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77-561: The KV-1 was criticized by its crews for its poor mobility and the lack of a larger caliber gun than the T-34 medium tank. It was much more expensive than the T-34, without having greater combat performance. Moscow ordered some KV-1 assembly lines to shift to T-34 production, leading to fears that KV-1 production would be halted, and the SKB-2 design bureau, led by Kotin, closed. In 1942, this problem

154-474: A 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) TNT charge. The explosive power could blow off an enemy tank turret, drive sprocket and tread off the heaviest German tank even if it could not penetrate the armor. Mechanical shock and explosion was often enough to knock out enemy heavy tanks. The most recognizable disadvantage of the D-25T gun was its slow rate of fire due to the large size and weight of the shells; only one to one and

231-504: A KV-1S hull. To accommodate the Object 237 turret, the KV-1S hull was modified, increasing the diameter of the turret ring with fillets on the sides of the hull. The radio operator was replaced with an ammunition rack for the larger 85 mm ammunition. The hull MG was then moved to the opposite side of the driver and fixed in place to be operated by the driver. From September to October 1943,

308-731: A Model 1941 and Model 1942, both of which received minor upgrades in their service, and both of which survived the war. Romanian forces captured one KV-1 as of 1 November 1942 and one more in March 1944. Kubinka Kubinka ( Russian : Ку́бинка ) is a town in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast , Russia , located on the Setun River , 63 kilometers (39 mi) west of Moscow . Population: 22,964 ( 2010 Census ) ; 26,158 ( 2002 Census ) ; 8,019 ( 1989 Soviet census ) . Kubinka, founded in

385-581: A Panther tank angled at 30 degrees; this estimated that the A-19 gun was unable to penetrate the upper glacis plate of the Panther from any distance, could penetrate the lower glacis plate from 100 m (110 yd), could penetrate the mantlet from 500 m (550 yd) and could penetrate the front turret from 1,500 m (1,600 yd). The side armour of the Panther was comparatively weaker and could be penetrated at 3,500 m (3,800 yd) according to

462-483: A breakthrough was achieved, lighter and more mobile tanks were used for exploitation and mopping-up. The IS-2 tank first saw action in Ukraine in early 1944 and claimed to have destroyed more than forty Tigers and Elefants for the loss of only eight tanks. On the morning of 11 August 1944, the 16th Panzer Division attacked the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade reinforced by the 71st Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment in

539-624: A dog the KV-1 really was". By 1942, when the Germans were fielding large numbers of long-barreled 5 cm Pak 38 and 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns, the KV's armour was no longer impenetrable, requiring the installation of additional appliqué armour . The KV-1's side (favorable approach: 30° at 300–500 m distance), top, and turret armor could also be penetrated by the high-velocity Mk 101 30 mm cannon carried by German ground attack aircraft, such as

616-458: A few Panzer IIIs armed with 37 mm KwK 36 L/46.5 guns. The German tank guns had neither the range nor the power of the 76 mm main gun of a KV-1, and the narrower track width of the German tanks caused them to become trapped in the swampy ground. When German forces used captured KV-1s, they were renamed as "Panzerkampfwagen KV-IA 753(r)" The Finnish forces had two KV-1s, nicknamed Klimi ,

693-455: A half rounds per minute could be fired, initially. After some design improvements, including a semi-automatic drop breech over the previously manual screw breech, the rate of fire increased to 2–3 rounds per minute. According to other sources, the increase may have amounted to 3–4 rounds per minute. Another limitation imposed by the size of its ammunition in a relatively small vehicle was the ammunition stowage: only 28 rounds could be carried inside

770-672: A lighter KV. The complete Object 237 was accepted into service as the IS-85 and was produced in the autumn and winter of 1943-44; they were sent to the front as of October 1943 and production of the IS-85/IS-1 was stopped by the spring of 1944 once the IS-122/IS-2 entered full-scale production. A new heavy tank design entered production late in 1943 based on the work done on the KV-13 . Because Voroshilov had fallen out of political favour,

847-516: A separate shell and powder charge, resulting in a lower rate of fire and reduced ammunition capacity. While the 122 mm armour-piercing shell had a lower muzzle velocity than similar late German 7.5 cm and 8.8 cm guns, proving-ground tests established that the 122 mm could penetrate the frontal armour of the German Panther tank at 2500 metres and the HE shell would easily blow off

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924-511: A slow medium tank than a heavy tank), more modern tanks were already in sight. Up-arming the regular turret of the KV-1S with an 85 mm S-31 resulted in the KV-1S-85. This was rejected as it came with the unacceptable loss of a dedicated commander, reducing the turret crew to two (unlike the 3-man turret fitted to the T-34/85). However, the thinning-out of the armor called into question why

1001-613: A total of 130 KV-85s were produced, before the assembly lines began to shift over. Like the KV-1S, the KV-85 served in dwindling numbers and was quickly overshadowed by the superior IS series. The Object 237 prototype, a version of the cancelled KV-13 , was accepted for production as the IS-85 heavy tank. First deliveries were made in October 1943, and the tanks went immediately into service. Production ended in January 1944. Its designation

1078-576: The A-19 122 mm gun , and the D-10 100 mm gun , which was based on a dual-purpose naval gun . The D-10 had been designed for anti-tank fire and had better armor penetration than the A-19, but the smaller caliber meant it had a less useful high explosive round. Also, the D-10 was a relatively new weapon in short supply, while there was excess production capacity for the A-19 and its ammunition. Compared to

1155-522: The Henschel Hs 129 . The KV-1's 76.2 mm gun also came in for criticism. While adequate against all German tanks, it was the same gun as carried by smaller, faster, and cheaper T-34 medium tanks. In 1943, it was determined that this gun could not easily penetrate the frontal armour of the new Tiger, the first German heavy tank, one of which was captured near Leningrad . The KV-1 was also much more difficult to manufacture and thus more expensive than

1232-499: The Red Army . A regiment had 21 IS-2 tanks in four companies of five tanks each and one being used by the regimental commander. The special tank regiments were reserved for important attacks, often to spearhead attempts to break through fortified German positions like anti-tank defence lines and bunkers. The tanks supported infantry in the assault by destroying bunkers, buildings, dug-in weapons and engaging German armoured vehicles. Once

1309-592: The Tiger I and Tiger II and had a lower silhouette than both. Western observers tended to criticize Soviet tanks for their lack of finish and crude construction. The Soviets argued that it was warranted, considering the need for wartime expediency and the typically short battlefield life of their tanks. Early IS-2s can be identified by the 'stepped' front hull casting with its small, opening driver's visor. The early tanks lacked gun tube travel locks or anti-aircraft-capable machine guns and had narrow mantlets. In late 1944,

1386-560: The 15th century, may have been named after Prince Ivan Kubensky  [ ru ] , a prominent local land-owner who died in 1546. It grew in importance in the second half of the 19th century when the Moscow-Smolensk railway passed through the area. The military test-range for tanks opened in 1931 and the military airbase opened soon afterwards. In December 1941 the Red Army halted the Wehrmacht 's drive towards Moscow on

1463-590: The D-25 could penetrate the front armor of the German Panther at 2,500 m (2,700 yd) while the D-10 could do so at a maximum range of 1,500 m (1,600 yd). It was therefore considered an adequate anti-tank gun. First deliveries of IS-122s mounted with this gun were in December 1943. A Wa Pruef 1 Report dated 5 October 1944 has data on the penetration ranges of the 122 mm A-19 gun against

1540-424: The German division's anti-aircraft battalion was moved about 730 m (800 yd) behind the tank but was knocked out by the tank gunner before it could score a hit. During the night, German combat engineers attempted to destroy the tank with satchel charges and failed, despite possibly damaging the tracks. Early on the morning of 25 June, German tanks fired on the KV from the woodland while an 88 mm targeted

1617-454: The Germans during the war. All tanks in the series were heavily based on the KV-1. A KV-1 or KV-2 tank (accounts vary) advanced far behind the German lines after attacking a column of German trucks. The tank stopped on a road across soft ground and was engaged by four 50 mm anti-tank guns of the anti-tank battalion of the 6th Panzer Division . The tank was hit many times but returned fire, disabling all four guns. A heavy 8.8 cm gun of

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1694-562: The IS-2's frontal armor (The Panther's 75 mm gun could penetrate the IS-2 model 1943's mantlet from 400 m (440 yd), front turret from 800 m (870 yd), and driver's front plate from 600 m (660 yd)), while the IS-2 could penetrate the Panther at ranges of 1,000 m (1,100 yd). However, in the summer of 1944, the Germans experienced a shortage of manganese and had to switch to using high-carbon steel alloyed with nickel, which made armor very brittle, especially at

1771-470: The KV-85 tremendously, only 148 were built between August and October 1943. Soviet industry was therefore able to produce a heavy tank as well armed as the Tiger I before the end of 1943. Although the KV-85 was an excellent opponent to the Tigers and Panthers, it was a stopgap and thus was built in small numbers. Its weight had climbed up again to about 47 tons, which negated the whole point of trying to make

1848-627: The T-34 had a similar F-34 main gun), was built in large quantities and received frequent upgrades. When production shifted to the " Tankograd " complex in the Ural Mountains , the KV-2 was dropped. While impressive on paper, it had been designed as a slow-moving bunker-buster. It was less useful in the highly mobile, fluid warfare that developed in World War II. The turret was so heavy it was difficult to traverse on uneven terrain. Finally, it

1925-472: The T-34, its advantages no longer outweighed its drawbacks. Because of its initial superior performance, the KV-1 was chosen as one of the few tanks to continue being built following the Soviet reorganization of tank production. Due to the new standardization, it shared a similar engine and gun as the T-34 (the KV used a 600 hp V-2K modification of the T-34's V-2 diesel engine, and had a ZiS-5 main gun while

2002-514: The armour had high hardness and resisted penetration better than steel, it was also quite brittle and thus at risk of shattering. The IS-122 prototype replaced the IS-85 and began mass production as the IS-2. The 85 mm guns could be reserved for the new T-34-85 medium tank and some of the IS-1s built were rearmed before leaving the factory and issued as IS-2s. It was slightly lighter and faster than

2079-651: The battle, the crew of No. 864 counted a total of 135 hits on their tank, none of which had penetrated the KV-1's armour. Lieutenant Kolobanov was awarded the Order of Lenin , while his Gunner Usov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner . Later, former Captain Zinoviy Kolobanov was again decorated by Soviet authorities, despite having been convicted and downgraded after the Winter War for "fraternizing with

2156-673: The designer to install heavy frontal and turret armour while keeping the weight within manageable limits. The KV was ordered right off the drawing board. When the Soviets entered the Winter War , the SMK, KV and a third design, the T-100 , were sent to be tested in combat conditions. The KV outperformed the SMK and T-100 designs. The KV's heavy armour proved highly resistant to Finnish anti-tank weapons, making it more difficult to stop. In 1939,

2233-611: The drive sprocket and tread of the heaviest German tank or self-propelled gun . The IS-122 replaced the IS-85, and began mass production as the IS-2. The 85 mm gun saw service in the lighter SU-85 and T-34-85. The Soviets did not recognize different production models of KV-1 during the war; designations like model 1939 (M1939, Russian: Obr. 1939 ) were introduced later in military publications. These designations, however, are not strict and describe leading changes, while other changes might be adapted earlier or later in specific production batches. Designations like KV-1A were applied by

2310-464: The early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks fielded by the invading German forces. Until the Germans developed more effective guns, the KV-1 was invulnerable to almost any German weapon except the 8.8 cm Flak gun . Prior to the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, about 500 of the over 22,000 tanks then in Soviet service were of the KV-1 type. As the war progressed, it became evident that there

2387-565: The enemy." Lieutenant Kolobanov served in the post-war Soviet occupation zone in East Germany , where he was convicted again and transferred to the reserves when a subordinate escaped to the British occupation zone. Kolobanov's feat was so great that when telling his story after the war, civilians and military personnel alike did not believe him, sometimes laughing in disbelief while listening to his tale. A monument dedicated to this battle

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2464-503: The era, being about twice as heavy as the heaviest German tank at that time (before the Tiger ). As appliqué armour and other improvements were added without increasing engine power, later models were less capable of keeping up to speed with medium tanks and had more trouble with difficult terrain. In addition, its firepower was no better than that of the T-34 . It took field reports from senior commanders "and certified heroes", who could be honest without risk of punishment, to reveal "what

2541-595: The factory shop in May 1945. In the mid-1950s, the remaining IS-2 tanks (mostly model 1944 variants although several model 1943 variants) were upgraded to the IS-2M standard, which introduced fittings such as external fuel tanks on the rear hull (the basic IS-2 had these only on the hull sides), stowage bins on both sides of the hull and protective skirting along the top edges of the tracks . The IS-2 tank first saw combat in early 1944, equipping elite Guards Heavy Tank Regiments of

2618-589: The few Tigers. A stopgap upgrade to the KV series was the short-lived KV-85 or Objekt 239. This was a KV-1S with the new turret from the Object 237 (IS-85) still in development, mounting the same 85 mm D-5T gun as the SU-85 and early versions of the T-34-85 (not yet in production at the time). The 85 mm proved capable of penetrating the Tiger I from 1000 m and the demand for it slowed production of

2695-517: The firepower and armor of the heavy tank—had rendered heavy tanks obsolete. In the late 1960s the remaining Soviet heavy tanks were transferred to Red Army reserve service and storage. The IS-2 Model 1944 remained in service much longer in the armies of Cuba , China and North Korea . A regiment of Chinese IS-2s was available for use in the Korean War but saw no service there. There are several surviving IS-1 and IS-2 tanks, with examples found at

2772-595: The first year of the German invasion of the Soviet Union . In certain situations, even a single KV-1 or KV-2 supported by infantry could halt German formations. The German Wehrmacht at that time rarely deployed its tanks against KVs, as their own armament was too poor to deal with the " Russischer Koloss " – "Russian Colossus". The KV tanks were practically immune to the 3.7 cm KwK 36 and howitzer -like, short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 37 guns mounted, respectively, on

2849-408: The following: Kliment Voroshilov tank The Kliment Voroshilov ( KV ; Russian : Климент Ворошилов, КВ ) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II . The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour protection during the early stages of the war, especially during

2926-434: The gun while the turret began moving again, the other five or six shots having not fully penetrated. Apparently, the KV-1 crew had remarkably only been stunned by the shots which had entered the turret. Afterwards, they were buried nearby with military honours by the German unit. On August 14, 1941, the vanguard of the German 8th Panzer Division approached Krasnogvardeysk ( Gatchina ) near Leningrad ( St Petersburg ), and

3003-470: The heaviest KV model 1942 tank, with thicker front armor and a much-improved turret design. The tank could carry thicker armor than the KV series, while remaining lighter, due to the better layout of the armor envelope. The KV's armor was less well-shaped and featured heavy armor even on the rear, while the IS series concentrated its armor at the front. The IS-2 was slightly heavier than the Panther, much lighter than

3080-501: The main competing designs was the SMK , which in its final form had two turrets, mounting one 76.2 mm and one 45 mm weapon. The designers of the SMK independently drew up a single-turreted variant and this received approval at the highest level. Two of these, named after the People's Commissar for Defence , were ordered alongside a single SMK. The smaller hull and single turret enabled

3157-431: The main stumbling block of the KV-1, and there was some truth to rumors of Soviet drivers having to shift gears with a hand sledge"; and the ergonomics were poor, with limited visibility. Furthermore, at 45 tons, it was simply too heavy. This severely impacted the maneuverability, not so much in terms of maximum speed, as through inability to cross many bridges medium tanks could cross. The KV outweighed most other tanks of

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3234-509: The model 1944 did not fully replace the model 1943. In comparison to the Tiger I, the IS-2 had advantages in armour, even though it was 10 tons lighter. In 1944, the IS-2 was the only large-scale Allied tank whose armor provided some protection from the well-known Tiger 88mm long-barreled guns and Panther 75mm L/70 guns. The IS-2 was succeeded by the IS-3 , which was developed in late 1944 and left

3311-402: The more than 200 Soviet tanks lost at Raseiniai, 29 were KVs. The KV's strengths included armor that was impenetrable by any tank-mounted weapon then in service except at point-blank range, that it had good firepower, and that it had good flotation on soft ground. It also had serious flaws: it was difficult to steer; the transmission (which was a twenty-year-old Holt Caterpillar design) "was

3388-632: The multi-turreted T-35 heavy tank, Soviet tank designers started drawing up replacements. The T-35 conformed to the 1920s notion of a "breakthrough tank" with very heavy firepower though its armour protection was lacking and it suffered from poor mobility. The Spanish Civil War demonstrated the need for much heavier armour on tanks, and was the main influence on Soviet tank design just prior to World War II. Several competing designs were offered, and even more were drawn up prior to reaching prototype stage. All had heavy armour, torsion-bar suspension , wide tracks, and were of welded and cast construction. One of

3465-670: The new heavy tank series was named the Iosif Stalin tank , after the Soviet leader Stalin . The KV-13 program's IS-85 prototype was accepted for production as the IS-1 (or IS-85, Object 237) heavy tank. After testing with both the 100 mm D-10 and 122 mm guns, the D-25T 122 mm gun was selected as the main armament of the new tank, primarily because of its ready availability and the effect of its large high-explosive shell when attacking German fortifications. The 122 mm D-25T used

3542-493: The older F-34 76.2 mm tank gun, the D-25 delivered 5.37 times the muzzle energy. After testing both the D-25 and D-10 on the IS-122, the former was selected as the main armament of the new tank. The D-25 used a separate shell and powder charge, resulting in a lower rate of fire compared to the single-piece ammunition used in most tanks, a serious disadvantage in tank-to-tank engagements. Soviet proving-ground tests showed that

3619-411: The only Soviet force available at the time to attempt to stop the German advance consisted of five well-hidden KV-1 tanks, dug in within a grove at the edge of a swamp. KV-1 tank no. 864 was commanded by the leader of this small force, Lieutenant Zinoviy Kolobanov . German forces attacked Krasnogvardeysk from three directions. Near Noviy Uchkhoz settlement the geography favoured the Soviet defenders as

3696-425: The only road in the region passed the swamp, and the defenders commanded this choke point from their hidden position. Lieutenant Kolobanov had carefully studied the situation and readied his detachment the day before. Each KV-1 tank carried twice the normal amount of ammunition, two-thirds being armour-piercing rounds. Kolobanov ordered his other commanders to hold their fire and await orders. He did not want to reveal

3773-459: The opportunity to destroy the second tank. Only then did the Germans realize they were under attack, but they failed to find the source of the shots. While the German tanks were firing blindly, Kolobanov knocked out the trailing German tank, thus boxing in the entire column. Although the Germans correctly guessed the direction of fire, they could only spot Lieutenant Kolobanov's tank, and now attempted to engage an unseen enemy. German tanks moving off

3850-586: The outskirts of Kubinka. Kubinka gained town status in 2004. Within the framework of administrative divisions , it is, together with twenty-three rural localities , incorporated within Odintsovsky District as the Town of Kubinka . As a municipal division , the Town of Kubinka is incorporated within Odintsovsky Municipal District as Kubinka Urban Settlement . A suburban line links

3927-441: The performance of each tank against each other was dependent on the crew and combat situation. The large 122 mm HE shell was its main asset, proving highly useful and destructive as an infantry-killer. In extremis, the IS-2 engaged enemy heavy armor with OF-471 (Russian: ОФ-471 ) high explosive projectiles. These shells weighed 25 kg (55 lb), a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s (2,600 ft/s), and were equipped with

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4004-471: The production of 50 KVs was ordered. During the war, the Soviets found it difficult to deal with the concrete bunkers used by the Finns and a request was made for a tank with a large howitzer. One of the rush projects to meet the request was to put the howitzer in a new turret on one of the KV tanks. Initially known as 'Malen'kaya Bashenka' (little turret) and 'Bol'shaya Bashnya' (big turret), the 76-mm-armed tank

4081-408: The road bogged down in the surrounding soft ground, becoming easy targets. 22 German tanks and 2 towed artillery pieces fell victim to Kolobanov's No. 864 before it ran out of ammunition. Kolobanov ordered in another KV-1, and 21 more German tanks were destroyed before the half-hour battle ended. A total of 43 German tanks were destroyed by just five Soviet KV-1s (two more remained in reserve). After

4158-574: The same report. Testing with captured Tiger I tanks in Kubinka showed that the 122 mm D-25T was capable of penetrating the Tiger's turret from 1,000–1,500 m (1,100–1,600 yd) and the weld joint or edges of the front hull plates at ranges of 500–600 m (550–660 yd). In 1944, the BR-471 was the sole armor-piercing round available. An improved version, the BR-471B (Russian: БР-471Б )

4235-536: The seam welds. The performance of the 122 mm AP shells of the IS-2 against the Panther improved considerably. The reports from the front described cases where the BR-471 APHE round 122 mm projectile fired from 2,500 m (2,700 yd) ricocheted off the front armor of a Panther, leaving huge breaches in it. According to Steven Zaloga, the IS-2 and Tiger I could knock each other out in normal combat distances below 1,000 m (1,100 yd). At any range,

4312-414: The shape and thickness of the armour, which also reduced the exterior surface relative to tank volume. However, casting had to account for the metal shrinking as it cooled (becoming denser) and with limitations on Soviet casting technology, IS-2 armour thickness could vary even when produced from the same mold. Lower-quality alloys had to sometimes be used, substituting manganese for nickel, meaning that while

4389-556: The solely clutch and brake steering systems used by the Panzer III , IV and T-34 and previous KV tanks. Its reduced weight allowed it to achieve a top speed of 43.3 km/h. Over 1,300 were built before production ended in August 1943. Although the KV-1S was, according to some, the best of the KV tanks, overcoming its predecessors' problems (at a cost of losing the heavy armor that made the earlier tanks so valuable, making it more of

4466-467: The stepped hull front was replaced with an improved single casting of 120 mm thickness angled at 60 degrees. This new nose lacked the opening driver's visor. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the IS-2M, but that designation actually refers to a much later modernization program from the 1950s. Other minor upgrades included the addition of a travel lock on the hull rear, wider mantlet and, on very late models, an anti-aircraft machine gun . However,

4543-421: The tank from its rear. Of several shots fired, only two penetrated the tank. German infantry then advanced, with the KV opening machine-gun fire against them. The tank's resistance was finally ended by grenades thrown into the tank's hatches. According to some accounts, the crew was buried by the German soldiers with full military honours; in other accounts, the crew escaped during the night. General Erhard Raus

4620-488: The tank was being produced at all, when the T-34 could seemingly do everything the KV could do and much more cheaply. The Soviet heavy tank program was close to cancellation in mid-1943. The appearance of the German Panther tank in the summer of 1943 persuaded the Red Army to make a serious upgrade of its tank force for the first time since 1941. Soviet tanks needed bigger guns to take on the growing numbers of Panthers and

4697-503: The tank, with a complement of 20 HE rounds, and 8 AP rounds the norm. The IS-2's armour was primarily composed from casting, which involves pouring molten metal into a mold and letting it cool. This method was done to reduce production costs and thus increase the number of vehicles that could be built (in contrast to its contemporary the Tiger II, which required significant machining in its construction). Casting also made it easier to vary

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4774-438: The total force, so only one exposed tank at a time would engage the enemy. On August 14, the German 8th Panzer Division's vanguard ventured directly into the well-prepared Soviet ambush, with Kolobanov's tank knocking out the lead German tank with its first shot. The Germans falsely assumed that their lead tank had hit an anti-tank mine and failed to realize that they had been ambushed. The German column stopped, giving Kolobanov

4851-426: The town of Oględów , toward Staszów . The extremely sandy terrain forced the eleven King Tigers to keep to the roads, whilst the defending Soviet forces positioned their tanks and assault guns in ambush positions and concentrated on the known German avenues of approach. When the attack started, three Tiger IIs were destroyed by fire from Soviet IS-2 tanks at a range of 800 m (2,600 ft), and one more Tiger II

4928-586: The town to Moscow 's Belorussky railway station (the station Kubinka I ). The train ride takes approximately 75 minutes. In 2015 a new 10 km train line opened in Kubinka. It goes from Kubinka railway station to Patriot Park , through the station "Museum", located near Kubinka Tank Museum . The railway station Kubinka II of the Greater Ring of the Moscow Railway is also in Kubinka. Kubinka

5005-466: Was commander of the Kampfgruppe of the 6th Panzer Division , the unit delayed by the lone vehicle. He described it as a KV-1 , which was damaged by several 8.8 cm anti-tank gun shots fired from behind the vehicle while it was distracted by Panzer 35(t) tanks from Panzer Battalion 65, and the KV-1 crew were killed by members of a pioneer unit who pushed grenades through two holes made by

5082-486: Was completed in 2017; a preliminary opening of the so-called "military Disneyland" took place in June 2015 by Vladimir Putin . It is located south of the Minsk highway at the border with the neighbouring settlements Golitsyno and Kalininets in the east and complements the local tourist attractions Kubinka Aviation Museum and Kubinka Tank Museum . The tank museum is located near the city. One of its most notable exhibits

5159-617: Was developed in spring 1945 but was available in quantity only after World War II ended. According to the same Wa Pruef 1 report, it was estimated that at 30 degree obliquity the hull armor of the Soviet IS-2 model 1943 would be defeated by a Tiger I between 100 and 300 m (0.062 and 0.186 mi) at the driver's front plate and nose, while the IS-2's 122 mm gun would penetrate the Tiger's front armor from between 500 and 1,500 m (0.31 and 0.93 mi). A Panther had to close to 600 m (660 yd) to guarantee penetration of

5236-525: Was expensive to produce. Only about 210 KV-2s were made, all in 1940–1941, making it one of the rarest Soviet tanks. The KV-1 continued to get more armor to compensate for the increasing effectiveness of German weapons. This culminated in the KV-1 model 1942 (German designation KV-1C), which had very heavy armor but lacked a corresponding improvement to the engine. It now weighed about 52 tons. Tankers complained that, although they were well-protected, their mobility

5313-434: Was given the codename Object 237. Before Object 237 had time to mature, intense tank fighting in the summer of 1943 demanded a response. Dukhov's team was instructed to create a stopgap KV tank, the KV-85, which was armed with the 52-K -derivative gun of the SU-85 , the 85 mm D-5T, that proved capable of penetrating the Tiger I from 1,000 m (1,100 yd). The KV-85 was created by mounting an Object 237 turret on

5390-442: Was installed in the village of Noviy Uchkhoz in 1980, at the place where Kolobanov's KV-1 was dug in, due solely to the demands of the villagers. It was impossible to find a KV-1 tank, so an IS-2 heavy tank was installed there instead. The Soviet victory was the result of a well-planned ambush in advantageous ground and of technical superiority. Most of the German tanks in this battle were Panzer IIs , armed with 20 mm guns, and

5467-436: Was knocked out a few hours later by a T-34/76 at a range of less than 400 m (1,300 ft). Later in the day, Soviet forces counter-attacked and seized the town of Oględów and found three abandoned Tiger IIs. The capture of these tanks allowed the Soviets to conduct tests at Kubinka and to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. By the 1950s, the emergence of the main battle tank concept—combining medium-tank mobility with

5544-524: Was little sense in producing the expensive KV tanks, as the T-34 medium tank performed better (or at least equally well) in all practical respects. In fact the only advantage the KV had over the T-34/76 was its larger and roomier three-man turret. Later in the war, the KV series became a base for the development of the IS (Iosif Stalin) series of tanks and self-propelled guns. After disappointing results with

5621-503: Was partially addressed by the KV-1S tank, which had thinner armor than the original, making it lighter and faster. It was competitive with the T-34 but at the cost of no longer having the heavier armor. Production of the KV-1S was gradually replaced by the SU-152 and ended in April 1943. The capture of a German Tiger tank in January 1943 led to a decision to develop a new heavy tank, which

5698-451: Was poor and they had no firepower advantage over the T-34 medium tank. In response to criticisms, the lighter KV-1S was developed, with thinner armor and a smaller, lower turret in order to reclaim some speed. The KV-1S had a commander's cupola with all-around vision blocks. It also had a sophisticated planetary transmission that significantly increased the reliability, and allowed use of more efficient regenerative geared steering, unlike

5775-675: Was redesignated as the KV-1 Heavy Tank and the 152 mm howitzer one as KV-2 Heavy Artillery Tank . KV tanks first faced the Germans in the Battle of Raseiniai , just after the start of Operation Barbarossa . On 23 June, over 200 German tanks advancing through Lithuania encountered Soviet armor, including KV-1 and KV-2 tanks. While their frontal armor was sufficient to deflect anti-tank fire, German troops were able to outflank them and destroy them with explosive charges or lure them to within point-blank range of direct-fire artillery. Of

5852-408: Was simplified to IS-1 after the introduction of the IS-122, later renamed as IS-2 for security purposes. By 1943, engineers had succeeded in mounting the 85 mm gun to the T-34 medium tank, making it as well-armed as the KV-85 heavy tank. Efforts to up-gun the IS-85 began in late 1943. Two candidate weapons were the D-25 122 mm tank gun, the ballistic characteristics of which were identical to

5929-571: Was the location of the Soviet Union 's tank proving grounds, and today is the home of the Kubinka Tank Museum . It is also the location of the MAPO aircraft Maintenance Factory #121 and the Kubinka air base . This base serves as a base for the 237th Centre for Display of Aviation Equipment, which consists of Swifts and Russian Knights , who took place in the aerobatic show during 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade . Patriot theme park

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