1:48 scale diecast tank by Hobby Master. Js-2 Heavy Tank 29th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, Poland, January 1945.

The IS or as known in the West as JS – series of tanks were named after Soviet leader Iosif – Joseph- Stalin. This tank was lighter and faster than the KV series tanks and was designed mainly as a breakthrough tank. The crew could fire high-explosive shells at trenches and bunkers as well as German tanks. The new A-19 122mm gun delivered its shells with 3.5 times the kinetic energy of the older 76.2 mm gun. This gave it excellent armor penetrating ability but even when the shell didn’t penetrate the armor it often knocked the turret off the tank with a combination of impact and explosion. This huge gun also gave the JS-2 its disadvantage. The ammunition was in two parts and very difficult for the crew to manhandle. This meant a slow rate of fire of about 2 rounds per minute and the size meant only 28 shells could be carried.

A Front (Soviet army group) consists of several field armies of between 400,000 – 1.5 million troops that are usually responsible for a particular geographic area and commanded by a single General or Field Marshal. In early 1945 the 1st Ukrainian Front was involved in the “Vistula-Oder Strategic Offensive”. This offensive began at the Vistula River in Poland in mid January 1945 and lasted about 3 weeks. Soviet forces engaged German troops in numerous battles and forced them back to the Oder River that is about 50 miles from Berlin. After this the 1st took part in the advance to Leipzig, Dresden and finally Prague.