour. Nevertheless, against armour, the 122 mm gun proved a very lethal cannon against armour, having the capacity to knock out any German tanks fielded in the war, even the Tiger II, though the ease of knocking them out vary from their armour protection.

The 122 mm gun's two-piece ammunition was perhaps the gun's worst drawback, this along with the heavy shells and charges that it uses causes reloading speed to only be one and a half rounds per minute maximum. Even after some modernization to the gun including a semi-automatic breech, the rate of fire only increased to two to three rounds per minute. Another drawback of the gun was the size of the ammunition that the 122 mm gun uses, the IS tank interior could only hold 28 of such ammunition, which restricts the time the IS could last in battle before requiring a resupply. In battle, the usual distribution of the shells is 20 high-explosive and 8 armour-piercing rounds.

The finished IS tank with the 122 mm gun, first called the IS-122, was finally approved and renamed the IS-2 heavy tank, some were rearmed IS-1s from the factory with the 122 mm gun. The IS-2 tank, like the IS-1, was superior to the previous KV-1 tanks used in the Red Army. Production of the IS-2 started in October or November 1943 and by the end of World War II when production ended, a total of 3,854 units were produced.

Design

The IS-2 tank hull was similar to the IS-1 tank, but the turret was modified to accommodate the larger 122 mm D-25T gun. The suspension was a torsion-bar suspension system and the tank was powered by a diesel V2-IC engine. The drivetrain and the engine were taken from the KV-1 tank, yet was considerably more mobile. The armour on the IS-2 was a 120 mm thick front plate sloped at 60 degrees with a small step in the front for the driver's hatch. This "early version", developed from the KV-13 design, was produced from the initial production lines until some time in late 1944, where a IS-2 mod. 1944 version was modified with the front plate now a single sloped 120 mm plate at 60 degrees with no interruptions in order to eliminate shot traps and weaknesses in the armour design. Other design changes when the IS-2 was upgraded to the 1944 model was a stronger gun mount, wider mantlet, and an addition of a Dshk machine gun on the turret. The formidable armour of the IS-2 is able to withstand the 88 mm shells from the Tiger I at 1,000 m out, yet the whole tank weighs less than the Panther at only 46 tons. Despite its construction, the IS-2 was still quite crude in quality and can have signs of being hastily built from the factories. This did not affect its battlefield performance greatly and the crude construction is merely a side effect of the fast production of the tanks to fill battlefield demands.

Combat usage

The IS-2 first saw action in early 1944. The IS-2 was organized in heavy tank regiments, each with 21 tanks. Their role was to spearhead the offensives launched at each sector, breaking through enemy emplacements and supporting the infantry by destroying enemy fortifications, they were not meant to exploit breakthroughs and this role was given to the lighter T-34 tanks. Their first reported action was in April 1944 in the 11th Special Guards Heavy Tank Regiment near Tarnopol, Ukraine. The IS-2 presented such a surprise to the Germans as no Soviet tanks before could engage with accurate fire from more than 3 kilometres away. A bigger shock was when they found out the 88 mm of the Tiger I couldn't adequately penetrate their armour. The IS-2 initial combat experience was limited due to the inexperienced crew and organization, but more and more IS-2 started to come in to reinforce the Soviet forces.

The IS-2's next great effort was in Operation Bagration in July 1944. By this time period, the heavy tank regiments were allocated to one for each tank corps. During Operation Bagration, the IS-2 combat effort contributed to the decimation of the German Army Group Center. The IS-2 was able to deal with the troublesome German Panther and Tiger I tanks with ease. By December 1944, enough IS-2 was produced that the Soviets began outfitting them to Guards heavy tank brigades, consisting of 65 IS-2 tanks with other vehicles for support. Though the number of these brigades were still limited, they proved valuable in breaking through German lines, as used in January 1945 against the German in the Oder Offensive. It should be noted that despite having a role similar to the Tiger heavy tank battalions in the German service, they are produced in far greater numbers to enforce every tank corp with one heavy tank regiment that allowed even the IS-2 to overwhelm German defences. The IS-2 continued to see combat service for the Red Army all the way to the Battle of Berlin and the end of World War II.

After World War II, the IS-2 production was replaced by the more heavily armoured IS-3, but the IS-2 stayed in service up until 1982 due to modernization efforts on the IS-2. This modernized IS-2 was named the IS-2M and were done in the mid-1950s. These modernization efforts added external fuel tanks and stowage bins onto the hull and protective skirts on the edges of the tracks. The IS-2 was finally placed into storage in the 1990s and were kept in reserves or sold out as scrap metal.

Like most of Soviet Union's military hardware, the IS-2 was given out to the Warsaw Pact nations as supplies. The IS-2 was thus lent out to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, China, North Vietnam, and maybe North Korea. Later in 1960, a shipment of IS-2 was also sent to Cuba, these were converted into bunkers and coastal defences as spare parts for the tank never made it to Cuba due to the US blockade imposed in 1962.

Archive of the in-game description

The most powerful tank deployed in combat in World War II. The Iosif Stalin IS-2 was developed in the summer of 1943 at the same time as the IS-1 heavy tank armed with an 85 mm cannon. Thanks to its thick armour and high firepower, the IS-2 was a worthy opponent to German heavy tanks. The vehicle's basic armament consisted of the powerful 122 mm D-25T cannon with separate shell loading. The 122 mm weapon's penetration and firing accuracy were quite high. The standard-issue BR-471 sharp-nosed armour-piercing shells allowed it to penetrate the frontal armour of all German tanks. The tank's layout was standard, with the transmission in the rear. The tank's hull was a fully welded armoured box made of cast and rolled armour. The hull's nose and the under turret box were made of cast pieces. Its base, sides, rear and roof were rolled steel. The turret had a streamlined shape and was cast steel. Its sides contained small hatches with armoured covers for shooting through with small arms. Around 450 of them were made between December 1943 and May 1944. Tanks of this model played a large role in the battles of 1944-1945, particularly excelling in storming cities. The IS-2's flaws limiting its anti-tank capabilities included its small ammunition supply consisting of 28 shots and its cannon's separate loading, which decreased its rate of fire. Its first battles revealed that the tank's frontal hull armour was insufficient. The new heavy tanks were provided to Czechoslovakian units and the Polish Army, which participated in the final stage of the Great Patriotic War.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the IS-2 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #305 - Metal Beasts section at 00:26 discusses the IS-2.

Famous, Feared and very Soviet! IS-2 - HowToPlay1337

The Shooting Range #111 - Pages of History section at 09:49 discusses Alexandra Boiko, IS-2 tank commander.

IS-2 vs Tiger E - War Thunder Official Channel

The Shooting Range #72 - Pages of History section at 03:43 discusses the IS-2.

IS-2: When 85mm is not enough - Military History Visualized

See also

Related development

• IS-2 (Family)

External links

• [Vehicle Profile] Iosif Stalin 2
• [Wikipedia] IS-2
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] IS-2
• [Military Factory] IS-2 / JS-2 (Josef Stalin)

References

Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (Челябинский тракторный завод)
IFVs
BMP-1	BMP-1
Heavy Tanks
KV	KV-85 · KV-122
IS-1/2	IS-1 · IS-2 · IS-2 (1944) · IS-2 "Revenge" · IS-2 No.321
T-10	T-10A · T-10M
Other IS Tanks	IS-3 · IS-4M
Tank Destroyers
KV Derivatives	SU-152
IS Derivatives	ISU-152 · ISU-122 · ISU-122S · Object 268
Export
IS-2	␗IS-2 · IS-2 No.402 · ␗IS-2 (1944)
ISU	␗ISU-152 · ␗ISU-122
IFVs	SPz BMP-1
See Also	Leningrad Kirov Plant