Arguably the best tank of World War II was the Soviet IS-3 Iosif Stalin heavy tank. Designed to beat the German Tiger tank in head-to-head combat, it was slow, but had very heavy sloped armor and an enormous 122 mm gun. It was produced in massive quantities - over 6,000 (vs. less than 2,000 Tigers). The IS-3 made such an impression in the September 1945 Allied Victory Parade that it was the catalyst for a generation of British heavy tank designs.
23 years after the fall of Berlin, the IS-3 once again rolled through the streets of a central European capital city. The Prague Spring ended with a bang, as the Brezhnev Doctrine allowed no relaxation of the top-down central planning model favored by Moscow.
But time stands still for no man, not even Leonid Brezhnev. Another 23 years were to pass, but what was to fall was not Democracy movements, but rather the sputtering top-down Eastern European governments. And when they fell, the resentments that had before been stamped down bloomed:
The Monument to Soviet Tank Crews in Prague's Štefánik Square saw some visitors on the night of 27 April, 1991. Student David Černý and some friends who styled themselves the "Neostunners" turned the IS-2 on display into a, err, "Pink Panther" tank. The Soviet Union was outraged; the tank was repained, and Černý was arrested. But the times were indeed a-changin': Černý was released, and fifteen newly-elected members of the parliament painted the tank pink again. The U.S.S.R. was not well-loved in Prague.
Two decades later, Russia is still not well-loved in eastern Europe. While the recent airplane crash that killed the Polish President and many senior government figures was very likely accidental, conspiracy theories will continue to swirl. A half century of Soviet occupation showed the subject peoples what the Bear's face looked like when it wasn't smiling.
6 comments:
a) That's and IS-2, not an IS-3. The IS-2 was essentially a descendent of the KV series whereas the IS-3 was mostly a new design. No IS-3s are known to have actually participated in WWII combat, although the Sovs claimed they did.
b) I don't think the IS-2 is really in the running for "best tank" of WWII. Relatively few saw actual combat, and its ponderously slow rate of fire (large, two-stage rounds) was a severe hindrance.
c) Geek WWII point of interest: Certain Brit camo schemes used in WWII actually used pink, I believe in the desert.
I must respectfully disagree with your contention that either the IS-2 or 3 is in the running for best tank of WW2.
For the purposes of high explosive direct fire, close support for infantry, the IS-2 was a good choice.
The IS-2 was terribly slow moving, and managed to fire only twice a minute.
Of course, if you can't shoot more often than that, you need huge armor plates to absorb all the punishment you'll receive while you're waiting for the crew to reload.
But when you consider the other contenders for the "Best Tank of WW2" Title -- the Panther, the Sherman and the T-34, I don't think you can put the IS in the same category.
I was going to say something along the lines of MeatAxe's comment: the IS-2 may not have even been the best Soviet tank of WWII—the T-34 is the one that made the Germans gasp.
Yeah, I'd go with the T-34. Which I think was based on a tank designed in the US by Christy. But I digress. The T-34 was a better tank than the Panther and a much better tank than the Sherman.
c) Geek WWII point of interest: Certain Brit camo schemes used in WWII actually used pink, I believe in the desert.
Yes. But military pink looks, at least to me, like tan. If you look at the NH State Police cruisers, that tan color is actually military pink. Which is also used in some US Army dress uniforms.
IMO the T34 was, at best, the equivalent of the Sherman. Crappy mettalurgy and munitions quality made the 76mm gun of the T34 pretty much the equivalent of the 75mm gun on the Sherman and the T34-85 the same as the 76mm-armed Shermans. Armor was equivalent too. T34 was better over rough ground until the E8 model Sherman came around.
Plus the Sherman had a gyrostabilized gun and a radio.
excuse me thats an IS-2.
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