Comparing: Tiger (P) vs. IS-2

On May 26, 1941, Adolf Hitler ordered Ferdinand Porsche and the Henschel company to develop prototypes of a new heavy tank. The prototypes were shown to the Führer on April 20, 1942. Manufacturing began, but the production run was cut short due to the complexity of the tank's drive and control systems, and a shortage of the required copper. Later, 90 produced hulls were converted into Ferdinand tank destroyers.

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.