Comparing: Tiger I L/56 vs. IS-2

Development of the Tiger I was started in 1937 by the Henschel company. Mass production began in 1942, with a total of 1,354 vehicles manufactured. The tank first saw combat near Leningrad, and Tigers were at the forefront of battles from Tunisia to Kursk. Although production was discontinued in the summer of 1944, the Tiger I continued to see action until the end of the war.

Built in 1944, the IS-2 (IS-122) heavy tank was a modification of the IS-1. It featured a simple cast glacis plate. Elite Soviet Guards heavy tank regiments used the IS-2 extensively in the assaults on the fortress cities of Budapest, Breslau, and Berlin. These vehicles featured thick white stripes for quick identification by other Soviet tank crews. This vehicle, a tank of the 7th Guards Independent Heavy Tank Brigade, was made famous in a photo taken in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin.