Russian Armour: The IS Tanks IS-1, IS-2, IS-3

The war on the Eastern Front was dominated by armour. With the German development of the Panther and Tiger tanks, it looked as though Axis forces had tanks capable of destroying anything that the Red Army possessed. In order to counter this threat the Soviets produced the IS series, of which some 2,000 IS-1 and IS-2 models were constructed before the end of the war. The radically different IS-3, with its inverted saucer turret, was also developed but was only introduced in time to be used as a propaganda piece at the Berlin Victory Parade in September 1945. The IS-3 was, however, to form the basis of Soviet heavy armour for the next decade and saw active service in Hungary during the 1956 uprising and, on the Arab side, during the Six Day War of 1967.

In the first of the new ’Russian Armour‘ series, Mikhail Baryatinskiy provides the reader with a comprehensive account of the development and operational record of the IS series of tanks. Utilising photographs, line drawings and specially prepared artworks, he provides a detailed portrait of these highly successful tanks.

Mikhail Baryatinskiy
Softcover 96pp c150 colour & b&w illustrations 2006