IS-3 Heavy Tank - Combat
Although the original forms of the hull and turret of the IS-3 captured the minds of tank builders all over the world for a long time (in the west, a certain influence of the IS-3 was felt in the form of the hull and turret of the American M-48 tank, the German Leopard 1 and the French AMX-30), his military career not very successful.
Despite the recollections of some veterans (for example, Lieutenant General I.S.Lykov in his book "In the Terrible Hour" talks about specific examples of the use of the IS-3 in the 49th Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment in Germany, and A.A. Vishnyakov in the book "Tank on a Pedestal" - about their participation in the battle for Berlin), in the battles at the final stage of hostilities in Europe, and even more so in the battle for Berlin, the IS-3 did not take part (as of May 24, 29 built IS-3 tanks, all were still at ChKZ).
The claim that the IS-3 was tested as part of the Far Eastern Group of Forces during the battles with the Kwantung Army in August-September 1945, as part of a tank regiment of the 1st Far Eastern Front, is also not true. Although some sources mentioned that a whole regiment (21 vehicles) armed with IS-3 tanks was sent to the Far East, and for their maintenance the Kirov plant sent a special brigade with this regiment, headed by engineer E.I. Roshchin (he participated in the first tests of the KV and T-100 heavy tanks on the Karelian Isthmus during the Finnish War). In Roshchin's memoirs, you can read: "... the IS-3 tanks were delivered to the area of hostilities by rail to the port of Posiet, and then transported to Dalniy by a transport vessel, then the tanks went on their own." However, the archival data do not confirm this, according to the documents, neither the IS-2, let alone the IS-3, took part in hostilities in the Far East. Only one 48th separate heavy tank regiment fought there, armed with 21 KV heavy tanks.
While the IS-3 did not have to fight during World War II, its first appearance on the "stage" was very effective. On Friday, September 7, 1945, a large military parade was held in Berlin in honor of the end of World War II. The parade was attended by detachments of the occupation forces of the USSR, USA, England and France. The honorary tribune was occupied by the commander-in-chief of the Soviet occupation forces, Marshal G.K. Zhukov, the commander of the American 3rd Army, General George S. Patton, English General Robertson and French General Marie P. Koenig. Along the Charlottenburg highway, cleared of rubble and put in relative order, before the higher ranks, infantry detachments first marched, and after a short break, a column of armored vehicles emerged onto the highway. The first were thirty-two light American M24 tanks and sixteen M8 armored vehicles. Then came the French tanks, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles. British armored forces were represented by twenty-four "Comet" tanks and thirty armored vehicles.
Again there was a short pause, which was soon broken by the impending roar of powerful engines. The parade was completed by heavy Soviet tanks of a type completely unknown to the Allies, armed with large-caliber cannons. Moving three in a row, the tanks approached the podium. The column consisted of fifty-two vehicles - a consolidated detachment created on the basis of the 71st Guards Regiment of Heavy Tanks, the 2nd Guards Tank Army.
British Brigadier General Frank Howley, a witness to the parade, later wrote in his memoirs: “As for armored vehicles, the Allies limited themselves to a demonstration of light tanks and armored vehicles. And the Russians surpassed everyone - with a deafening grinding of tracks, a hundred (to heighten the effect, the general doubled the number of tanks) of the newest giant tanks of the "Joseph Stalin" type proceeded along the concrete highway past the tribune. Compared to Russian tanks, everything on Unter den Linden seemed to have shrunk in size. Holding the formation, the tanks drove past, the vents of their powerful cannons ripped through the sky.
After the parade, Zhukov sent a report to Stalin, which, in particular, said the following: “... Our IS-3 tanks made an indelible impression on foreigners. The tanks passed in even rows and showed themselves well." In the USSR, in their homeland, the IS-3 were first demonstrated only a year later - at the parade in Moscow, held on November 7, 1946.
Unlike its predecessor, the IS-2, which was used in the armies of many countries of the world, the IS-3 was supplied abroad in very limited quantities. A number of IS-3 tanks were sent to the DPRK (apparently, after the end of the Korean War). In the 60s, two North Korean tank divisions had one heavy tank regiment each.
The IS-3 first took part in hostilities in Hungary in 1956. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Austria, in 1955, a Special Corps of Soviet Forces was organized on the territory of Hungary, which included the 2nd and 17th Guards Mechanized Divisions. Among the tanks in service with units of the Special Corps, there were also heavy IS-3s. A special corps was intended to cover, together with units of the Hungarian People's Army, the border with Austria and to ensure the most important communications in case of the advance of Soviet troops from the territory of the USSR.
The IS-3’s reputation actually went from bad to worse in 1956 when its performance was assessed after its first confirmed use in combat during the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The most tragic page of the IS-3's combat use was the Hungarian events of 1956. The insurgents had about 100 tanks at their disposal. The main role in street battles in Budapest was played by the 33rd Kherson Red Banner, twice the Order of Suvorov, the Guards Mechanized Division, to reinforce which the 100th Tank Regiment (31st Panzer Division), armed with IS-3 tanks, was attached. In the early morning of November 4, the main forces of the 2nd and 33rd Guards Mechanized Divisions rushed into Budapest on the move and captured the bridges over the Danube, the Budaes airfield in a day, capturing almost all the tanks of the rebels, 15 guns and 22 aircraft. Tanks with cannon fire and battering rams made passages in the barricades built on the streets of Budapest, punching the way for the infantry and paratroopers.
The scale of the fighting is evidenced by the fact that the assault on the resistance center in the Corvin cinema, in which units of the 33rd Guards Mechanized Division took part on November 5, began after an artillery raid, in which 170 guns and mortars took part. From three sides, several dozen tanks fired at the surviving firing points. Only in the evening did Soviet troops take possession of this quarter.
The severity of the fighting is evidenced by the fact that only the 33rd Guards Mechanized Division lost 14 tanks and self-propelled guns, 9 armored personnel carriers, 13 guns, 4 BM-13 installations, 31 cars and 5 motorcycles. It is unclear what part of the lost tanks was the IS-3, but judging by the well-known footage and photographs, at least several of these vehicles were hit or burned on the streets of the Hungarian capital.
The assessment of the IS-3’s performance during the fighting in Hungary is normally characterized as being very poor. For many observers, the dramatic photos of destroyed IS-3s, including a well-known photo published in Life magazine showing a number of coffins in the street alongside a destroyed IS-3 after a battle, provide all the information needed. The damage to the reputation of the IS-3 was now set, and performance assesments of the tank incorrectly judged it as a failure.
The reality is that several factors that characterized the fighting in Hungary were not usually taken into account, ranging from poor leadership and communication to the minimized capabilities accredited to the resistance fighters. It’s important to remember that these resistance fighters included Hungarian- and Soviet-army regulars. Finally, it’s clear that the Soviet army failed to use the tactics for fighting in urban areas that it had mastered during World War II. However, the resistance fighters knew how to defend and were masters of the Molotov cocktail.
In 1955, opensource press reporting confirmed a significant arms deal was in the works between Czechoslovakia and Egypt that had the potential to increase tensions between Egypt and Israel to the breaking point. Although the weapons reportedly were coming from Czechoslovakia, the deal was part of a series of deals between Egypt and the Soviet Union. Worth about $62 million, the deal included small arms, anti-aircraft guns, aircraft, artillery and tanks. According to a declassified report from September 1956, the deal included 170 T-34/85 medium tanks, 25 SU-100 assault guns and 60 IS-3M heavy tanks.
The declassified Oct. 4, 1955, edition of the CIA’s Central Intelligence Bulletin confirmed the arrival of the first arms shipment and included the following: “Egypt’s acquisition of heavy tanks, when made effective by training in their use, will introduce a new element into Middle Eastern military tactics, since neither the Arab states nor Israel has hitherto had equipment of this caliber.” Interestingly enough, according to the declassified CIA Central Intelligence Bulletin dated May 26, 1956, a conversation took place between the Soviet military attaché and the American army attaché in Syria. The Soviet officer stated that “while the T-34 medium tank was suitable for use in Syria, he was opposed to Syria receiving IS-3M heavy tanks and had so recommended. He added that the Syrians would be better off fighting on camels than in tanks.” However, the Egyptians, like the Soviets at the end of World War II, were happy to show off their new IS-3Ms, and Life magazine provided extensive coverage of the IS-3Ms as they were first paraded through Cairo.
A few months before the events in Hungary, on 23 June 1956, the foreign press and observers reported on a large military parade in Cairo, held in honor of "Independence Day" - on June 23rd. Among other armored vehicles received from the Soviet Union, the Egyptians also demonstrated the IS-3 tanks. The then Prime Minister of Egypt, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, in an attempt to bolster the Egyptian army, first turned to the United States for help. However, overseas, the requests of the head of Egypt were treated with complete indifference, so Nasser decided to conclude an agreement with the USSR. On September 27, 1955, an agreement was signed between the USSR and Egypt on the supply of Soviet weapons to equip the Egyptian army. By July 1956, the Soviet Union had practically fulfilled its obligations. In addition to T-34-85 tanks, SU-100 self-propelled guns and BTR-152 armored personnel carriers, the Egyptians also received a batch of IS-3 tanks (usually 25 tanks of this type are reported).
After Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal on July 26, 1956 and brought Egyptian troops into the canal zone, the Middle East smelled of gunpowder, and on October 29, the Israeli army launched the "Cadet" plan, the purpose of which was to capture the Sinai Peninsula and reach the Suez channel. On November 5, the combined Anglo-French troops conducted the Musketeer airborne assault, which resulted in the capture of Port Said and a march into the interior of Egypt along the Suez Canal. When planning this operation, the Western command reckoned with the presence of the Egyptians IS-3 tanks. Therefore, the 6th Panzer Regiment, equipped with Centurion tanks, was part of the strike group, since the power of the 17-pounder anti-tank infantry gun was considered insufficient. But this measure did not allow to be calm about the outcome of the operation.
In this situation, the crews of British tanks underwent additional training, led by Colonel E.F. Offord of the Experimental Division at Bovington. During the additional course, British gunners practiced new methods of fire control and studied the most vulnerable points of Egyptian tanks. After Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal on July 26, 1956 and brought Egyptian troops into the canal zone, the Middle East smelled of gunpowder, and on October 29, the Israeli army launched the "Cadet" plan, the purpose of which was to capture the Sinai Peninsula and reach the Suez channel. On November 5, the combined Anglo-French troops conducted the Musketeer airborne assault, which resulted in the capture of Port Said and a march into the interior of Egypt along the Suez Canal. When planning this operation, the Western command reckoned with the presence of the Egyptians IS-3 tanks. Therefore, the 6th Panzer Regiment, equipped with Centurion tanks, was part of the strike group, since the power of the 17-pounder anti-tank infantry gun was considered insufficient. But this measure did not allow to be calm about the outcome of the operation, In this situation, the crews of British tanks underwent additional training, led by Colonel E.F. Offord of the Experimental Division at Bovington. During the additional course, British gunners practiced new methods of fire control and studied the most vulnerable points of Egyptian tanks.
The deliveries of the IS-3 tanks continued in 1962-1967. In total, Egypt received more than 100 vehicles of this type. Together with the tanks, Soviet instructors arrived in Egypt, and Egyptian officers were trained in special courses organized at the Academy of Tank Forces in Moscow.
In the Egyptian army, IS-3 tanks were considered powerful troop support vehicles and made up the fleet of several tank battalions (20-30 vehicles each). The battalions were attached to infantry and motorized divisions, as well as to some tank brigades that were part of the tank divisions. So, the IS-3 battalion was part of the 7th Infantry Division, which was defended on the Khan Younis - Rafah line. Another 60 IS-3s included the 125th Tank Brigade, whose positions were located near El Quuntilla.
On June 5, 1967, the Israelis began fighting in the Sinai Peninsula, which went down in history as the "Six Day War." The main role in the ground battles was played by Israeli tank and mechanized troops, which were based on the American M48 Patton III tanks. Initially, these tanks were armed with a 90-mm gun, but the Israelis managed to re-equip some of the vehicles with 105-mm guns. In addition, the Israelis had modernized British tanks "Centurion" (the so-called "Ben Gurion" tanks, also with 105 mm guns) and already rather outdated American M4 "Sherman" tanks (the local modification of the M51 "Isherman" was rearmed with French 105-mm tool). The Israeli army was well prepared for mobile warfare, while the Egyptians favored static defense.
r. Israeli tanks from MG Israel Tal’s division attacked quickly into the Sinai Desert, into the heart of Egyptian-army defensive positions. In the key battle fought at Rafah Junction, the Egyptian 7th Infantry Division was supported by IS-3M heavy tanks. The Israelis were very aware of the Egyptian IS-3Ms and considered them very dangerous opponents. Authoritative Israeli references on the Six Day War include several instances where IS-3Ms were described using verbiage like “the most heavily armored tanks ever built,” “World War II monsters” and simply as being “terrifying.” Some translations of these battlefield accounts from Hebrew to English also identify the Egyptian IS-3Ms as “Stalinists.” Israeli tank crews reckoned with the threat posed by heavy Egyptian tanks, armed with powerful cannons and protected by thick armor. They knew that only in 1965-67 25 heavy tanks IS-3M were delivered to Egypt.
The fighting in the critical Rafah Junction area can be characterized as tank vs. tank with Egyptian “Stalinists” facing off against Israeli U.S.-made M48 Patton tanks. The Israeli plan of attack was designed specifically to avoid a “toe-to-toe” frontal fight with these IS-3Ms and their 122mm main guns and thick frontal armor. When the battle was finally over, most of the battalion of IS-3Ms in the Rafah Junction area was destroyed by the more modern and more maneuverable Israeli tanks. The Israelis suffered significant losses, too, including several of their M48s destroyed by IS-3M main-gun fire (using Soviet armor-piercing ammunition dating back to 1945-47) and the loss of the most decorated soldier in the Israeli army, CPT Nechemiah Cohen.
However, in the conditions of maneuverable combat, the IS-3 lost to more modern Israeli tanks. Affected by the low rate of fire and the outdated sighting system of the forties, which made it possible to conduct aimed fire only during stops, while the Israeli M48A2 had an optical rangefinder sight and a two-plane stabilizer. The IS-3 engines were also poorly adapted to work in hot climates. But the most important thing is that the skill and combat training of Israeli tankers was incomparably higher than that of Egyptian ones. Affected by the low general educational level of the bulk of the personnel, making it difficult to master military equipment. The morale and fighting spirit of the soldiers was also low, who did not show sufficient stamina and perseverance.
Assessing the tank’s performance during the Six Day War had the additional challenge of analyzing the events that led to a large number of IS-3Ms being captured intact after being abandoned by their Egyptian crews. The Egyptian Army’s 125th Tank Brigade was equipped with 60 IS-3Ms deployed in defensive positions in the El-Kuntilla area. After fighting against the advancing Israelis, many Egyptian tank crews abandoned their fully operational IS-3Ms and scattered in the desert. This desparate action had nothing to do with the capabilities of their tanks. It was in fact all about poor training, low skill level and lack of motivation in those Egyptian tank units.
After the end of the Six Day War, the Israelis announced that they had managed to knock out and capture 820 enemy tanks, including 73 heavy IS-3Ms. Israeli losses totaled 120 tanks. Most of the captured IS-3Ms were taken to repair shops and brought into working order. Israeli sources reported that ISam also replaced engines, installing similar B-54 diesels removed from broken T-54 / T-55 tanks instead of standard engines. At the same time, the roof of the engine compartment also changed.
Declassified photographs showing the results from live-fire testing done in Israel after the war tell an interesting story. During this testing, captured Egyptian IS-3Ms were repeatedly fired on and hit by 105mm Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot ammunition without the tank’s frontal armor being penetrated.
Captured tanks often participated in military parades on Israeli public holidays. In the late 1960s, at the suggestion of the then Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, General Haim Bar-Lev, captured vehicles were buried along the Suez Canal, creating a fortified defense line here. In total, 33 tanks were dug in, but by 1973, only 16 vehicles were on alert. These fortifications were named "Bar-Leva Line". During the "Yom Kippur War" in 1973, the dug-in tanks did not have a significant impact on the course of events, and were soon completely lost, as the territory passed back into the hands of the Egyptians. During the Yom Kippur War, the Egyptians had at least one regiment of heavy IS3M tanks, but there is no data on its participation in hostilities.
In the 1980s, the Egyptian army officially removed the IS-3 type tanks from service, and the surviving vehicles were decommissioned and scrapped. Several vehicles were bought by tank museums around the world. So, the IS-3M are on display at the museum at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the United States, in the museum in Belgium. As for the pure IS-3 tank, in all likelihood it survived only in the Polish city of Poznan, in the museum of the Higher Officers' School of Tank Forces.
During the aggravation of Soviet-Chinese relations at the end of the 60s and especially after the incident on Tamansky Island in 1969, the IS-3M tanks, obsolete by that time, together with other "oldies" - T-44, IS-4, etc. were sent to the Far East "to strengthen the protection of the Soviet-Chinese border." Some of the IS-3M were left on the move and were used to guard the border on alert. These vehicles were in the pits of the tank parks with full ammunition and fuel tanks, and on a combat alert had the task of taking prepared positions. Other tanks were used to build fortified points on the Soviet-Chinese border from the Far East and Transbaikalia to Central Asia - they burrowed into the ground along the turret, turning into a kind of bunker.
Castro's January 1961 anniversary parade in Havana, in which some Of the bloc weapons were displayed, revealed that at least 15 JS-2 heavy tanks, 15 T-34 medium tanks, and 19 self-propelled assault guns, various artillery, and other weapons were in the hands of the Cuban Army. The armored fighting vehicles and some of the artillery were World War II models no longer in use by the Soviet armed forces. With the exception of 60 JS—3 tanks delivered to Egypt in 1955, Soviet heavy tanks have not been supplied to any other nonbloc country.
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