IS-1 / JS-1 (Josef Stalin) Heavy Tank (1943)
The IS-1 heavy tank were essentially upgraded KV-1 Heavy Tank models.
The KV-13 program produced the "IS-85" prototype (Objekt 233) and featured a more stout armor layout, thusly increasing protection at all angles, and a heavier main gun armament. The armor was specifically designed to counter the 50mm German anti-tank gun. Her weight limit was restricted to that of the original KV-1 model to help keep the design in check. Primary armament was an 85mm D-5T series main gun fitted to a traversing turret system atop a tracked, low-profile chassis. Six double-tired wheels were afforded to each track side. The drive sprocket was at the rear with the track idler at the front. Three track return rollers assisted the top portion of the tracks. External fuel tank stores were mounted to the rear hull sides. The turret was held well-forward in the design (as in the T-34 medium tank) and sported thick, curved armor facings with some sloping. A commander's cupola was fitted along the rear left side of the turret roof. A 7.62mm DT coaxial machine gun was fitted alongside the main gun and a defensive, rear-facing DT machine gun was mounted along the rear turret wall, offset to the left side of the turret. A further DT machine gun was provided in a bow mounting. Fifty-nine 85mm projectiles were stored throughout the vehicle with 2,520 rounds of 7.62mm machine gun ammunition. Power was provided by a single V2-IS 12-cylinder engine delivering 520 horsepower. Top speed was 23 miles per hour while operational ranges were limited to just 93 miles - both values factoring in ideal conditions at that. The IS-1 was crewed by four personnel to include a driver, tank commander, gunner and loader/machine gunner.
After hurried trials, the IS-85 system was accepted into serial production as the "IS-1" beginning in 1943. This also marked the start of the long line of successful and powerful "Josef Stalin" heavy tanks that would prove critical in the latter war years and even well into the Cold War. The Soviet need for capable heavy tanks was such that the KV-1 , KV-2 and KV-85 types continued to fight on through to the end of the war while the IS-1 lineage itself evolved as the war progressed.
The IS-1 was inevitably (and quickly) replaced by the more well-known IS-2 series and its 122mm A-19 series main guns. The IS-3 then appeared in late 1944 as an upgraded IS-2. Only 200 examples of the IS-4 followed and there was no IS-5 design. Instead, the IS-6 began an abandoned design project as did the IS-7. The line culminated in the Cold War-era IS-10 model, which marked the last of the Josef Stalin heavy tank lines as a shift to the Main Battle Tank had taken hold worldwide - making the concept of a heavy tank somewhat archaic. However, many lessons learned in the battles of World War 2 involving the IS series were put to practical use in the development of the new generation of Soviet tanks.
Operators of the IS-1, aside from the Russians, included Slovakia, Ukraine and Belorussia. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
IS-1 / JS-1 (Josef Stalin)
Heavy Tank
Country of Origin: Soviet Union
Manufacturer: State Factories - Soviet Union
Initial Year of Service: 1943
Production: 200
Focus Model: IS-1 / JS-1 (Josef Stalin)
Crew: 4
Overall Length: 28.08ft (8.56m)
Width: 9.84ft (3.00m)
Height: 8.99ft (2.74m)
Weight: 47.9 US Short Tons (43,460kg; 95,813lbs)
Powerplant: 1 x V2-IS 12-cylinder engine delivering 520 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 23mph (37 km/h)
Maximum Range: 93 miles (150 km)
NBC Protection: None
Nightvision: None
Armament:
1 x 85mm D-5T main gun
1 x 7.62mm DT machine gun in coaxial mount
1 x 7.62mm DT machine gun in bow superstructure
1 x 7.62mm DT machine gun in rear turret facing
Ammunition:
59 x 85mm projectiles
2,520 x 7.62mm ammunition
Variants:
Objekt 233 - Program Model Designation
KV-13 - Program Designation
IS-1 - Base Series Designation
Operators: Belorussia; Slovakia; Soviet Union; Ukraine
By Decade:
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Tanks
By Type:
• 4x4 Military Vehicles
• 6x6 Military Vehicles
• 8x8 Military Vehicles
• Artillery Gun Systems
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Guns
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Vehicles
• Anti-Tank (AT) Guns
• Anti-Tank (AT) Vehicles
• Armored Cars
• Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)
• Battlefield Robots
• Halftrack Vehicles
• Heavy Tanks
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV)
• Light Tanks
• Main Battle Tanks (MBT)
• Modern Combat Tanks
• Medium Tanks
• Military Motorcycles
• Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)
• Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Special Purpose Vehicles
• Self-Propelled Guns (SPG)
• Tank Destroyers
• General Purpose / Utility Vehicles
By Nation:
• Afghanistan
• Britain
• China
• France
• Germany
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel / Israeli Army
• Italy
• Libyan Army
• North Korea / North Korean Army
• Pakistan
• Russia
• South Korea
• Soviet Union
• Syrian Army
• United States
• VIEW ALL
World War 2:
• Artillery
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles
• Tank Destroyers (All)
• Tanks (All)
• Australian Tanks
• British Tanks
• Canadian Tanks
• Cruiser Tanks (UK)
• Czechoslovakian Tanks
• French Tanks
• German Tanks
• German Tank Destroyers
• German FlaK Guns
• German Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Hungarian Tanks
• Italian Tanks
• Japanese Tanks
• Romanian Tanks
• Soviet Tanks
• Swedish Tanks
• US Tanks
• VIEW ALL
World War 1:
• France WW1 Tanks
• Germany WW1 Tanks
• Britain WW1 Tanks
• US WW1 Tanks
• WW1 Artillery
• WW1 Tanks (all)
• VIEW ALL
Spanish Civil War:
• VIEW ALL
Korean War:
Vietnam War:
• VIEW ALL
Cold War:
• Cold War Tanks
• Cold War American Tanks
• Falklands War
• Post-WW2 British Tanks
• VIEW ALL
Gulf War (1991):
• VIEW ALL
Miscellaneous:
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
