https://wiki.warthunder.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=U3862597&feedformat=atomWar Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T12:57:51ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=IL-2M_%22Avenger%22&diff=101953IL-2M "Avenger"2021-04-30T13:58:54Z<p>U3862597: /* Description */ removed outdated info</p>
<hr />
<div>{{About<br />
| about = premium gift Soviet strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''<br />
| usage = other uses<br />
| link = IL-2 (Family)<br />
}}<br />
{{Specs-Card<br />
|code=il-2m_mstitel<br />
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Description ==<br />
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' --><br />
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update_1.41#19.06.2014_-_1.41.27.12|Update 1.41.27]]. The {{Specs|name}} is a premium variant of the [[IL-2M type 3]]. The plane was initially purchasable as part of [[wt:en/news/668--en|premiums packs]] in the Gaijin store in 2014 but was removed in the 2016 clearance sale. It was again available shortly during the [[wt:en/news/5232-shop-winter-sales-special-bundle-and-gift-certificates-en|2018 Winter Sale]]. It was later made purchasable in-game for golden eagles ({{GE}}) for a limited time during the [[wt:en/news/5345-special-defender-of-the-fatherland-en|2018 "Defender of the Fatherland"]] and the [[wt:en/news/7054-event-defender-of-the-fatherland-en|2021 "Defender of the Fatherland"]] mini-events.<br />
<br />
This plane is, as with all IL aircraft, a ground attacker. It should avoid confronting any fighter aircraft, as it has terrible manoeuvrability and even worse energy retention. In an emergency, the hitting power of the 23's is more than enough to obliterate enemy fighters, but the dog-fighting should be left to the fighters.<br />
<br />
The IL-2M "Avenger" is a very well armoured aircraft, though somewhat little manoeuvrable, the Avenger is an excellent variant of the IL series aircraft. This particular version has a rear gunner equipped with a 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, capable of dealing with any enemies attacking from the rear, and the forward firepower is nothing to be trifled with.<br />
<br />
== General info ==<br />
=== Flight performance ===<br />
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}<br />
<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' --><br />
Though the IL-2M models are improved with the better AM-38F engine, the {{PAGENAME}} is still sluggish due to the overall plane weight. Speed, maxed out around the 400 km/h range, mean many fighters are able to catch up and outpace the IL-2M and take it down on their terms. Acceleration is decent up until a speed of around 330 km/h before slowing down. Though WEP is available on the plane, it doesn't seem to help assist in acceleration very well.<br />
<br />
The roll rate of the aircraft is particularly slow, which is exacerbated with wing-mounted weapons like rockets. Elevator and rudder response are up to par however and can be relied on for more responsive manoeuvres.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics<br />
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 1,400 m)<br />
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)<br />
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)<br />
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)<br />
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)<br />
|-<br />
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB<br />
|-<br />
! Stock<br />
| 387 || 371 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 49.2 || 50.3 || 6.1 || 6.0 || rowspan="2" | 800<br />
|-<br />
! Upgraded<br />
| 430 || 409 || 46.9 || 47.9 || 11.4 || 8.6<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==== Details ====<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="5" | Features<br />
|-<br />
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear<br />
|-<br />
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X <!-- ✓ --><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | Limits<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)<br />
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)<br />
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)<br />
! colspan="2" | Max Static G<br />
|-<br />
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -<br />
|-<br />
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 447 || 418 || 270 || ~13 || ~13<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)<br />
|-<br />
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator<br />
|-<br />
| < 320 || < 320 || < 320 || > 330<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Setting 1<br />
|-<br />
! Optimal altitude<br />
! 100% Engine power<br />
! WEP Engine power<br />
|-<br />
| 750 m || 1,500 hp || 1,620 hp<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Survivability and armour ===<br />
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}<br />
<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' --><br />
[[File:ArmourScheme IL-2M.jpg|x250px|right|thumb|IL-2M armour scheme]]<br />
<br />
* 6 mm Steel - Propeller ring<br />
* 4 mm Steel - Armour plates surrounding engine compartment<br />
* 6 mm Steel - Encasing oil cooler<br />
* 5 mm Steel - Cockpit floor<br />
* 6 mm Steel - Cockpit wall/canopy lining<br />
* 12 mm Steel - Pilot/Gunner separating partition<br />
* 4 mm Steel - Upper canopy behind pilot<br />
* 6 mm Steel - Armour plate protecting rear gunner<br />
* 64 mm Bulletproof Glass - Forward canopy<br />
<br />
As can be seen by the list of armour types on the {{PAGENAME}}, the plane, like the other IL-series of attacker aircraft, has a capsule of armour surrounding the pilot and most of the plane's modules. While the thickness is not substantial, ranging between 4-5 mm of steel armour, they provide the engine, fuel tanks, and radiators a level of protection not typically enjoyed by other aircraft. The armour collectively also provides substantial protection to the pilot from the front, especially with a 64 mm thick bulletproof glass on the top and the collection of steel armour and modules below.<br />
<br />
The pilot's rear armour is also quite substantial with more 6 mm armour platings. However, the crew partition armour of 12 mm combined with the gunner's rear 6 mm of armour means that while the gunner may be knocked out more easily by an enemy at a six o' clock, the pilot can enjoy some more levels of protection for sustained flying.<br />
<br />
With the belly of the plane also considerably armoured, the only way to be able to attack the {{PAGENAME}}'s crew unimpeded is by attacking from above, where there are gaps in the armour for a direct hit onto the pilot.<br />
<br />
Though the modules and crew are considerably protected, the control surfaces on the plane are not. As such, the most likely way the {{PAGENAME}} can be downed is by a shot-off/busted wing, tail, or their respective control systems.<br />
<br />
=== Modifications and economy ===<br />
{{Specs-Economy}}<br />
<br />
== Armaments ==<br />
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}<br />
=== Offensive armament ===<br />
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}<br />
<!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' --><br />
{{main|VYa-23 (23 mm)|ShKAS (7.62 mm)}}<br />
<br />
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:<br />
<br />
* 2 x 23 mm VYa-23 cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)<br />
* 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, wing-mounted (750 rpg = 1,500 total)<br />
<br />
=== Suspended armament ===<br />
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}<br />
<!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' --><br />
{{main|AO-25M-1 (25 kg)|FAB-50sv (50 kg)|FAB-100sv (100 kg)|FAB-250sv (250 kg)}}<br />
{{main|RS-82|RBS-82|RS-132|RBS-132}}<br />
<br />
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:<br />
<br />
* Without load<br />
* 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (400 kg total)<br />
* 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs (300 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs (200 kg total)<br />
* 4 x RS-82 rockets<br />
* 4 x RBS-82 rockets<br />
* 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs + 4 x RS-82 rockets (300 kg total)<br />
* 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs + 4 x RBS-82 rockets (300 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs + 4 x RS-82 rockets (200 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs + 4 x RBS-82 rockets (200 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs + 4 x RS-82 rockets (400 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs + 4 x RBS-82 rockets (400 kg total)<br />
* 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs (500 kg total)<br />
* 4 x RS-132 rockets<br />
* 4 x RBS-132 rockets<br />
* 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs + 4 x RS-132 rockets (300 kg total)<br />
* 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs + 4 x RBS-132 rockets (300 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs + 4 x RS-132 rockets (200 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs + 4 x RBS-132 rockets (200 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs + 4 x RS-132 rockets (400 kg total)<br />
* 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs + 4 x RBS-132 rockets (400 kg total)<br />
<br />
=== Defensive armament ===<br />
{{Specs-Avia-Defensive}}<br />
<!-- ''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.'' --><br />
{{main|Berezin UB (12.7 mm)}}<br />
<br />
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:<br />
<br />
* 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, dorsal turret (150 rpg)<br />
<br />
Operated by a single gunner, the Berezin UB can provide decent coverage of the {{PAGENAME}}'s rear. If an enemy loiters around the IL-2's upper six o' clock, the gunner can have a decent chance of reaching out and hitting, or even downing the enemy plane.<br />
<br />
== Usage in battles ==<br />
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' --><br />
Tactically, as with all IL aircraft, the Avenger is best suited to ground-pounding at low altitude. Avoiding conflict with aircraft is a priority, as, though tanky, the plane will not withstand much-concentrated fire, especially to its wings. When engaging ground targets, approach at a slight climb before nosing down to begin a shallow dive towards them. Bombing in this way will nearly always allow you to get away from the blast wave, and the 1.5-second delay is more than enough for you to gain enough distance, even from the 250 kg bombs. If using both bombs and rockets, lightening the aircraft from the bombs will allow you to more effectively manoeuvre to use rockets before returning to base. Use bombs against tanks and pillboxes, rockets against groups of light armoured vehicles (and occasionally enemy aircraft), and use your machine guns and cannons for AAA, artillery, armoured cars, and enemy aircraft.<br />
<br />
=== Manual Engine Control ===<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | MEC elements<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" | Mixer<br />
! rowspan="2" | Pitch<br />
! colspan="3" | Radiator<br />
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger<br />
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger<br />
|-<br />
! Oil !! Water !! Type<br />
|-<br />
| Controllable || Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Controllable<br>Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable<br>1 gear || Not controllable<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Pros and cons ===<br />
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --><br />
<br />
'''Pros:'''<br />
<br />
* Extraordinarily long WEP time at low altitudes<br />
* Extremely durable<br />
* Rear Gunner<br />
* Stable platform for rocket and strafing runs<br />
* Faster than the regular IL-2M and IL-37<br />
* Wide variety of payloads<br />
* Decent ammo count, even for the cannons<br />
* Can fly without wingtips<br />
<br />
'''Cons:'''<br />
<br />
* Slower than the early IL-2s<br />
* Rear gunner cannot engage targets beneath the plane<br />
* Unmanoeuvrable with bombs<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''<br />
<br />
== Media ==<br />
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''<br />
<br />
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''<br />
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''<br />
* ''topic on the official game forum;''<br />
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''<br />
* ''other literature.''--><br />
<br />
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/195739-ilyushin-il-2m-mstitel-34avenger34/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]<br />
<br />
{{AirManufacturer Ilyushin}}<br />
{{USSR attackers}}<br />
{{USSR premium aircraft}}</div>U3862597https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=IS-2&diff=43125IS-22020-02-01T12:38:18Z<p>U3862597: /* Ammunition */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_is_2_1943}}<br />
{{About<br />
| about = heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''<br />
| and<br />
| usage = the later versions<br />
| link-1 = IS-2 (1944)<br />
| link-2 = IS-2 "Revenge"<br />
}}<br />
== Description ==<br />
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''--><br />
[[File:GarageImage_IS-2.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]<br />
{{break}}<br />
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The IS-2 introduces the heavy-hitting 122 mm D-25 gun as a tank armament, presenting massive firepower with a devastating post-damage effect. Its effect on the battlefield should not be underestimated.<br />
<br />
Operational and visual characteristics of the IS-2, as its design and name suggest, is visually similar to its previous sister-tank, the [[IS-1]] but with operational characteristics of a Tank Destroyer in its Rank and Battle-Rating. Players experienced in operating previous models of the KV series tanks, in particular, the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]] and SU-line of Tank Destroyers should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. <br />
<br />
== General info ==<br />
=== Survivability and armour ===<br />
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?''<br />
<br />
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''--><br />
[[File:IS-2 scheme of armour.jpg|right|thumbnail|x250px|The historical armour layout of the JS/IS-2 for the 1943 and 44 mod's]] <br /><br />
'''Armour type:'''<br />
<br />
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Hull front, Hull side)<br />
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull roof, Engine deck side & rear, Turret roof, Gun mantlet)<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof<br />
|-<br />
| Hull || 120 mm (27-34°) ''Driver's port'' <br> 60 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 100 mm (28-36°) ''Lower glacis'' || 90 - 100 mm (9-25°) ''Top'' <br> 90 mm ''Bottom''|| 60 mm (49-50°) ''Top'' <br> 60 mm (38°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm <br />
|-<br />
| Turret || 100 mm (7-72°) ''Turret front'' <br> 100 mm (5-60°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm (12-22°) || 100 mm (5-35°) || 30 mm <br />
|-<br />
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof <br />
|-<br />
| Cupola || 90 mm || 30 mm<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
'''Notes:'''<br />
<br />
* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.<br />
<br />
The IS-2 has sufficient armour, but will not protect from the guns of its rank. The frontal plate has 120 mm of armour plating, which will not stop anything the IS-2 faces, making slight angle adjustments paramount survivability essential. However, due to a tendency for the driver's viewport to literally absorb the round, most players will not aim here. The LFP has a value of 100 mm angled at 27 degrees, and will not bounce any shots. Since behind the LFP is the driver and the 2 main fuel tanks, a penetrating round will have catastrophic results for the {{PAGENAME}}. The side armour is 90 mm, and observing the front of the tank, it has a noticeable curvature to it. When viewed from the front, the 90 mm of armour will deflect or absorb a high number of shots contrary to the 120 mm plate. Angling with large adjustments will cause the {{PAGENAME}} to render this part useless and make the tank extremely vulnerable. The frontal turret armour is 100 mm with a distinctive "cheek" construction. As with any "cheek" construction, the lower part may act as a shot trap and the middle may absorb shots, but it is more than likely to fail against high-penetration guns. <br />
<br />
=== Mobility ===<br />
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''--><br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic<br />
|-<br />
! Weight (tons)<br />
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor<br>weight (tons)<br />
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="2" | 46.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 45 (AB) <br />
|-<br />
|42 (RB/SB)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" | Mode<br />
!Stock<br />
!Upgraded<br />
|-<br />
|''Arcade''<br />
|671<br />
|827<br />
|-<br />
|''Realistic/Simulator''<br />
|460<br />
|520<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" | Mode<br />
!Stock<br />
!Upgraded<br />
|-<br />
|''Arcade''<br />
|14.59<br />
|17.98<br />
|-<br />
|''Realistic/Simulator''<br />
|10.00<br />
|11.30<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Armaments ==<br />
=== Main armament ===<br />
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''--><br />
{{main|D-25T (122 mm)}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="3" | 28 || -3°/+20° || ±180° || N/A<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)<br />
|-<br />
! style="width:4em" |Mode<br />
! style="width:4em" |Stock<br />
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.<br />
|-<br />
| ''Arcade'' || 8.30 || 11.50 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__<br />
|-<br />
| ''Realistic'' || 8.30 || 9.80 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.<br />
|-<br />
| 27.10 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===== Ammunition =====<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"<br />
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition<br />
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead<br />
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''<br />
|-<br />
! 10m<br />
! 100m<br />
! 500m<br />
! 1000m<br />
! 1500m<br />
! 2000m<br />
|-<br />
| BR-471 || APHE || 205 || 201 || 183 || 162 || 144 || 128 <br />
|-<br />
| BR-471B || APHEBC || 205 || 203 || 191 || 178 || 166 || 155 <br />
|- <br />
| OF-471 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"<br />
! colspan="11" | Shell details<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition<br />
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead<br />
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s<br />
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''<br />
''in m:''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''<br />
''in mm:''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''<br />
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''<br />
|-<br />
! 0%<br />
! 50%<br />
! 100%<br />
|-<br />
| BR-471 || APHE || 795 || 25 || 1.2 || 19 || 246.4 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°<br />
|-<br />
| BR-471B || APHEBC || 795 || 25 || 1.2 || 19 || 246.4 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°<br />
|- <br />
| OF-471 || HE || 800 || 25 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 3,600 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====<br />
[[File:Ammoracks_IS-2.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the IS-2.]]<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo<br />Part<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy<br />
|-<br />
|| '''28''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles''<br />''Propellants'' || 19&nbsp;''(+9)''<br />18&nbsp;''(+10)'' || 14&nbsp;''(+14)''<br />13&nbsp;''(+15)'' || 9&nbsp;''(+19)''<br />9&nbsp;''(+19)'' || 6&nbsp;''(+22)''<br />6&nbsp;''(+22)'' || 3&nbsp;''(+25)''<br />1&nbsp;''(+27)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+27)''<br />1&nbsp;''(+27)'' || style="text-align:left" | No <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Center ammo removed: 18&nbsp;''(+10)''<br />
<br />
=== Machine guns ===<br />
<!--''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''--><br />
{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Usage in the battles ==<br />
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''--><br />
As the tank's design purpose suggests, the IS-2 is a heavy tank built with an emphasis on engaging hostile armoured vehicles as well as a breakthrough tank. The tanks heavy armour retains the similar properties of its [[IS-1]] and previous KV line of battle-tanks but introduces some sloped armour on the front plate and turret mantlet. Differing from its IS-1 predecessor, the IS-2 comes equipped with the large 122mm D-25T gun and a slightly more armoured but elongated turret. Although powerful, the D-25T main cannon of the IS-2 is encumbered by a slow reload time, mimicking that of the Soviet Tank-Destroyer line of vehicles at around the mid-20 seconds. Nevertheless, this vehicle with its powerful cannon and shell will commonly destroy almost all but the most heavily armoured vehicles with a single shot, behaving similarly to the older KV-2 predecessor, albeit with half the time required for reloading. In the tank's Battle-Rating and Rank, the armour of the IS-2 no longer stands up to much punishment with the advent of opponents with more powerful weaponry, and caution should be taken. Close-quarters combat and brawling against more than one target at a time is highly discouraged due to the long reload speed unless the tank operator is trapped and situation requires this as an absolute necessity. Alternatively, if escorted and accompanied by other friendly tanks, the IS-2 can be supplemented and perform better in dire close-quarters situations. <br />
<br />
=== General Gameplay ===<br />
<br />
==== Arcade Battles ====<br />
In Arcade, the IS-2 proves to be quite mobile when fully upgraded. This can be used effectively to get into superior positions to engage enemies early in the match when they haven't yet set-up camp in well-covered positions and/or presented their strongest armour. Thus, it's easy to gain a kill at the start of the match, if you are comfortable with the 122 mm gun.<br />
<br />
Close quarters combat proves even more deadly in Arcade Battles because all opposing vehicles will be able to easily overrun a single IS-2, especially after it has shot and is now waiting through its long reload (> the 20s). Hence why it's advised to use your improved reverse speed to quickly disengage after shooting and retreating towards your teammates, who will likely be able to return fire. If the map forces you to fight in close quarters, attempt to get into a position where your teammates can cover your sides, while you can face forwards and clear the road. If the map allows, you can try taking 5 rounds of ammunition and camp at a capture point (usually one that's given to your team) to snipe all enemies that enter your line of sight while reducing your chances of blowing up at the first incoming shot.<br />
<br />
In rare cases, it's possible to rush with the IS-2 and surprise lighter vehicles at a contested capture point in the early stages of a game. This strategy relies on the capture point being unpopular and being lucky to face only one enemy vehicle at a time. Some light tanks are unable to penetrate the IS-2 frontally, especially if they are from a much lower rank (e.g. [[BT-7]], the [[Sd.Kfz.234/2|Puma]] or the [[R3 T20 FA-HS|R3]]), so that's an added benefit of being a decently mobile heavy tank. If successful, the IS-2 can then flank to other objectives or advance to the enemy spawn to destroy another enemy or two. You shouldn't expect a lot of easy targets with this strategy, because it exposes your tank to potentially a lot of enemy fire.<br />
<br />
==== Realistic Battles ====<br />
In Realistic, the IS-2 begins to feel like a heavy tank. Its mobility is heavily reduced and its speed is outmatched by practically everything, mostly due to poor acceleration off-roads. However, this should be used as an advantage to gauge where the enemies are set-up, by looking where your teammates are killed from. You can then decide to return fire, although sometimes opponents don't show themselves until later in the match, in which case you should stay passive and try to remain behind your team's front lines.<br />
<br />
Due to generally increased map size in Realistic, you will have to get comfortable with the bullet drop. There is an added benefit to that because the following [[IS-3]] and [[IS-4M]] mount the same gun (as does [[T-44-122]] and [[KV-122]], if you have them), and [[T-10M]] has similar bullet drop. Now, the IS-2 performs decently well at longer ranges, but it will cost you a lot if you miss or don't penetrate, because the reload is so long. Often, you will need to rely on the rangefinder, the teammates or map knowledge to gauge how high you need to shoot, so it might be a great idea to take out another vehicle first (such as the [[T-44]] or [[T-34-85]]) remember the distance and then take the IS-2 out. However, on larger maps, it is generally a better idea to take out other vehicles.<br />
<br />
A more reliable strategy for the IS-2 is to camp nearby an objective and pick off any enemies who pose a threat. Just make sure to find a flat spot with cover, because your poor gun depression and long reload will be your death in hilly or open areas. It's also a good idea to target heavy enemies, because they are easier to hit, and also will likely pose a larger threat to your general team (e.g the [[Ferdinand]], the [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]] or the [[Tiger II (H)]] ).<br />
<br />
====General Tactics====<br />
<!--Specific methods of play in different situations, label the methods with pros and cons (if possible) based on vehicle's performances (i.e. Using the M22 Locust and getting close to the target so gun depression cannot reach it.)--><br />
Although classified as a heavy tank and an upgraded improved design over the KV predecessor, the IS-2's armour will no longer hold up to its more common and heavier opponents of its Battle-Rating and Rank. Compared with other vehicles such as the new German Tiger II, American heavy T-series tanks; most of which can easily deflect even the most powerful shots of the IS-2 unless targeted specifically and known weak-spots. Because of this, it is recommended to always travel and fight in groups of two or more vehicles. The slow and difficult in the manoeuvring of the vehicle (especially in confined spaces) will more than once place the IS-2 in significant danger. It is recommended to field the IS-2 into a fire-support role, peeking over the shoulder of friendly, more heavier vehicles and firing a shot against the opposition in tandem. <br />
<br />
Another significant note of this vehicle is the IS-2's considerably fast reverse rate, the highest of its Rank and Battle-Rating for the nation's faction inherited from its IS-1 predecessor, topping at 17 km/h. During situations where engagement is expected, an unorthodox strategy can be utilized where the operator of the IS-2 tank re-positions the vehicle 90 degrees and drive in reverse with the rear-facing towards the enemy. By driving in reverse this way, the engine blocks make a crude yet somewhat effective shield to protect the more delicate crew members. As the fuel tanks are mostly stored at the front on the left and right side of the driver's station, the risk of fire and fuel-tank explosion is reduced significantly (but not completely eliminated) and thus, the tank is able to resist even the most powerful of shots. Be aware that more experienced players may attempt to instead fire at the more exposed turret of the IS tank and instantly knocking out the crew with a common APHE penetrating shell in this way.<br />
<br />
In regards to shells, the D-25T cannon is also equipped with powerful High Explosive (HE) Shells which should not go ignored. Firing a HE shell with precise aim directly underneath the chassis of enemy vehicles were the armour, like on the top of the vehicle if thinnest, can cripple or instantly destroy said enemy vehicles. In rare instances, the HE shell of the D-25T is so powerful to the point two or more medium or heavy tanks close to each other can be destroyed with a single exploding HE Shell.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orjvoBexPd4</ref> Alternatively, the powerful armour-piercing capability of the D-25T cannon's APHE rounds has also been documented to pierce two or three light-armoured targets without exploding, claiming hull-break wins. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpXjG9ORxTI</ref><br />
<br />
====Specific enemies worth noting====<br />
<!--Some concerning vehicles to worry about if playing this tank and how to fight them in an encounter. (i.e. Tiger II - shoot the turret cheeks)--><br />
German Tiger IIs, Panthers will be common encounters at the IS-2's Battle-Rating and Rank, combined with the more threatening and heavier American T-Series tanks such as the T34 and M26. At this Battle Rating and Rank, more powerful British Tanks such as the Centurions will be encountered. As previously specified above, The IS-2 no longer retains its armour advantage in this Battle-Rating and Rank un-likes its IS-1 predecessor and thus, it is important to identify and fire on targets first before they do. In this rank, Tanks such as the Panthers, Tiger II and similar vehicles will be present with sloped armour, strong enough to even withstand the might of the 122mm Shells of the D-25T gun. A common design flaw, however, is the turret of said vehicles, commonly being mostly blunt and flat and easy to penetrate. A patient and well placed aim and shot against these surfaces will destroy the target with no more than a single shot. Be aware that most opposition vehicles at this rank have the lower calibre and puncturing power than the D-25T of the IS-2, but come with an improved reload speed, a reload speed commonly faster than the IS-2. Japanese line of tanks at the same rank as the IS-2 is of little concern; their poor armour and armaments at the same rank will render them relatively easy to destroy.<br />
<br />
Another specific enemy vehicle worth noting is the German [[Ferdinand]] Tank Destroyer. Most new players in Rank IV battles fielding the IS-2 may commonly mistake the front armour of the Ferdinand as appearing as thin as similar-looking tank destroyers such the [[Nashorn]] and are commonly caught unaware that almost the entire front of the Ferdinand consists entirely of heavy 100mm and 200mm plate armour, the largest being the fighting compartment located behind the driving compartment. Due to it being such a large target, many players including both IS-2 users and other vehicle type users alike will be tempted into firing at that portion expecting easy wins, only for almost all shots to be absorbed, even the powerful shells of the D-25T. It is recommended to avoid engaging the Ferdinand or ignore it entirely. If the opportunity arises, Ferdinand's weaker side and rear armour should be targeted (80mm).<br />
<br />
=== The Stock Grind ===<br />
When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's '''a priority to research Parts and FPE''' (you may want to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups to be able to respawn twice in one match if you really wish to upgrade this vehicle quickly).<br />
<br />
General stock grind advice:<br />
<br />
* Don't show your rear to any enemies, because a single fire will be your death.<br />
* Your gun is still very effective, so don't be afraid to attack enemies frontally, just make sure to aim for weak-spots if possible.<br />
** Shooting at planes in Arcade with your machine gun (or main gun) and scoring some hits can often award you a kill if the plane crashes, which grants points.<br />
* Play as a support tank - push with your team and let them take fire, then poke out and take your shots, then retreat back into cover.<br />
** Try to push into objectives with your team to gain those points as well.<br />
<br />
=== Pros and cons ===<br />
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''--><br />
'''Pros:'''<br />
<br />
* Excellent firepower with nearly unmatched one-shot potential<br />
* Good mobility<br />
* Very fast reverse speed<br />
* Repositioning of fuel tanks reduces chances of fires<br />
* Players proficient with the KV-2 and Soviet Heavy Tank Destroyers will feel comfortable with the IS-2<br />
<br />
''' Cons:'''<br />
<br />
* Extremely poor gun depression (as most Russian tankers will be accustomed to)<br />
* Very low rate of fire<br />
* Sub-par armour for a heavy tank, inherited from the IS-1<br />
* Poor manoeuvrability, very bad hull traverse speed, often needing forward acceleration before turning<br />
* Slow turret traverse speed<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''--><br />
===Development===<br />
The effort began on another heavy tank after the [[IS-1]]'s 85 mm gun no longer had a firepower advantage after the standard [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] medium tank was upgraded with the same gun into the [[T-34-85]]. Due to that, the IS-1 was discontinued in January 1944 with about 107 units produced.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> Those in storage still awaited upgrade to become a more powerful heavy tank.<br />
<br />
In late 1943, the upgrade of the IS tank began and the choices available were rounded down to two weapons, the 122 mm A-19 gun and the 100 mm D-10 gun. Both guns had their advantages and disadvantages in their specifications, the 100 mm D-10 had a much better armour penetration capabilities and uses a single-piece ammunition, the 122 mm A-19 has a better high-explosive round and used a two-piece ammunition In the end, the 122 mm A-19 (adopted as the D-25T) gun was chosen as the gun of the new IS tank due to larger supply of the gun available for use (the D-10 was a newly produced gun) and the better high-explosive round available. The better high-explosive round is due to the heavy tank's specification as a "breakthrough" tank than an anti-tank role, so it was meant to fight fortifications more than against armour. Nevertheless, against armour, the 122 mm gun proved a very lethal cannon against armour, having the capacity to knock out any German tanks fielded in the war, even the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], though the ease of knocking them out vary from their armour protection. <br />
<br />
The 122 mm gun's two-piece ammunition was perhaps the gun's worst drawback, this along with the heavy shells and charges that it uses causes reloading speed to only be one and a half rounds per minute maximum. Even after some modernization to the gun including a semi-automatic breech, the firing rate only increased to two to three rounds per minute. Another drawback of the gun was the size of the ammunition that the 122 mm gun uses, the IS tank interior could only hold 28 of such ammunition, which restricts the time the IS could last in battle before requiring a resupply. In battle, the usual distribution of the shells is 20 high-explosive and 8 armour-piercing rounds.<br />
<br />
The finished IS tank with the 122 mm gun, first called the ''IS-122'', was finally approved and renamed the '''IS-2''' heavy tank, some were rearmed IS-1s from the factory with the 122 mm gun. The IS-2 tank, like the IS-1, was superior to the previous [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] tanks used in the Red Army. Production of the IS-2 started in October or November 1943 and by the end of World War II when production ended, a total of 3,854 units were produced.<br />
<br />
===Design===<br />
The IS-2 tank hull was similar to the IS-1 tank, but the turret was modified to accommodate the larger 122 mm D-25T gun. The suspension was a torsion-bar suspension system and the tank was powered by a diesel V2-IC engine. The drivetrain and the engine were taken from the KV-1 tank, yet was considerably more mobile. The armour on the IS-2 was a 120 mm thick front plate sloped at 60 degrees with a small step in the front for the driver's hatch. This '''"early version"''', developed from the KV-13 design, was produced from the initial production lines until some time in late 1944, where a '''[[IS-2 (1944)|IS-2 mod. 1944]]''' version was modified with the front plate now a single sloped 120 mm plate at 60 degrees with no interruptions in order to eliminate shot traps and weaknesses in the armour design. Other design changes when the IS-2 was upgraded to the 1944 model was a stronger gun mount, wider mantlet, and an addition of a Dshk machine gun on the turret. The formidable armour of the IS-2 is able to withstand the 88 mm shells from the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] at 1,000 meters out, yet the whole tank weighs less than the Panther at only 46 tons. Despite its construction, the IS-2 was still quite crude in quality and can have signs of being hastily built from the factories. This did not affect its battlefield performance greatly and the crude construction is merely a side effect of the fast production of the tanks to fill battlefield demands.<br />
<br />
===Combat usage===<br />
The IS-2 first saw action in early 1944. The IS-2 was organized in heavy tank regiments, each with 21 tanks. Their role was to spearhead the offensives launched at each sector, breaking through enemy emplacements and supporting the infantry by destroying enemy fortifications, they were not meant to exploit breakthroughs and this role was given to the lighter [[T-34-85|T-34]] tanks. Their first reported action was in April 1944 in the 11th Special Guards Heavy Tank Regiment near Tarnopol, Ukraine. The IS-2 presented such a surprise to the Germans as no Soviet tanks before could engage with accurate fire from more than 3 kilometres away. A bigger shock was when they found out the 88 mm of the Tiger I couldn't adequately penetrate their armour. The IS-2 initial combat experience was limited due to the inexperienced crew and organization, but more and more IS-2 started to come in to reinforce the Soviet forces.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref><br />
<br />
The IS-2's next great effort was in Operation Bagration in July 1944. By this time period, the heavy tank regiments were allocated to one for each tank corps. During Operation Bagration, the IS-2 combat effort contributed to the decimation of the German Army Group Center. The IS-2 was able to deal with the troublesome German Panther and Tiger I tanks with ease. By December 1944, enough IS-2 was produced that the Soviets began outfitting them to Guards heavy tank brigades, consisting of 65 IS-2 tanks with other vehicles for support. Though the number of these brigades were still limited, they proved valuable in breaking through German lines, as used in January 1945 against the German in the Oder Offensive. It should be noted that despite having a role similar to the Tiger heavy tank battalions in the German service, they are produced in far greater numbers to enforce every tank corp with one heavy tank regiment that allowed even the IS-2 to overwhelm German defences. The IS-2 continued to see combat service for the Red Army all the way to the Battle of Berlin and the end of World War II.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> T<br />
<br />
After World War II, the IS-2 production was replaced by the more heavily armoured [[IS-3]], but the IS-2 stayed in service up until 1982 due to modernization efforts on the IS-2. This modernized IS-2 was named the ''IS-2M'' and were done in the mid-1950s. These modernization efforts added external fuel tanks and stowage bins onto the hull and protective skirts on the edges of the tracks. The IS-2 was finally placed into storage in the 1990s and were kept in reserves or sold out as scrap metal.<br />
<br />
Like most of Soviet Union's military hardware, the IS-2 was given out to the Warsaw Pact nations as supplies. The IS-2 was thus lent out to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, China, North Vietnam, and maybe North Korea. Later in 1960, a shipment of IS-2 was also sent to Cuba, these were converted into bunkers and coastal defences as spare parts for the tank never made it to Cuba due to the US blockade imposed in 1962.<br />
<br />
=== In-game description ===<br />
The most powerful tank deployed in combat in World War II. The Iosif Stalin IS-2 was developed in the summer of 1943 at the same time as the IS-1 heavy tank armed with an 85 mm cannon. Thanks to its thick armour and high firepower, the IS-2 was a worthy opponent to German heavy tanks. The vehicle's basic armament consisted of the powerful 122 mm D-25T cannon with separate shell loading. The 122 mm weapon's penetration and firing accuracy were quite high. The standard-issue BR-471 sharp-nosed armour-piercing shells allowed it to penetrate the frontal armour of all German tanks.<br />
<br />
The tank's layout was standard, with the transmission in the rear. The tank's hull was a fully welded armoured box made of cast and rolled armour.<br />
<br />
The hull's nose and the under turret box were made of cast pieces. It's base, sides, rear and roof were rolled steel. The turret had a streamlined shape and was cast steel. Its sides contained small hatches with armoured covers for shooting through with small arms.<br />
<br />
Around 450 of them were made between December 1943 and May 1944.<br />
<br />
Tanks of this model played a large role in the battles of 1944-1945, particularly excelling in storming cities.<br />
<br />
The IS-2's flaws limiting its anti-tank capabilities included its small ammunition supply consisting of 28 shots and its cannon's separate loading, which decreased its rate of fire. Its first battles revealed that the tank's frontal hull armour was insufficient.<br />
<br />
The new heavy tanks were provided to Czechoslovakian units and the Polish Army, which participated in the final stage of the Great Patriotic War.<br />
<br />
== Media ==<br />
<!--''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''--><br />
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23is2 Skins and camouflages for the IS-2 from live.warthunder.com].<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
== Read also ==<br />
<!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''<br />
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''<br />
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''<br />
''ETC.''--><br />
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2673/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Iosif Stalin 2]<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''<br />
<br />
* ''topic on the official game forum;''<br />
* ''other literature.''<br />
<br />
{{USSR heavy tanks}}</div>U3862597https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=IS-2_(1944)&diff=43123IS-2 (1944)2020-02-01T12:34:51Z<p>U3862597: /* Ammunition */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_is_2_1944}}<br />
{{About<br />
| about = heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''<br />
| other<br />
| usage-1 = the early version<br />
| usage-2 = the premium version<br />
| link-1 = IS-2 <br />
| link-2 = IS-2 "Revenge"<br />
}}<br />
== Description ==<br />
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' --><br />
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]<br />
{{break}} <br />
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].<br />
<br />
The IS-2 mod. 1944 was created after the initial disadvantages of the previous [[IS-2]] model (IS-2 mod. 1943), being vulnerable against the 75mm guns of the German StuGs and Panzer IVs due to the nearly flat frontal armour. The Soviet high command then decided to produce another version of the IS-2 with a heavily sloped armour plate, generally known as the IS-2 mod. 1944. It was used successfully on the Eastern front until the end of the war and is remembered as one of the mightiest tanks of World War 2.<br />
<br />
In the game, the IS-2 mod. 1944 sits at a BR of 6.3, which is 0.6 higher than the first [[IS-2]]. It now features a mighty frontal plate, sloped at 61° backwards and also a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun on top for AA-defense. It has the same gun as its predecessor, but even at BR 6.3, it is one of the most destructive guns in the game, with high penetration and devastating post-penetration damage.<br />
<br />
== General info ==<br />
=== Survivability and armour ===<br />
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?''<br />
<br />
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' --><br />
The armour, while having a nigh-impenetrable front plate and a decent turret, has many weak spots.<br />
<br />
First, there is the right part of the turret because while on the left side the gun mantlet is connected to the turret armour, there is no mantlet on the right-hand side, so it has just half the thickness of the left side.<br />
<br />
Next, we have the lower glacis, which is a very prominent target, with very little armour for its BR (~130mm effective thickness). Shots of a German 88 mm or an American 90 mm will wreak your IS-2 1944.<br />
<br />
Last but not least, we have the driver's hatch. While not as prominent as the first two mentioned, many experienced players will go for a shot right here, when you are hull-down. With around 120 mm effective thickness, it is really easy to penetrate even with small guns such as the American 76 mm and has a devastating effect on your tank.<br />
<br />
=== Mobility ===<br />
<!--Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.--><br />
The forward and reverse acceleration on the {{PAGENAME}} is quite superb even when stock. However, the {{PAGENAME}} suffer especially when attempting to turn. Speed will bleed out very quickly when turning, this can lead to difficulty when attempting to turn at low speed and so will require the tank to move forwards until it reaches a good speed to turn adequately to respond to any targets not at the direct hull front.<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic<br />
|-<br />
! Weight (tons)<br />
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor<br>weight (tons)<br />
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="2" | 46.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | 0.15 || colspan="1" | 45 (AB) <br />
|-<br />
|42 (RB/SB)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" | Mode<br />
!Stock<br />
!Upgraded<br />
|-<br />
|''Arcade''<br />
|671<br />
|827<br />
|-<br />
|''Realistic/Simulator''<br />
|460<br />
|520<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" | Mode<br />
!Stock<br />
!Upgraded<br />
|-<br />
|''Arcade''<br />
|14.59<br />
|17.92<br />
|-<br />
|''Realistic/Simulator''<br />
|10.00<br />
|11.27<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Armaments ==<br />
=== Main armament ===<br />
<!--Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.--><br />
{{main|D-25T (122 mm)}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="3" | 28 || -3°/+20° || ±180° || N/A<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)<br />
|-<br />
! style="width:4em" |Mode<br />
! style="width:4em" |Stock<br />
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.<br />
|-<br />
| ''Arcade'' || 8.3 || 11.5 || 19.0 || 22.1 || __.__<br />
|-<br />
| ''Realistic'' || 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || __.__<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.<br />
|-<br />
| 27.1 || 24.0 || 22.1 || __.__<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===== Ammunition =====<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"<br />
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition<br />
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead<br />
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''<br />
|-<br />
! 10m<br />
! 100m<br />
! 500m<br />
! 1000m<br />
! 1500m<br />
! 2000m<br />
|-<br />
| BR-471 || APHE || 205 || 201 || 183 || 162 || 144 || 128 <br />
|-<br />
| BR-471B || APHEBC || 205 || 203 || 191 || 178 || 166 || 155 <br />
|- <br />
| OF-471 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"<br />
! colspan="11" | Shell details<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition<br />
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead<br />
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s<br />
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''<br />
''in m:''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''<br />
''in mm:''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''<br />
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''<br />
|-<br />
! 0%<br />
! 50%<br />
! 100%<br />
|-<br />
| BR-471 || APHE || 795 || 25 || 1.2 || 19 || 246.4 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°<br />
|-<br />
| BR-471B || APHEBC || 795 || 25 || 1.2 || 19 || 246.4 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°<br />
|- <br />
| OF-471 || HE || 800 || 25 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 3,600 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====<br />
[[File:Ammoracks_IS-2.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the IS-2.]]<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo<br />Part<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy<br />
|-<br />
|| '''28''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles''<br />''Propellants'' || 19&nbsp;''(+9)''<br />18&nbsp;''(+10)'' || 14&nbsp;''(+14)''<br />13&nbsp;''(+15)'' || 9&nbsp;''(+19)''<br />9&nbsp;''(+19)'' || 6&nbsp;''(+22)''<br />6&nbsp;''(+22)'' || 3&nbsp;''(+25)''<br />1&nbsp;''(+27)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+27)''<br />1&nbsp;''(+27)'' || style="text-align:left" | No <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Center ammo removed: 18&nbsp;''(+10)''<br />
<br />
=== Machine guns ===<br />
<!--Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.--><br />
{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|DT (7.62 mm)}}<br />
<br />
The machine gun armament of the {{PAGENAME}} is vastly improved from the [[IS-2|previous iteration]] due to the presence of a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun on a pintle-mount. This allows not only a better ability to defend against aircraft, but as an alternative offensive capability to the slow-firing 122 mm gun. Penetrating more than 20 mm of armour from at maximum 500 metres, the DShK is great to attack lightly armoured vehicles. The coaxial gun in this case has little use aside from an harassing tool against an armored enemy or foliage clearing device against fences that may be in the way. Still, these two machine guns should not be neglected from the arsenal of the {{PAGENAME}}.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Usage in battles ==<br />
<!-- Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB). --><br />
The IS-2 '44 is a definite improvement on its predecessor, the [[IS-2]]. Most notably the frontal armour now features a slope, which can bounce or outright block some rounds, although the 0.6 Battle Rating increase seems slightly too much. This iteration of the IS-2 also features a roof-mounted machine gun that can be used to attack aircraft without moving your turret (by using weapon selection keys set in the controls). Otherwise, the IS-2 '44 is identical to the IS-2.<br />
<br />
=== General Gameplay ===<br />
At Battle Rating 6.3 you will see Tiger II (H) and Panther II a lot, as well as much more heavily armoured vehicles such as the Jagdtiger, the Ferdinand, the T32 and the T95 (in an up-tier). These tanks are near-impossible to penetrate frontally, so you will have to try to flank them. Otherwise, the gameplay remains the same as with the previous IS-2. <br />
<br />
Overall, you shouldn't over-extend into enemy territory because your reload is still slow; you should play off of your teammates and use your great reverse speed to get out of line of sight as soon as you shot, or have been shot; you should have fun with the 122 mm gun that blows roofs off of most enemies you penetrate. Flanking is best done in Arcade, while in Realistic you're better of setting up ambushes at a medium distance away from main pathways.<br />
<br />
==== Arcade Battles ====<br />
In Arcade, the IS-2 proves to be quite mobile when fully upgraded. This can be used effectively to get into superior positions to engage enemies early in the match when they haven't yet set-up camp in well-covered positions and/or presented their strongest armour. Thus, it's easy to gain a kill at the start of the match, if you are comfortable with the 122 mm gun.<br />
<br />
Close quarters combat proves even more deadly in Arcade Battles because all opposing vehicles will be able to easily overrun a single IS-2, especially after it has shot and is now waiting through it long reloads (> the 20s). Hence why it's advised to use your improved reverse speed to quickly disengage after shooting and retreating towards your teammates, who will likely be able to return fire. If the map forces you to fight in close quarters, attempt to get into a position where your teammates can cover your sides, while you can face forwards and clear the road. If the map allows, you can try taking 5 rounds of ammunition and camp at a capture point (usually one that's given to your team) to snipe all enemies that enter your line of sight while reducing your chances of blowing up at the first incoming shot.<br />
<br />
In rare cases, it's possible to rush with the IS-2 and surprise lighter vehicles at a contested capture point in the early stages of a game. This strategy relies on the capture point being unpopular and being lucky to face only one enemy vehicle at a time. Some light tanks are unable to penetrate the IS-2 frontally, especially if they are from a much lower rank (e.g. [[BT-7]], the [[Sd.Kfz.234/2|Puma]] or the [[R3 T20 FA-HS|R3]]), so that's an added benefit of being a decently mobile heavy tank. If successful, the IS-2 can then flank to other objectives or advance to the enemy spawn to destroy another enemy or two. You shouldn't expect a lot of easy targets with this strategy, because it exposes your tank to potentially a lot of enemy fire.<br />
<br />
==== Realistic Battles ====<br />
In Realistic, the IS-2 begins to feel like a heavy tank. Its mobility is heavily reduced and its speed is outmatched by practically everything, mostly due to poor acceleration off-roads. However, this should be used as an advantage to gauge where the enemies are set-up, by looking where your teammates are killed from. You can then decide to return fire, although sometimes opponents don't show themselves until later in the match, in which case you should stay passive and try to remain behind your team's front lines.<br />
<br />
Due to generally increased map size in Realistic, you will have to get comfortable with the bullet drop. There is an added benefit to that because the following [[IS-3]] and [[IS-4M]] mount the same gun (as does [[T-44-122]] and [[KV-122]], if you have them), and [[T-10M]] has similar bullet drop. Now, the IS-2 performs decently well at longer ranges, but it will cost you a lot if you miss or don't penetrate, because the reload is so long. Often, you will need to rely on the rangefinder, the teammates or map knowledge to gauge how high you need to shoot, so it might be a great idea to take out another vehicle first (such as the [[T-44]] or [[T-34-85]]) remember the distance and then take the IS-2 out. However, on larger maps, it is generally a better idea to take out other vehicles.<br />
<br />
A more reliable strategy for the IS-2 is to camp nearby an objective and pick off any enemies who pose a threat. Just make sure to find a flat spot with cover, because your poor gun depression and long reload will be your death in hilly or open areas. It's also a good idea to target heavy enemies, because they are easier to hit, and also will likely pose a larger threat to your general team (e.g the [[Ferdinand]], the [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]] or the [[Tiger II (H)]] ).<br />
<br />
====General Tactics====<br />
<!--Specific methods of play in different situations, label the methods with pros and cons (if possible) based on vehicle's performances (i.e. Using the M22 Locust and getting close to the target so gun depression cannot reach it.)--><br />
Although classified as a heavy tank and an upgraded improved design over the KV predecessor, the IS-2's armour will no longer hold up to its more common and heavier opponents of its Battle-Rating and Rank. Compared with other vehicles such as the new German Tiger II, American heavy T-series tanks; most of which can easily deflect even the most powerful shots of the IS-2 unless targeted specifically and known weak-spots. Because of this, it is recommended to always travel and fight in groups of two or more vehicles. The slow and difficult in the manoeuvring of the vehicle (especially in confined spaces) will more than once place the IS-2 in significant danger. It is recommended to field the IS-2 into a fire-support role, peeking over the shoulder of friendly, more heavier vehicles and firing a shot against the opposition in tandem. <br />
<br />
Another significant note of this vehicle is the IS-2's considerably fast reverse rate, the highest of its Rank and Battle-Rating for the nation's faction inherited from its IS-1 predecessor, topping at 17 km/h. During situations where engagement is expected, an unorthodox strategy can be utilized where the operator of the IS-2 tank re-positions the vehicle 90 degrees and drive in reverse with the rear-facing towards the enemy. By driving in reverse this way, the engine blocks make a crude yet somewhat effective shield to protect the more delicate crew members. As the fuel tanks are mostly stored at the front on the left and right side of the driver's station, the risk of fire and fuel-tank explosion is reduced significantly (but not completely eliminated) and thus, the tank is able to resist even the most powerful of shots. Be aware that more experienced players may attempt to instead fire at the more exposed turret of the IS tank and instantly knocking out the crew with a common APHE penetrating shell in this way.<br />
<br />
In regards to shells, the D-25T cannon is also equipped with powerful High Explosive (HE) Shells which should not go ignored. Firing a HE shell with precise aim directly underneath the chassis of enemy vehicles were the armour, like on the top of the vehicle if thinnest, can cripple or instantly destroy said enemy vehicles. In rare instances, the HE shell of the D-25T is so powerful to the point two or more medium or heavy tanks close to each other can be destroyed with a single exploding HE Shell.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orjvoBexPd4</ref> Alternatively, the powerful armour-piercing capability of the D-25T cannon's APHE rounds has also been documented to pierce two or three light-armoured targets without exploding, claiming hull-break wins. <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpXjG9ORxTI</ref><br />
<br />
=== Moving from IS-2 to IS-2 (1944) ===<br />
This section will go into more detail about the differences between fighting with this machine, the challenge is that some of the enemies which can be faced are simply impenetrable frontally. You will have to either have to run or outflank them! However, it is critically important to watch your flanks, due to the other enemies which will also be facing, trying to outflank you and hit you in your sides! <br />
because of the saturation of good and highly mobile vehicles that other nations have at this Battle Rating such as: [[Ru_251]], [[Panther_(Disambiguation)| Panther tanks]], [[Tiger_II_(H)|Tiger II (H)]], [[Caernarvon]], [[T34]], [[AMX_M4|AMX M4]] and many more.<br />
<br />
==== Specific Enemies Worth Noting ====<br />
These are new (or common) vehicles you will see in this tank. Read the specific enemies section in the IS-2 article to get a full run-down.<br />
<br />
* ☠ T32 - You have to go for the MG port in the lower left of the UFP, otherwise you can only penetrate the side armour or the rear.<br />
* ☠ T28 - You can only penetrate the cupolas on top of the tank. If they're hidden or you are unsure about the shot, you can try hitting the cannon barrel and running away.<br />
* ☠ Ferdinand - Go for the angled armour at the sides of the lower front plate (below the casemate, but above the lowest plates), this will disable Ferdinand's engine and/or driver, so you can flank and finish it off.<br />
* ☠ Jagdtiger - You cannot reliably penetrate or damage this tank frontally. You can try disabling the cannon barrel, and then flanking is your best option (or running away).<br />
* ☠ Conqueror - Shoot the hull, don't shoot the turret.<br />
* ☠ Ho-Ri Production - You cannot reliably penetrate or damage this tank frontally. You can try disabling the cannon barrel and then flanking is your best option (or running).<br />
* ☠ AMX-50 Foch - You cannot reliably penetrate or damage this tank frontally. You can try disabling the cannon barrel and then flanking is your best option (or running).<br />
* T34 / T29 - Turret cheeks can work, although it's best to go for the LFP because the ammo storage is very low in the tank. If you don't see the LFP, try going just below the turret ring, where the driver sits.<br />
* Tiger II (H) / Panther II - You can easily penetrate the turret cheeks with BR-471B.<br />
* Panther D, A, G, F - You can penetrate the UFP <!-- It's right, but only if the panther isn't angled --><br />
* Tortoise - Shoot to the right of the gun of the Tortoise, when you see it head-on if shoot on the left plate there is a chance of a one-shot <br />
* AMX-50 Surbaissé - Go for the LFP.<br />
<br />
=== The Stock Grind ===<br />
When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's '''a priority to research Parts and FPE''' (you may want to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups to be able to respawn twice in one match if you really wish to upgrade this vehicle quickly).<br />
<br />
General stock grind advice:<br />
<br />
* Don't show your rear to any enemies, because a single fire will be your death.<br />
* Your gun is still very effective, so don't be afraid to attack enemies frontally, just make sure to aim for weak-spots if possible.<br />
** Shooting at planes in Arcade with your machine gun (or main gun) and scoring some hits can often award you a kill if the plane crashes, which grants points.<br />
* Play as a support tank - push with your team and let them take fire, then poke out and take your shots, then retreat back into cover.<br />
** Try to push into objectives with your team to gain those points as well.<br />
<br />
=== Pros and cons ===<br />
<!-- Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they can be substituted with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective". --><br />
<br />
'''Pros:'''<br />
<br />
* Great 122 mm D-25T gun, featuring good penetration and devastating post-penetration damage<br />
* Extremely strong upper glacis, with about 230 mm effective thickness, sloped at 61°<br />
* Superb reverse speed (18 kph)<br />
* Decently mobile for a tank of its size<br />
* 12.7 mm machine gun on top against planes<br />
* Decent turret armour on the left side<br />
* Angled armour can bounce some unexpected shells<br />
* Playing the tank while stock isn't bad due to great 122 mm firepower<br />
<br />
'''Cons:'''<br />
<br />
* Long reload for its main gun (27 seconds without crew skills)<br />
* Many weak spots (Driver's hatch, lower glacis, the right side of the turret)<br />
* Only four crew members<br />
* Worse optics than its predecessor<br />
* Can't side scrape, due to its cheeks<br />
* Ammo capacity for the MG on top is low, only 250 rounds<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's devblog entry (if applicable) and the ingame encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''--><br />
===Development===<br />
The effort began on another heavy tank after the [[IS-1]]'s 85 mm gun no longer had a firepower advantage after the standard [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] medium tank was upgraded with the same gun into the [[T-34-85]]. Due to that, the IS-1 was discontinued in January 1944 with about 107 units produced.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> Those in storage still awaited upgrade to become a more powerful heavy tank.<br />
<br />
In late 1943, the upgrade of the IS tank began and the choices available were rounded down to two weapons, the 122 mm A-19 gun and the 100 mm D-10 gun. Both guns had their advantages and disadvantages in their specifications, the 100 mm D-10 had a much better armour penetration capabilities and uses a single-piece ammunition, the 122 mm A-19 has a better high-explosive round and used a two-piece ammunition In the end, the 122 mm A-19 (adopted as the D-25T) gun was chosen as the gun of the new IS tank due to larger supply of the gun available for use (the D-10 was a newly produced gun) and the better high-explosive round available. The better high-explosive round is due to the heavy tank's specification as a "breakthrough" tank than an anti-tank role, so it was meant to fight fortifications more than against armour. Nevertheless, against armour, the 122 mm gun proved a very lethal cannon against armour, having the capacity to knock out any German tanks fielded in the war, even the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], though the ease of knocking them out vary from their armour protection. <br />
<br />
The 122 mm gun's two-piece ammunition was perhaps the gun's worst drawback, this along with the heavy shells and charges that it uses causes reloading speed to only be one and a half rounds per minute maximum. Even after some modernization to the gun including a semi-automatic breech, the firing rate only increased to two to three rounds per minute. Another drawback of the gun was the size of the ammunition that the 122 mm gun uses, the IS tank interior could only hold 28 of such ammunition, which restricts the time the IS could last in battle before requiring a resupply. In battle, the usual distribution of the shells is 20 high-explosive and 8 armour-piercing rounds.<br />
<br />
The finished IS tank with the 122 mm gun, first called the ''IS-122'', was finally approved and renamed the '''IS-2''' heavy tank, some were rearmed IS-1s from the factory with the 122 mm gun. The IS-2 tank, like the IS-1, was superior to the previous [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] tanks used in the Red Army. Production of the IS-2 started in October or November 1943 and by the end of World War II when production ended, a total of 3,854 units were produced.<br />
<br />
===Design===<br />
The IS-2 tank hull was similar to the IS-1 tank, but the turret was modified to accommodate the larger 122 mm D-25T gun. The suspension was a torsion-bar suspension system and the tank was powered by a diesel V2-IC engine. The drivetrain and the engine were taken from the KV-1 tank, yet was considerably more mobile. The armour on the IS-2 was a 120 mm thick front plate sloped at 60 degrees with a small step in the front for the driver's hatch. This [[IS-2|"early version"]], developed from the KV-13 design, was produced from the initial production lines until some time in late 1944, where a '''[[IS-2 (1944)|IS-2 mod. 1944]]''' version was modified with the front plate now a single sloped 120 mm plate at 60 degrees with no interruptions in order to eliminate shot traps and weaknesses in the armour design. Other design changes when the IS-2 was upgraded to the 1944 model was a stronger gun mount, wider mantlet, and an addition of a Dshk machine gun on the turret. The formidable armour of the IS-2 is able to withstand the 88 mm shells from the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] at 1,000 meters out, yet the whole tank weighs less than the Panther at only 46 tons. Despite its construction, the IS-2 was still quite crude in quality and can have signs of being hastily built from the factories. This did not affect its battlefield performance greatly and the crude construction is merely a side effect of the fast production of the tanks to fill battlefield demands.<br />
<br />
===Combat usage===<br />
The IS-2 first saw action in early 1944. The IS-2 was organized in heavy tank regiments, each with 21 tanks. Their role was to spearhead the offensives launched at each sector, breaking through enemy emplacements and supporting the infantry by destroying enemy fortifications, they were not meant to exploit breakthroughs and this role was given to the lighter [[T-34-85|T-34]] tanks. Their first reported action was in April 1944 in the 11th Special Guards Heavy Tank Regiment near Tarnopol, Ukraine. The IS-2 presented such a surprise to the Germans as no Soviet tanks before could engage with accurate fire from more than 3 kilometres away. A bigger shock was when they found out the 88 mm of the Tiger I couldn't adequately penetrate their armour. The IS-2 initial combat experience was limited due to the inexperienced crew and organization, but more and more IS-2 started to come in to reinforce the Soviet forces.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref><br />
<br />
The IS-2's next great effort was in Operation Bagration in July 1944. By this time period, the heavy tank regiments were allocated to one for each tank corps. During Operation Bagration, the IS-2 combat effort contributed to the decimation of the German Army Group Center. The IS-2 was able to deal with the troublesome German Panther and Tiger I tanks with ease. By December 1944, enough IS-2 was produced that the Soviets began outfitting them to Guards heavy tank brigades, consisting of 65 IS-2 tanks with other vehicles for support. Though the number of these brigades were still limited, they proved valuable in breaking through German lines, as used in January 1945 against the German in the Oder Offensive. It should be noted that despite having a role similar to the Tiger heavy tank battalions in the German service, they are produced in far greater numbers to enforce every tank corp with one heavy tank regiment that allowed even the IS-2 to overwhelm German defences. The IS-2 continued to see combat service for the Red Army all the way to the Battle of Berlin and the end of World War II.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> <br />
<br />
After World War II, the IS-2 production was replaced by the more heavily armoured [[IS-3]]; however, the IS-2 stayed in service up until 1982 due to modernization efforts on the IS-2. This modernized IS-2 was named the ''IS-2M'' and was done in the mid-1950s. These modernization efforts added external fuel tanks and stowage bins onto the hull and protective skirts on the edges of the tracks. The IS-2s were finally placed into storage in the 1990s and were kept in reserves or sold out as scrap metal.<br />
<br />
Like most of Soviet Union's military hardware, the IS-2 was given out to the Warsaw Pact nations as supplies. The IS-2 was thus lent out to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, China, North Vietnam, and maybe North Korea. Later in 1960, a shipment of IS-2 was also sent to Cuba, which were converted into bunkers and coastal defences as spare parts for the tank never made it to Cuba due to the US blockade imposed in 1962.<br />
<br />
=== In-game description ===<br />
In 1944, the IS-2 was modernised. The new model had a flattened sloping frontal hull, and a slot covered with a glass brick was installed to replace the driver's observation hatch. This increased the front hull projection's defences. A high-calibre 12.7 mm anti-aircraft DShK machine gun was attached on a trunnion fixed to the command cupola's traverse circle.<br />
The turret could be rotated mechanically and electrically. With electric drive activated, its maximum speed reached 2.4 revs/min.<br />
<br />
The IS-2 was advantageous for its economy and relatively low material requirements in general. With a mass of 46 t, the Soviet tank was far better protected than the German Panther. It also surpassed the 55 tonne Tiger I in this regard and was only somewhat inferior to the 68 tonne Tiger II. Its design had some serious flaws. Its tight layout meant that some of the fuel tanks had to be placed in the fighting compartment and there was no space for a driver's hatch, which often led to an injured tanker being unable to quickly leave a burning tank.<br />
On the whole, the new tank met the leadership's expectations in full as a means of strengthening units and divisions intended to break through the enemy's pre-emptively well reinforced defensive lines and storm cities.<br />
<br />
IS-2 tanks were put into service in separate tank regiments which received the "guards" designation during their formation.<br />
Manufacturing continued until 1946, and around 3,300 were made.<br />
After the war, the IS-2 was modernised and served in the Soviet and Russian armies until 1995.<br />
A small number of tanks of this model were given to China in the 50s. Later, some of these tanks were deployed in Vietnam.<br />
<br />
== Media ==<br />
<!--''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''--><br />
'''Skins''' and camouflages for the IS-2 (mod.1944) from live.warthunder.com. They are filed under the terms [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23is_2_1944 #is_2_1944] and [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23is2_44 #is2_44].<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''<br />
<br />
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''<br />
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''<br />
* ''topic on the official game forum;''<br />
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''<br />
* ''other literature.''--><br />
<br />
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/2824/current/ [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> IS-2 Mod. 1944]<br />
<br />
{{USSR heavy tanks}}</div>U3862597https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=T26E1-1&diff=41005T26E1-12020-01-01T17:29:37Z<p>U3862597: Ammunition + pros and cons, fixed some outdated information</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Specs-Card|code=us_t26e4_superpershing}}<br />
<br />
== Description ==<br />
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''--><br />
[[File:GarageImage_T26E1-1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]<br />
{{break}}<br />
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. The T26E1-1 was added with [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. The tank takes the basis of a normal [[M26|M26 Pershing]], then increases its armour with welded-on metal slabs and up-guns it with a [[T15E1 (90 mm)|T15E1 cannon]], which is nearly identical to the one in the [[T32|T32]]. This gives the tank a much appreciated armour protection and firepower for the battle rating and is comparable with the premium [[M26E1|M26E1]].<br />
<br />
== General info ==<br />
=== Survivability and armour ===<br />
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''<br />
<br />
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''--><br />
'''Armour type:'''<br />
<br />
* Cast homogeneous armour (Front, Turret)<br />
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Side, Rear, Roof, Turret appliqué armour)<br />
* Structural steel (Hull appliqué armour, Rear turret counterweight)<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof<br />
|-<br />
| Hull || 101.6 (42-46°) + 38.1 (47°) + 38.1 mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 162.5 (25-60°) + 38.1 (47°) + 38.1 mm (57°) '' Upper front glacis'' <br> 76.2 mm (53°) + 38.1 (41°) + 38.1 mm (48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 76.2 mm ''Front'' <br> 50.8 mm (0-2°) ''Rear''|| 50.8 mm (4°) ''Top'' <br> 22.2 mm (68°) ''Lower'' || 22.2 mm<br />
|-<br />
| Turret || 101.6 mm (1-55°) ''Turret front'' <br> 114.3 (1-84°) + 80 mm (3°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 76.2 mm (2-54°) || 76.2 (0-79°) + 100 mm (3°) || 25.4 mm<br />
|-<br />
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof <br />
|-<br />
| Cupola || 76.2 mm || 25.4 mm<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
'''Notes:'''<br />
<br />
* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.<br />
* The left turret side has a few tracks welded on, providing an additional 30 mm of armour where they are.<br />
* The "ear flaps" on the turret provide 38.1 mm of armour. The steel on the gun mantlet gives an additional 80 mm of armour.<br />
* Front glacis have sheets of 38.1 mm armour added on, sloped at varying angles.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Mobility ===<br />
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''--><br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic<br />
|-<br />
! Weight (tons)<br />
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor<br>weight (tons)<br />
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="2" | 49.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 43 (AB) <br />
|-<br />
|40 (RB/SB)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" | Mode<br />
!Stock<br />
!Upgraded<br />
|-<br />
|''Arcade''<br />
|646<br />
|795<br />
|-<br />
|''Realistic/Simulator''<br />
|442<br />
|500<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" | Mode<br />
!Stock<br />
!Upgraded<br />
|-<br />
|''Arcade''<br />
|12.94<br />
|15.93<br />
|-<br />
|''Realistic/Simulator''<br />
|8.86<br />
|10.02<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Armaments ==<br />
=== Main armament ===<br />
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''--><br />
{{main|T15E1 (90 mm)}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | [[T15E1 (90 mm)|90 mm T15E1]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="4" | 42 || -10°/+20° || ±180° <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)<br />
|-<br />
! style="width:4em" |Mode<br />
! style="width:4em" |Stock<br />
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.<br />
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.<br />
|-<br />
| ''Arcade'' || 14.28 || 19.80 || 24.0 || 26.60 || 28.24<br />
|-<br />
| ''Realistic'' || 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.4 || 22.60 || 24.00<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.<br />
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.<br />
|-<br />
| 16.25 || 14.38 || 13.25 || 12.50<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===== Ammunition =====<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"<br />
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition<br />
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead<br />
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''<br />
|-<br />
! 10m<br />
! 100m<br />
! 500m<br />
! 1000m<br />
! 1500m<br />
! 2000m<br />
|-<br />
| T43 shot || AP || 211 || 208 || 193 || 177 || 162 || 148 || <br />
|-<br />
| T42 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 <br />
|- <br />
| T41 || APCBC || 224 || 221 || 206 || 188 || 172 || 157 <br />
|-<br />
| T44 shot || APCR || 336 || 330 || 304 || 274 || 248 || 223 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"<br />
! colspan="10" | Shell details<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition<br />
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s<br />
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''<br />
''in m:''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''<br />
''in mm:''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''<br />
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''<br />
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''<br />
|-<br />
! 0%<br />
! 50%<br />
! 100%<br />
|-<br />
| T43 shot || 975 || 10.9 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°<br />
|-<br />
| T42 shell || 975 || 10.6 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 925 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°<br />
|- <br />
| T41 || 975 || 10.94 || 1.2 || 14 || 137.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°<br />
|-<br />
| T44 shot || 1143 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====<br />
'''Last updated: 1.77.2.68'''<br />
[[File:Ammoracks_T26E1-1.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T26E1-1.]]<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th<br /> rack empty<br />
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy<br />
|-<br />
|| '''42''' || 32&nbsp;''(+8)'' || 28&nbsp;''(+14)'' || 24&nbsp;''(+18)'' || 20&nbsp;''(+22)'' || 16&nbsp;''(+26)'' || 12&nbsp;''(+30)'' || 8&nbsp;''(+34)'' || 4&nbsp;''(+38)'' || 0&nbsp;''(+42)'' || style="text-align:left" | No<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
'''Notes:'''<br />
<br />
* Recommended ammo load is 15 to remove most ammo from the hull floor, leaving rack 9 intact.<br />
* Ammo rack 1 is a ready rack, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 9 through 2.<br />
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in the ready rack. If the ready racks is empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.<br />
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 2-9 into rack 1, as long as there is ammo in racks 2-9. Firing will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.<br />
<br />
=== Machine guns ===<br />
<!--Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.--><br />
{{main|Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (200) || 576 || -10°/+70° || ±60°<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | [[Browning (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)<br />
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance<br />
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance<br />
|-<br />
| colspan="4" | 4,500 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Usage in the battles ==<br />
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''--><br />
This is not exactly a brawling tank. Try to take the shots that is positive to hit and then fall back into cover. Don't stay exposed too long as enemy shells will most likely penetrate the armour. Try to stick with an ally, going of alone can/will be suicide.<br />
<br />
=== Pros and cons ===<br />
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''--><br />
<!--What the pros and cons of the vehicle, compare it to similar vehicles likely to be on the battlefield. --><br />
'''Pros:'''<br />
<br />
* Nearly identical 90mm gun as the [[T32]] and the premium [[M26E1]].<br />
* T41 APCBC shot is available that can mess up any penetrated tank's internals.<br />
* Thick sloped frontal armour. <br />
* .50 on top of the turret is useful against low-flying aircraft and lightly armoured vehicles.<br />
* 224 mm of penetration for the T41 shot makes Tiger IIs less of a threat when met dead-on.<br />
* Front spaced armour can reduce effectiveness of HE and HESH rounds.<br />
<br />
'''Cons:'''<br />
<br />
* Despite the add-on armour, the armour is still inefficient for the BR.<br />
* Spaced armour doesn't help against HEAT.<br />
* The add-on armour has a negative impact on mobility on the already sluggish M26 it is based on.<br />
* Gun gets damaged quite often due to its long profile.<br />
* Springs on top of the turret tend to deflect shells into the turret.<br />
* Hull machine gun port is a prominent weak spot.<br />
* 90mm gun takes a long time to reload compared to its competitors.<br />
* Slightly lower penetration in comparison to its adversaries like the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II (H)]].<br />
* Due to over-matching mechanics, the layered front is more of a weakness than a bonus due to the plates being only 38 mm by themselves, despite the total thickness of the front being 177.8 mm.<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''--><br />
===Development===<br />
The [[M26|M26 Pershing]] helped the American armored forces by bringing in the heavy 90 mm Gun M3 into service on a tank mount. The gun was similar in performance to the German's [[Tiger E|Tiger I's]] [[KwK 36 (88 mm)|8.8 cm KwK 36]] cannon, but Army Ordnance wanted something to match the more powerful [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|8.8 cm KwK 43]] cannon on the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]]. The development to match this cannon made the [[T15E1 (90 mm)|T15 90 mm gun]]; the gun was 73 calibers long, compared to the 90 mm Gun M3's 53 calibers length. The first produced guns were called the ''T15E1'' and had large, fixed ammunition. To test the gun's viability in the tank, the gun was mounted onto the very first production T26, T26E1 tank serial #1, registration #0103292, with the conversions being done by the Wellman Engineering Company. This upgraded tank was titled the '''T26E1-1''' by means of a painted-on designation on the turret's left side to distinguish the design, although this title was not official, and few if any sources refer to it as such. The extreme length of the T15E1 gun barrel caused the manufacturers to add a very prominent counter balance on the mantlet, which could be seen on the left side of the turret when facing it. The T26E1-1 tank was sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds on 12 January 1945 for testing purposes.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref><br />
<br />
In March 1945, following the Aberdeen tests, the T26 tanks mounting the T15 gun was officially classified as the ''T26E4''. As such, the mentioned T26E1-1 would be classified as the first of the T26E4 models, with an initial procurement plan for 1,000 more units. The first T26E4 (henceforth referred to as T26E1-1) would be the only M26 model with the T15 gun to see service in Europe. Among the troops, the T26E1-1 in Europe would be known by its eponymous name '''"Super Pershing"''' when compared alongside to the normal M26 Pershing.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref><br />
<br />
===Combat usage===<br />
The T26E1-1 "Super Pershing" was sent to Europe and arrived in 15 March 1945 and assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. In its introduction, the "Super Pershing" was given additional armour by the maintenance crew in hopes to keep it up to date against the heavier German tanks. The front hull had two large pieces of metal welded onto it, each 38 mm in thickness, with a space in between the metal pieces. These metal pieces were sloped more than the hull armour it was over. An additional armour piece was welded on the turret mantlet, the metal was taken from a Panther turret and was about 80 mm thick when welded onto the turret.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref> The T15E1 gun has much promise to the crew when using the tank as the gun could reliably penetrate the frontal hull of a [[Panther G|Panther]] tank, a feat not many other American tank gun could claim at the time.<br />
<br />
The T26E1-1's performance in battle is largely written in the accounts of John P. Irwin, who was the tank gunner of the only active "Super Pershing" in the war. He mentions of three prominent combat actions with the T26E1-1, each one destroying the enemy with little difficulty. Records show that the T26E1-1 destroyed a total of three tanks and captured one after an extended firefight that left the opposing tank out of ammunition. Thought it was hoped to have the T26E1-1 fight a Tiger II for a rather explosive comparison, the T26E1-1 never saw a Tiger II during its tour in Europe. After the war, the T26E1-1 was most likely scrapped in the post-war demobilization as the final image of the tank was it lying in a vehicle dump in Kassel, Germany.<br />
<br />
===Legacy and similar vehicles===<br />
The T26E1-1 "Super Pershing" gave the Americans a tank that excelled in anti-tank performance more than its younger brethren M26, it made a legend in the battlefield and a showcase of the new philosophy of how prepared the Americans were if come face to face with another superior enemy like they did with their Shermans against the Panthers. The T26E1-1 continued as an idea long after the war was over, with the next development arming the long 90 mm cannon in the ''T26E3'' tank models, but the cannons used the new two-piece ammunition gun T15E2 rather than the one-piece one in the T15E1 when it was found that the long 50 inch rounds made loading prohibitive in the M26 turret. 25 of these tanks were built and were designated the ''T26E4''. Another development was to convert normal M26 Pershings to mounting the T54 cannon, another development of the T15E1 which featured shorter ammunition. These tanks were redesignated the [[M26E1|M26E1]], but work was halted due to issues with the guns and a cut in project funds.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref><br />
<br />
== Media ==<br />
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
== Read also ==<br />
<!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''<br />
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''<br />
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''<br />
''ETC.''--><br />
[https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/879/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> T26E1-1 Super Pershing: Under a Panther Mask]<br /><br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''<br />
<br />
* ''topic on the official game forum;''<br />
* ''other literature.''<br />
<br />
{{USA heavy tanks}}</div>U3862597https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=P-51A&diff=34226P-51A2019-10-19T20:12:04Z<p>U3862597: added stock flight characteristics and added missing modules</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Specs-Card<br />
|code=p-51a_tl<br />
|cockpit=334232/1110010<br />
}}<br />
{{About<br />
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''<br />
| usage = other uses<br />
| link = P-51 (Family)<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Description ==<br />
<!--In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.--><br />
<br />
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]<br />
{{break}}<br />
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was a special vehicle offered during the 2015 Thunder League as a reward for completing 5 Air challenges. The P-51A TL comes with a high-powered engine and with four 12.7 mm Browning machine guns.<br />
<br />
== General info ==<br />
=== Flight Performance ===<br />
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="8" | Characteristics<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 3,170 m)<br />
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(meters)<br />
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)<br />
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(meters/second)<br />
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run<br>(meters)<br />
|-<br />
! AB<br />
! RB<br />
! AB<br />
! RB<br />
! AB<br />
! RB<br />
|-<br />
| 627 || 612 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.2 || 22.0 || 11.3 || 11.3 || 370<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 3,170 m)<br />
! rowspan="2" |Max altitude (meters)<br />
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)<br />
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(meters/second)<br />
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)<br />
|-<br />
! AB<br />
! RB<br />
! AB<br />
! RB<br />
! AB<br />
! RB<br />
|-<br />
|712||688|| {{Specs|ceiling}} ||19.1||20.0||26.0||15.7||370<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Details====<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="5" | Features<br />
|-<br />
! Combat flap<br />
! Take-off flap<br />
! Landing flap<br />
! Air brakes<br />
! Arrestor gear<br />
|-<br />
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X <!-- ✓ --><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="5" | Limits<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed<br>(km/h)<br />
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit<br>(km/h)<br />
! rowspan="2" | Combat flap<br> (km/h)<br />
! colspan="2" | Max Static G<br />
|-<br />
! +<br />
! -<br />
|-<br />
| {{Specs|разрушение|конструкции}} || {{Specs|разрушение|шасси}} ||652|| ~18 || ~9<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities<br />
|-<br />
! Ailerons<br>(km/h)<br />
! Rudder<br>(km/h)<br />
! Elevators<br>(km/h)<br />
! Radiator<br>(km/h)<br />
|-<br />
| < 620 || < 425 || < 280 || > 210<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Setting 1<br />
|-<br />
! Optimal altitude<br />
! 100% Engine power<br />
! WEP Engine power<br />
|-<br />
| 4,724 m || 1,125 hp || 1,479 hp <br />
|-<br />
<!--! colspan="3" | Setting 2<br />
|-<br />
! Optimal altitude<br />
! 100% Engine power<br />
! WEP Engine power<br />
|-<br />
| ?,??? m || ?,??? hp || ?,??? hp <br />
|-<br />
! colspan="3" | Setting 3<br />
|-<br />
! Optimal altitude<br />
! 100% Engine power<br />
! WEP Engine power<br />
|-<br />
| ?,??? m || ?,??? hp || ?,??? hp <br />
|- --><br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Survivability and armour ===<br />
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''<br />
<br />
== Armaments ==<br />
=== Offensive armament ===<br />
<!--Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.--><br />
{{main|Browning M2 (12.7 mm)}}<br />
<br />
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:<br />
<br />
* 4 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, wing-mounted (350 rpg inner,280 outer = 1260 total)<br />
<br />
== Usage in battles ==<br />
<!--Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).--><br />
At the start of the battle, WEP and climb until you are higher than most enemy aircraft (the aircraft has an excellent climb rate). Then proceed to destroy bombers and climbing fighters. Do NOT turn fight with any aircraft except for bombers. If someone is on your tail, proceed in a shallow dive. The plane's exceptional top speed should allow it to outrun almost everything. In terms of weapons, use the tracer belt or the omnipurpose belts, as they have the most incendiary munitions. Feel free to spray the guns, as the ammo reserve is quite large.<br />
<br />
===Manual Engine Control===<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="7" | MEC elements<br />
|-<br />
! rowspan="2" |Mixer<br />
! rowspan="2" |Pitch<br />
! colspan="3" |Radiator<br />
! rowspan="2" |Supercharger<br />
! rowspan="2" |Turbocharger<br />
|-<br />
! Oil<br />
! Water<br />
! Type <br />
|-<br />
| Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Controllable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable || rowspan="2" | Controllable || rowspan="2" |Combined|| rowspan="2" | Not ontrollable || rowspan="2" | Not controllable<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Modules===<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! colspan="1" | Tier<br />
! colspan="2" | Flight performance<br />
! colspan="1" | Survivability<br />
! colspan="2" | Weaponry<br />
|-<br />
| I<br />
| Fuselage Repair<br />
| Radiator<br />
| <br />
| Offensive 12 mm<br />
|-<br />
| II<br />
| <br />
| Compressor<br />
| Airframe<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| III<br />
| Wings Repair<br />
| Engine<br />
| <br />
| New 12 mm MGs<br />
|-<br />
| IV<br />
| <br />
| Engine Injection<br />
| Cover<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
=== Pros and cons ===<br />
<!--Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".--><br />
<br />
'''Pros:'''<br />
<br />
* Extremely fast in level flight or in a dive<br />
* Great rate of climb<br />
* Four .50 cals with decent amount of ammo<br />
* Gets access to the late-war .50 cal belts<br />
* Awesome looking skin: Lightning strips and red (magenta) make it go faster<br />
* Little Loockup at highspeeds<br />
* Hard to wingrip<br />
<br />
'''Cons:'''<br />
<br />
* Not very maneuverable<br />
* Only four Browning HMG<br />
* Fast engine overheating<br />
* Rolls hardly below 370 km/h<br />
* No payload options<br />
<br />
== History ==<br />
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''<br />
<br />
== Media ==<br />
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''<br />
<br />
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''<br />
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''<br />
<br />
* ''topic on the official game forum;''<br />
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''<br />
* ''other literature.''<br />
<br />
{{USA fighters}}</div>U3862597