View source for IS tank family

{{Short description|Series of Soviet WWII heavy tanks}}
{{More footnotes|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Iosif Stalin tank
| image              = Belarus-Minsk-Museum of GPW Exhibition-5.jpg
| caption            = IS-2 model 1943 (foreground) and IS-3 (background) at the Great Patriotic War Museum, Minsk, Belarus
| type               = [[Heavy tank]]
<!-- Type selection -->| is_vehicle         = yes
<!-- Service history -->| wars               = {{plainlist|
* [[World War II]]
* [[Korean War]]
* [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]]
* [[Six-Day War]]
* [[Prague Spring]]
* [[South Ossetia war (1991–1992)]]}}
| designer           = {{plainlist|
*[[Zhozef Kotin]]
*[[Nikolay Dukhov]]}}
| number             = {{plainlist|
* 207 (IS-1)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_IS-I.php |title=IS-1 total production |url-status=dead |access-date=2021-02-02 |archive-date=2021-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206090952/https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_IS-I.php }}</ref>
* 3,854 (IS-2)
* 2,311 (IS-3)
* 250 (IS-4)
* 6 (IS-7) (prototypes)<ref name="WoT IS7 2">{{cite web |author1=[[Nicholas Moran]] |title=Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: IS-7 Part 2 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWw6sMaCOI | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/hPWw6sMaCOI| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|website=Youtube |date=23 December 2014 |publisher=World of Tanks North America}}{{cbignore}}</ref>}}
| spec_label         = IS-2 Model 1944{{sfn|Zaloga|Grandsen|1984|p=176}}
| length             = {{convert|9.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| width              = {{convert|3.09|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|2.73|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| origin             = [[Soviet Union]]
| is_artillery       = 
| used_by            = {{plainlist|
*Soviet Union
*China
*Cuba
*Czechoslovakia
*East Germany
*Hungary
*Egypt
*Poland
*North Korea}}
| design_date        = {{plainlist|
* 1943 (IS-2)
* 1944 (IS-3)
* 1944–45 (IS-4)}}
| manufacturer       = [[Kirov Factory]], [[UZTM]]
| unit_cost          = IS-2: 264,400 rubles<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tank.uw.ru/archive/sebestoimostx/|title = Себестоимость некоторых типов советских танков по годам}}</ref>
| production_date    = {{plainlist|
* 1943–44 (IS-1)
* 1944–45 (IS-2)
* 1945–47 (IS-3)
* 1947–49 (IS-4)}}
| variants           = <!-- General specifications -->
| weight             = {{convert|46|t|ST LT|lk=out}}
| crew               = 4
<!-- Artillery specifications -->| elevation          = 
| traverse           = <!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
| armour             = 
:Hull front: 120&nbsp;mm
:Lower glacis: 100&nbsp;mm at 30° angle
:Turret front: 100 mm (rounded)
:Mantlet: 155 mm (rounded)
:Hull side: 90–130 mm at 9-25°
:Turret side: 90 mm at 20° angle
| primary_armament   = [[122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19)|D-25T]] 122 mm gun (28 rounds)
| secondary_armament = 1×[[DShK]], 3×[[Degtyarev light machine gun|DT]] (2,079 rounds)
| engine             = 12-cyl. diesel [[Kharkiv model V-2|model V-2]]
| engine_power       = 600 hp (450 kW)
| pw_ratio           = 13 hp/tonne
| transmission       = 
| suspension         = [[torsion bar]]
| clearance          = 
| fuel_capacity      = {{convert|820|L|abbr=on}}
| vehicle_range      = {{plainlist|
*Road:<br />{{convert|240|km|abbr=on}}
*Cross-country:<br />{{convert|180|km|abbr=on}}<ref>Steven J. Zaloga, James Grandsen, ''Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two'', page 176.</ref>}}
| speed              = {{convert|37|km/h|abbr=on}}
}}

The '''IS tanks''' ({{langx|ru|ИС}}) were a series of [[heavy tank]]s developed as a successor to the [[KV-series]] by the [[Soviet Union]] during [[World War II]]. The IS acronym is the anglicized initialism of [[Joseph Stalin]] ({{lang|ru|Ио́сиф Ста́лин}}, ''{{transliteration|ru|Iosif Stalin}}''). The heavy tanks were designed as a response to the capture of a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Tiger I]] in 1943.{{Sfn|Zaloga|1994}} They were mainly designed as breakthrough tanks, firing a heavy [[High explosive|high-explosive]] shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers. The [[IS-2]] went into service in April 1944 and was used as a spearhead by the [[Red Army]] in the final stage of the [[Battle of Berlin]]. The [[IS-3]] served on the [[Sino-Soviet split|Chinese-Soviet border]], the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Hungarian Revolution]], the [[Prague Spring]] and on both sides of the [[Six-Day War]]. The series eventually culminated in the [[T-10 tank|T-10 heavy tank]].

== Design and production ==
=== KV-85/IS-85/IS-1 ===
{{anchor |Object 237|IS-85|IS-1}}<!-- [[IS-1 and IS-2]] Design and production placeholder -->

The [[KV-85]] was a [[KV-1S]] with the new turret from the Object 237 (IS-85) still in development, mounting the 85mm D-5T gun. The tank was a result of the USSR's tank design bureau being torn in two, one half focusing on the KV-85 and its variants, and the other working on the later IS series. The IS-85 was soon finished and it combined the hull design of the [[KV-13]], the new turret from the KV-85, and the same 85mm D-5T gun as both these tanks. The IS-85 was later referred to as IS-1. The first IS-1 rolled off the line in October 1943, but production was stopped in January 1944, as the IS-1 was quickly replaced by the IS-2. Because of this, only about 200 IS-1s were produced.

=== IS-2 ===
{{Main|IS-2}}
In December 1943, two up-gunned variants of the IS-85 were created: the IS-100, armed with the 100mm D-10 gun, and the IS-122, armed with the 122mm A19 gun (later adopted and renamed as the D-25T). The IS-122 was found to be better than the IS-100 in trials, and so the IS-100 was dropped. The IS-122 was renamed to IS-2 and production started with the 1943 model using the IS-85 chassis. First deliveries of IS-2s were in December 1943. The 1944 model was produced with a revised front slope that was better from an armor point of view while still saving weight. Production in bulk of the IS-2 started in February 1944 and ended nearing the end of World War II. By the end of World War II, 3,854 IS-2 model 1943 and model 1944's combined had been produced. German general [[Hasso von Manteuffel]], who met tanks of that series in combat for the first time in Romania in 1944, considered the Stalin tank "the finest in the world."<ref>[[B.H. Liddell Hart]], ''The Other Side of the Hill'', [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.186745/page/n103/mode/1up?view=theater p.105], [[Cassell (publisher)|Cassell and Co.]], 1948.</ref>

=== {{anchor|IS-3}} Object 703 IS-3 ===
{{Main|IS-3 (tank)}}

There are two tanks known as IS-3: Object 244 was an IS-2 rearmed with the long-barrelled 85&nbsp;mm cannon (D-5T-85-BM) and developed by the [[Kirov Plant|Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ)]], which was never series-produced for service use.<!-- Design and production [[IS-3]] place holder-->
<!--[[IS-3]] summary-->

The IS-3 known as Object 703 is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944, and began production in May 1945. Its semi-hemispherical cast [[Gun turret|turret]] (resembling an upturned soup bowl), became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks. Its [[pike nose]] design was also mirrored by other tanks of the IS tank family such as the IS-7 and T-10 tank. Too late to see combat in World War II, the IS-3 participated in the [[Berlin Victory Parade of 1945]], and on the [[Sino-Soviet split|Chinese-Soviet border]], the [[Soviet invasion of Hungary]], the [[Prague Spring]] and the [[Six-Day War]].

=== {{anchor|IS-4}} Object 701 IS-4 ===
{{Main|IS-4}}

There are two tanks known as IS-4: Object 245 and Object 701. Object 245 was an IS-2 rearmed with a long 100&nbsp;mm D-10T cannon.
<!-- Design and production [[IS-4]] place holder-->

<!-- [[IS-4]] summary -->
The IS-4 known as the Object 701 was a [[Soviet]] [[heavy tank]] that started development in 1943 and began production in 1946. Derived from the [[IS-2]] and part of the IS tank family the IS-4 featured a longer hull and increased armor. With the [[IS-3 (tank)|IS-3]] already in production, and when sluggish mobility and decreased need for tanks (particularly heavy tanks) became an issue, many were sent to the [[Russian Far East]] with some eventually becoming pillboxes along the [[China|Chinese]] border in the 1960s. Less than 250 were produced.

=== {{anchor|IS-5}} Object 730 IS-5 ===
The IS-5, is merely one of the [[T-10 tank#Name changes|many designations]] given to what would ultimately become the T-10 tank.<ref name="Soviet T-10">{{cite book |last1=Kinnear |first1=James |last2=Sewell |first2=Stephen |title=Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xc4vDgAAQBAJ&q=IS-4+tank+-WoT&pg=PT266 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |language=en |date=29 June 2017|isbn=9781472820532 }}</ref>

=== {{anchor|IS-6}} Object 252/253 IS-6 ===
There existed two different IS-6s: the Object 253 was an attempt to develop a practical electrical transmission system for heavy tanks. Similar systems had been tested previously in France and the United States and had been used with limited success in the German [[Elefant]]/Ferdinand tank destroyer during World War II. The experimental transmission proved unreliable and was dangerously prone to overheating, and development was discontinued. The alternative Object 252 shared the same hull and turret as the Object 253, but used a different suspension with no return rollers, and a conventional mechanical transmission. The design was deemed to offer no significant advantages over the IS-2, just the reload time was less, and the IS-6 project was halted.

===Upgraded version of IS-6===
Since the IS-6 proved to have no significant advantages over IS-2 and its rival IS-4, in November 1944, it was decided to dramatically upgrade the tank. The project was called "Object 252U" (U stands for "Improvement" in Russian). The tank featured heavily sloped pike-nose armor, a new 122 mm D-13T gun, and more slope on the sides and rear. The design proved to be problematic in terms of crew comfort since the interior was too cramped and the design was cancelled.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

=== {{anchor|IS-7}} Object 260 IS-7 ===
{{Main|IS-7}}

The IS-7 heavy tank design began in [[Leningrad]] in 1945 by Nikolai Fedorovich Shashmurin<ref name="WoT IS7">{{cite web |author1=Nicolas Moran |title=Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: IS-7 Part 1 |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hoecf7ovrRM&feature=youtu.be | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/Hoecf7ovrRM| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|website=World of Tanks North America |publisher=Youtube |date=9 December 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Tanks Encyclopedia">{{cite web |title=IS-7 (Object 260) Heavy Tank - Tanks Encyclopedia |url=http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/USSR/is-7-object-260 |website=Tank Encyclopedia |date=5 May 2017}}</ref> and was developed in 1948.<ref name="Советский тяжелый танк ИС-7">{{cite web |url=http://www.tankmuseum.ru/советский_тяжелый_танк_ис-7/ |title=Советский тяжелый танк ИС-7 [IS-7 Soviet heavy tank] |publisher=Tankmuseum.ru |date=2016-01-05 |access-date=2016-02-21 }}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tankmuseum.ru/p1.html |title=Heavy soviet tanks |publisher=Tankmuseum.ru |date=1945-09-09 |access-date=2011-06-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522045338/http://tankmuseum.ru/p1.html |archive-date=May 22, 2011 }}</ref> Weighing 68 [[tonne]]s, thickly armoured and armed with a 130&nbsp;mm S-70 long-barrelled gun, it was the largest and heaviest member of the IS family.{{Sfn|Zaloga|1994|p=17}}
<!-- [[IS-7]] Design and production placeholder -->

=== {{anchor|T-10 tank}} Object 730 T-10 IS-8 ===
{{Main|T-10 tank}}

The IS-8<!--Miller notes that it is the IS-10 NOT IS-8. DO NOT change this without discussion/consensus or valid sources.--><ref name="Miller2000">Miller 2000, p. 250.</ref> (also known as Objekt 730) was the final development of the KV and IS tank series. It was accepted into service in 1952 as the IS-8,<ref name="Miller2000"/> but due to the [[De-Stalinization|political climate in the wake of Stalin's death]] in 1953, it was renamed T-10, as it was the tenth heavy tank in Soviet service.<ref name="National Interest">{{cite web |last1=Gao |first1=Charlie |title=Meet Stalin's Cold War Monster: The T-10M Heavy Tank |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-stalins-cold-war-monster-t-10m-heavy-tank-38222 |website=The National Interest |language=en |date=8 December 2018}}</ref>

The biggest differences from its direct ancestor, the IS-3, were a longer hull, seven pairs of road wheels instead of six, a larger turret mounting a new gun with [[Bore evacuator|fume extractor]], an improved diesel engine, and increased armour. General performance was similar, although the T-10 could carry more ammunition.

T-10s (like the earlier tanks they replaced) were deployed in independent tank regiments belonging to armies, and independent tank battalions belonging to divisions. These independent tank units could be attached to mechanized units, to support infantry operations and perform breakthroughs.

The T-10M is the final iteration of this type. It featured a longer gun barrel than previous models with 5-baffle muzzle brake and 14.5&nbsp;mm machine gun. This was the last Soviet heavy tank to enter service. When the advanced [[T-64]] MBT became available it replaced the T-10 in front line formations.

===Comparisons===
<gallery mode="packed">
File:IS3.jpg|IS-3
File:IS-4 Tank.jpg|IS-4
File:IS-7.JPG|An IS-7 tank during trials (1948)
File:Soviet tank T-10 in Kiev, Ukraine.JPG|T-10M in the [[Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II]], [[Kyiv]].
</gallery>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; font-size:smaller"
|+ Soviet heavy tanks of World War II{{sfn|Zaloga|Grandsen|1984|pp=119, 176}}
|- style="vertical-align:top; border-bottom:1px solid #999;"
!
! style="text-align:left;" | [[T-35]]
! style="text-align:left;" | [[T-100 tank|T-100]]
! style="text-align:left;" | [[SMK]]
! style="text-align:left;" | KV-1 <br />M1940
! style="text-align:left;" | KV-1 <br />M1941
! style="text-align:left;" | KV-1 <br />M1942
! style="text-align:left;" | KV-1S <br />M1942
! style="text-align:left;" | KV-85 <br />M1943
! style="text-align:left;" | [[IS-2]] <br />M1945 {{clarify|date=October 2015}}<!-- The article talks about an M1943 and M1944 IS-2, not an M1945 -->
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Crew
| 11
| 7
| 7
| 5
| 5
| 5
| 5
| 4
| 4
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Weight ([[tonnes]])
| 45
| 58
| 55
| 43
| 45
| 47
| 42.5
| 46
| 46
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Main armament
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />M. 27/32
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />L-11
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />L-11
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />F-32
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />[[F-34 tank gun|F-34]]
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />ZiS-5
| 76.2&nbsp;mm <br />ZiS-5
| 85&nbsp;mm <br />D-5T
| 122&nbsp;mm <br />[[D-25T]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Ammunition
| 100
| –
| –
| 111
| 111
| 114
| 114
| 70
| 28
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Secondary armament
| 2×45&nbsp;mm<br />5×7.62&nbsp;mm
| 45&nbsp;mm
| 45&nbsp;mm
| 2×[[DT machine gun|DT]]
| 4×DT
| 4×DT
| 4×DT
| 3×DT
| 3×DT, [[DShK]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Engine
| 500&nbsp;hp <br />M-17M [[gasoline]]
| 500&nbsp;hp
| 850&nbsp;hp <br />AM-34
| 600&nbsp;hp <br />V-2K [[Diesel engine|diesel]]
| 600&nbsp;hp <br />V-2
| 600&nbsp;hp <br />V-2
| 600&nbsp;hp <br />V-2
| 600&nbsp;hp <br />V-2
| 600&nbsp;hp <br />V-2
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Fuel ([[litres]])
| 910
| –
| –
| 600
| 600
| 600
| 975
| 975
| 820
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Road&nbsp;speed (km/h)
| 30
| 35
| 36
| 35
| 35
| 28
| 45
| 40
| 37
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Road&nbsp;range (km)
| 150
| –
| 150
| 250
| 250
| 250
| 380
| 350
| 240
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Cross-country&nbsp;range (km)
| 70
| –
| 70
| 150
| 150
| 150
| 240
| 220
| 180
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! style="text-align:left;" | Armor (mm){{clarify|date=October 2015}} <!-- Does this mean equivalent thickness of armour? Or actual thickness of armour?-->
| 11–30
| 20–70
| 20–60
| 25–75
| 30–90
| 20–130
| 30–82
| 30–160
| 30–160
|-
|}

== Combat history ==
{{Main|IS-2#Combat history|IS-3 (tank)#Combat History}}

The IS-2 entered combat in World War II during the first months of 1944. The Soviets produced significant numbers of the type (close to 4,000) and deployed them against the most advanced German designs of the time, notably the [[Tiger I]], [[Tiger II]], and [[Panther tank|Panther]], as well as against [[Elefant]] tank destroyers. The IS-2 was best used for bunker assault using its high-explosive ammunition, as its reload rate, just 2 rounds per minute, made it ineffective as a tank destroyer. The IS-3 saw service on the [[Sino-Soviet split|Chinese-Soviet border]], the [[Soviet invasion of Hungary]], the [[Prague Spring]] and on both sides of the [[Six-Day War]]. However, the mobility and firepower of medium-tanks and the evolution of the [[main battle tank]] rendered heavy tanks obsolete.<!-- Combat history [[IS-3]] placeholder --><!-- Duplicated to [[IS-3]] main page -->

== Variants ==
;KV-85: A stopgap model built from a modified KV-1S hull mated to an Object 237(IS-1)'s turret and armed with the 85&nbsp;mm D-5T.{{Sfn|Zaloga|1994|pp=5–6}}
;IS-1K: (1942) The first prototype of the IS-1 tank, which was made in two copies in 1942. The turret was from an experimental KV-9 tank, which did not go into mass production. But the high military command decided that the turret and gun of the KV-9 tank were too outdated. As a result, a new turret had to be designed for the new gun.
;IS-85 (IS-1): 1943 model armed with an 85&nbsp;mm gun. When IS-2 production started, many were re-gunned with 122&nbsp;mm guns before being issued.
;IS-100: A prototype version armed with a 100&nbsp;mm gun; it went into trials against the ''IS-122'' which was armed with a 122&nbsp;mm gun. Though the IS-100 was reported to have better anti-armor capabilities, the latter was chosen due to better all-around performance.
;IS-122 (IS-2 model 1943): 1943 model, armed with A-19 122&nbsp;mm gun (later adopted as the D-25T gun). Production ended after World War II.
;IS-2 model 1944 :1944 improvement with D-25T 122&nbsp;mm gun, with faster-loading drop breech and new fire control, and improved frontal hull armour using thinner armour with a more efficient shape.
;IS-2M: 1950s modernization of IS-2 tanks.
;[[IS-3 (tank)|IS-3]]:1944 armor redesign, with new rounded turret, angular front hull casting, integrated stowage bins over the tracks. Internally similar to IS-2 model 1944 and produced concurrently. About 350 built during the war.
;IS-3M: (1952) Modernized version of IS-3. Fitted with additional jettisonable external fuel tanks and improved hull welding.
;[[IS-4]]: 1944 design, in competition against the IS-3. Longer hull and thicker armor than IS-2. About 250 were built, after the war.{{Sfn|Zaloga|1994|p=19}}
;IS-6: Prototype with an experimental electrical transmission. Chassis tested further with a conventional transmission after failure of the experimental system, but not deemed a significant enough improvement over existing heavy tank designs to warrant mass production.{{Sfn|Zaloga|1994|p=20}}
;[[IS-7]]:1946 prototype, only three built. The IS-7 model 1948 variant had a weight of 68 metric tons and it was armed with the 130&nbsp;mm S-70 naval cannon (7020&nbsp;mm long barrel). The assisted loader can achieve up to 8 rounds per minute. Other equipment included stabilizers, infrared night scopes, and 8 machine guns. The hull armor was 150&nbsp;mm placed at 50~52 degree angles. On the turret, the frontal thickness was 240–350&nbsp;mm at an angle of 45-0 degrees. The IS-7 had a crew of five, with the driver in the hull, the commander and gunner in the front of the turret, with both loaders in the rear of the turret. A Slostin machine gun was to be installed as its AA armament.{{Sfn|Zaloga|1994|p=17}}<ref name=IS7AW>{{cite web |last1=Nikiforov |first1=Alexei |title=IS-7: the armored wonder? |url=http://pkka.narod.ru/is-7.htm |website=PKKA CA |access-date=9 October 2014}}</ref>
;[[T-10 tank|IS-8 (T-10)]]:<ref name="Miller2000"/> 1952 improvement with a longer hull, seven pairs of road wheels instead of six, a larger turret mounting a new gun with fume extractor, an improved diesel engine, and increased armor. Renamed [[T-10 Heavy Tank|T-10]] as part of the [[History of the Soviet Union (1953–1964)|Destalinization]] of the Soviet Union in the 1950s.

==Operators==
;{{Flag|China}}
* [[People's Liberation Army]]: 60 IS-2s delivered in 1950–1951. Operated during the Korean War and in concrete bunkers along the Sino-Soviet border.
;{{Flag|Cuba}}
* [[Cuban Army]]: 41 IS-2Ms delivered in 1960.
;{{Flag|Czechoslovakia}}
* [[Czechoslovak Army]]: 8 IS-2/IS-2M in service between 1945 and 1960. Two IS-3 delivered in 1949 were used only for trials and military parades.
;{{Flag|East Germany}}
* [[National People's Army|NVA]]: 60 IS-2 delivered 1956. Operated until 1963.
;{{Flag|Egypt}}
* [[Egyptian Army]]: 100 IS-3M operated from 1956 to 1967, some in use in the Six-Day War 1967.
;{{Flag|Nazi Germany}}
* [[Wehrmacht]]: Captured one or two IS-2 in May 1945.<ref>Das letzte Jahr der deutschen Heeres 1944-1945 " von Wolfgang Fleischer / Podzun-Pallas Verlag</ref>
;{{Flag|Hungary|1949}}
* [[Hungarian People's Army]]: 68 IS-2s in service between 1950 and 1956. After the crackdown of the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]] all were returned to the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web |last=József |first=Cseh |date=Winter 2012 |title=A Magyar Néphadsereg fegyverzettel való ellátásának néhány problémája az 1950-es évek elején |trans-title=Some Problems of Supplying the Hungarian People's Army with Armaments in the Early 1950s |language=hu |url=http://epa.oszk.hu/01600/01639/00008/pdf/EPA01639_elso_szazad_2012_tel_061-069.pdf}}</ref>
;{{Flag|Israel}}
* [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]]: Three IS-3M captured from Egypt in 1967. Reused as indirect fire artillery on the Sinai's [[Bar Lev line]] and as fixed turret bunkers fortifications along the [[Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan Valley]] frontier.
;{{Flag|North Korea}}
* [[Korean People's Army]]: Small number of IS-2s; never deployed in combat in the Korean War.
;{{Flag|Poland|1928}}
* [[Polish People's Army]]: Approximately 71 IS-2s used in combat between 1944 and 1945. 180 IS-2s survived as of 1955 and remained in service until the 1960s; some later were converted to [[armoured recovery vehicle]]s. Two IS-3s were bought in 1946 for trials only.
;{{Flag|Romania}}
* [[Romanian Land Forces]]: One IS-2 captured during clashes on the Romanian border between 28 May and 7 June 1944. The tank was subsequently exhibited in [[Bucharest]].<ref>Mark Axworthy, Cornel I. Scafeș, Cristian Crăciunoiu, ''Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945'', p. 221</ref>
;{{Flag|South Ossetia}}
* [[South Ossetian Army]]: Operated some IS-2s, IS-3s and T-10s until 1995.
;{{Flag|USSR|1936}}
* [[Red Army]]: Heavy Breakthrough Tank from 1944 to 1945.
* [[Soviet Army]]: Phased out of service in the early-1970s.
;{{flagicon image|War Flag of Novorussia.svg|size=23px}} [[Novorossiya (confederation)|Novorossiyan rebels]]
* One IS-3, previously displayed on a pedestal in the village of Aleksandro-Kalynove near [[Kostiantynivka]] as a World War II memorial, used in combat by the [[Federal State of Novorossiya#Military|Novorossiyan Armed Forces]] in the [[2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Танк "Иосиф Сталин-3" разгромил блокпост на Донбассе, есть погибшие |trans-title="Joseph Stalin-3" tank crushed checkpoint in Donbass, fatalities |agency=RIA Novosti |date=30 June 2014 |url=http://ria.ru/world/20140630/1014198318.html }}</ref> Kostiantynivka was retaken by Ukrainian forces on 7 July 2014, along with the IS-3.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ukrainian-government-troops-target-further-gains-2014-07-06|title = Ukrainian government troops target further gains|date = July 6, 2014|work = Market Watch (The Wall Street Journal)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/news/ukrainian_flag_raised_over_kostiantynivka_town_council_323472|title=Ukrainian flag raised over Kostiantynivka Town Council|work=ukrinform.ua|access-date=2014-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714235936/http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/news/ukrainian_flag_raised_over_kostiantynivka_town_council_323472|archive-date=2014-07-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Surviving vehicles==
There are several surviving IS series tanks, with examples found at the following:
; IS-2
* Os. Górali [standing tank], Kraków, Poland
* [[Polish Army Museum]], Warsaw, Poland
* Museum of Arms in [[Fort Winiary]], Poznań, Poland
* Museum of Armoured Weapon in Training Center of Land Forces, Poznań, Poland (operational, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dXGjrqEZZ4 see movie])
* Tank Museum of the People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
* Liberty Park, Overloon, The Netherlands.
* [[National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War|Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II]], Ukraine
* Kurzeme Fortress Museum, Zante, Latvia.
* Diorama Battle of Kursk, in Belgorod, Russia.
* The [[American Heritage Museum]], [[Greater Boston]], USA
* [[Military museum Lešany|Army Technical Museum]], Lešany, Czech Republic<ref name="lesany">{{cite web |title=MILITARY TECHNICAL MUSEUM LEŠANY> Basic information |publisher=Vojenský historický ústav Praha |language=cs |url=http://vhu.cz/cs/stranka/vojenske-technicke-muzeum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505222057/http://vhu.cz/cs/stranka/vojenske-technicke-muzeum |archive-date=May 5, 2009}}</ref> (previously in Prague as a [[Monument to Soviet tank crews]])
* Orvidai Homestead - Museum, Kretinga, Lithuania
; IS-2M
* [[Imperial War Museum Duxford]], England.
* [[Kubinka Tank Museum]], Russia.
* Victory Park (Park Pobedy - Парк Победы), Ulyanovsk, Russia.
* Victory Park at Poklonnaya Gora, Moscow, Russia.
; IS-3
* [[Yad La-Shiryon|IDF Armoured Corps Museum]], Israel.
* Museum of Armoured Arms, Training Center of Land Forces, Poznań, Poland
* Army Technical Museum, Lešany, Czech Republic (operational).<ref name="lesany"/>
* [[Polish Army Museum]], Warsaw, Poland. (Fort Czerniaków branch of the Museum).
* National Armor and Cavalry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia, United States.
* Victory Park in the northern part of Ulyanovsk, Russia.
* Ulyanovskoe SVU, Ulyanovsk, Russia
* Military Glory Museum, [[Gomel]], Belarus.
* Diorama Battle of Kursk, in Belgorod, Russia.
* At least one IS-3 was used by the separatist government in Donbas before being captured by Ukrainian forces.
; IS-3M
* Egyptian National Military Museum, [[Cairo Citadel]], Egypt.
* [[Military Vehicle Technology Foundation]], California, United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mvtf.org/col_categor.php?vehicle=defaultimage |title=Military Vehicle Technology Foundation - Collection by Category |publisher=Mvtf.org |access-date=2011-06-15 |archive-date=2011-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727104455/http://www.mvtf.org/col_categor.php?vehicle=defaultimage |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History]], Brussels, Belgium. (still operational)
; IS-4
* [[Kubinka Tank Museum]], Russia.
; IS-7
* [[Kubinka Tank Museum]], Russia.

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed">
File:IS-2_tank_Krakow.jpg|IS-2
File:JS-2 museo tedesco russo berlino.JPG|IS-2M
File:IS-2 Cubinka 1.jpg|IS-2M at the Kubinka Tank Museum
File:Is-3 lesany.jpg|The IS-3 at the [[Military museum Lešany|Military Technical Museum Lešany]]
File:IS-3 heavy tank at the Muzeum Polskiej Techniki Wojskowej in Warsaw (2).jpg|IS-3 heavy tank at the Museum Polskiej Techniki Wojskowej in Warsaw.
File:IS-3-latrun-2.jpg|Former Egyptian Army IS-3M
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Kliment Voroshilov tank|KV-1]] heavy tank
* [[T-10 tank|T-10]] heavy tank
* [[ISU-152]] assault gun
* [[ISU-122]] assault gun
* [[List of Soviet tanks]]
* [[March of the Soviet Tankmen]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Notes}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin}}
* Baryatinsky, Mikhail (2006). ''The IS Tanks''. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. {{ISBN|0711031622}}; (13)9780711031623
* {{cite book |last1=Glantz |first1=David M. |author-link1=David Glantz |last2=House |first2=DJonathan M. |year=2015 |title=When Titans Clashed. How the Red Army Stopped Hitler |edition=revised and expanded (Kindle) |publisher=University Press of Kansas |isbn=978-0-7006-2152-1}}
* Jentz, Thomas (1995). ''Germany's Panther Tank: The Quest for Combat Supremacy''. Atglen, PA: [[Schiffer Publishing]]. {{ISBN|0-88740-812-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Jentz |first1=Tom |year=1993 |last2=Doyle |first2=Hillary |others=illustrated by Sarson, Peter |title=Tiger 1 Heavy Tank 1942–45 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=978-1-85532-337-7}}
* {{cite book |first=Bryan |last=Perrett |year=1987 |title=Soviet Armour Since 1945 |publisher=Blandford Press |location=London |isbn=0-7137-1735-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sovietarmoursinc0000perr }}
* Sewell, Stephen ‘Cookie’ (2002). “Red Star – White Elephant?” in ''Armor'', July–August 2002, pp 26–32. Fort Knox, KY: US Army Armor Center. {{ISSN|0004-2420}}
* {{cite book |last=Zaloga |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Zaloga |title=IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-1973 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-85532-396-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Zaloga |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Zaloga |title=KV-1 & 2 Heavy Tanks 1939–1945 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-8553-2496-1}}
* {{cite book |first1=Steven |last1=Zaloga |first2=James |last2=Grandsen |year=1984 |title=Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two |publisher=Arms and Armour Press |location=London |isbn=0-85368-606-8}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
* Battlefield.ru: [http://english.battlefield.ru/js-2.html JS-1 and JS-2 Development history, Combat employment, Comparison to German tanks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030055810/http://english.battlefield.ru/js-2.html |date=2011-10-30 }}, [http://www.battlefield.ru/photos/category/15-js2-dismalting-top.html Stripping the JS-2 -top view], [http://www.battlefield.ru/photos/category/16-js2-dismalting-bottom.html Stripping the JS-2 -bottom view], [https://web.archive.org/web/20130223023327/http://english.battlefield.ru/js-3.html JS-3 History], [http://english.battlefield.ru/heavy-tanks-specification.html Soviet Heavy Tanks Specification] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030055911/http://english.battlefield.ru/heavy-tanks-specification.html |date=2011-10-30 }}, [http://english.battlefield.ru/last-heavy-tanks.html Last Heavy Tanks of the USSR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102174342/http://english.battlefield.ru/last-heavy-tanks.html |date=2013-11-02 }} (JS-4 through JS-10, or T-10)
* OnWar: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131103140019/http://www.onwar.com/tanks/ussr/fis1.htm IS-1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20051122054010/http://www.onwar.com/tanks/ussr/fis2m.htm IS-2], [https://web.archive.org/web/20140807220700/http://www.onwar.com/tanks/ussr/fis3.htm IS-3]
* [http://legion-afv.narod.ru/IS.html IS tanks], in museums and monuments.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKkb_p-VxA8 IS-3 "test drive" (video)]
* [http://forum.wotblitz.com/index.php?/topic/28948-awacs-tank-guide-is-7/ AWACS Tank Guide: IS-7 - Beginner's Guides & Tutorials]

{{WWIISovietAFVs}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Iosif Stalin Tank}}
[[Category:Heavy tanks of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:World War II tanks of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:World War II heavy tanks]]
[[Category:Cold War tanks of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944]]
[[Category:History of the tank]]
[[Category:Joseph Stalin]]
[[Category:Tanks named after individuals]]