Stalin's "St. John's wort": what role did the legendary Soviet self-propelled gun play in the Great Patriotic War. Military review and politics ISU 152 St. John's wort world of tanks

On initial stage During the Great Patriotic War, the heavy tank was a formidable opponent for the armored forces of the Wehrmacht. However, it had virtually no potential for modernization, so by 1943 the production of the KV was going to be stopped. It was supposed to be replaced by a tank. However, there was one problem: the KV base produced a heavy self-propelled gun, which the army desperately needed. In June 1943, the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk plant began work on the creation of a new self-propelled gun. The development was led by Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin.

The IS-1 tank quite naturally became the basis for the new self-propelled gun. Technical requirements for the vehicle included increasing the frontal armor to 100 mm, retaining the 152 mm gun in service, supplementing the cannon armament with a machine gun, and improving visibility and ventilation. The work had to be completed by the beginning of July 1943, but the designers managed to do it earlier. They spent a few weeks creating working drawings and at the beginning of July they already began building a prototype. At this stage, the self-propelled gun received the IS-152 designation.

According to various researchers, the first display of experimental vehicles took place on July 31 or August 31, 1943 on Ivanovo Square in the Kremlin. Stalin, Beria, Molotov, Voroshilov came to get acquainted with the new technology. To ensure the safety of such significant people, the NKVD decided to replace all crew members with officers, except for the driver mechanics. Stalin, who was very interested in the new self-propelled gun, decided to inspect the car more closely. Looking into the fighting compartment, Joseph Vissarionovich asked whether the problem with poor ventilation on the IS-152 had been solved. Naturally, the NKVD workers could not answer, since they did not understand the issues of operating armored vehicles. The mechanic driver intervened in time and reported to Stalin that the design of the self-propelled guns provided for an additional fan for the fighting compartment. After examining the vehicle, Joseph Vissarionovich approved it, and in November 1943, the State Defense Committee issued a decree on its adoption.

By this time, the first prototype of the self-propelled gun, which bore the working name “Object 241,” had already passed factory and field tests. It was he who became the standard for the production of serial self-propelled guns. The new combat vehicle entered service under the designation ISU-152. From a design point of view, the self-propelled gun was the sum of the solutions for the IS-1 tank and the SU-152 self-propelled gun.

Borrowed from the ISU-152 tank chassis: the same six twin rollers, rear drive wheel and independent torsion bar suspension. And from the SU-152 the new self-propelled gun received the ML-20S howitzer of the 1937/43 model. The ammunition of the 152 mm gun included armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. If necessary, some of the shots were replaced with concrete-piercing charges, which were used to destroy enemy pillboxes. The work of the ISU-152 loader was very difficult, since he had to move 40-kilogram shells alone.

The self-propelled gun was equipped with a V-2-IS diesel engine with a power of 520 hp. With. It allowed the car to reach speeds of up to 35 km/h on the highway. Over rough terrain, the ISU-152 drove much slower - only 10-15 km/h. However, she did not need to set speed records, because this car was not intended for rapid throws.

Production of the ISU-152 began in November 1943. The new self-propelled gun was extremely similar to its predecessor SU-152. Thanks to this, the pace of construction was so high that within a month it was possible to begin forming the first heavy self-propelled regiment equipped with these self-propelled guns. Moreover, by the spring of 1944, the production of armored hulls for the new self-propelled guns exceeded the capabilities of gunsmiths to produce the ML-20S howitzer. They decided to arm the understaffed vehicles with a 122 mm gun. This is how another heavy self-propelled gun appeared - ISU-122.

Having begun their combat career in the spring of 1944, the ISU-152 proved to be an effective and versatile combat vehicle. They were used both as an assault weapon to support tanks and infantry, and as a destroyer of enemy tanks. In combat reports you can also find evidence of the use of the ISU-152 for firing from closed firing positions. The latter tactic was not widely used for two reasons. Firstly, the ISU-152 had an insufficient gun elevation angle. Because of this, the self-propelled gun could not shoot along high-steep trajectories. Secondly, it had a very low speed of loading shells and a small ammunition load (only 21 shots). It was necessary to place ammunition next to the self-propelled gun, shoot the shells inside, and then either interrupt the fire for almost an hour, or feed the shells to the loader one at a time. This reduced the already low rate of fire, so that the ISU-152 could no longer bring real benefit.

In general, the separate loading of the gun was a serious drawback, due to which the self-propelled gun could not become a full-fledged means of destroying enemy tanks. Although the ISU-152 has earned a reputation as a formidable enemy of armored vehicles. In the Soviet troops it was even nicknamed "St. John's wort", and in the Germans - "Dosenöffner" (can opener).

An example of how effectively the ISU-152 is capable of fighting enemy tanks is the battle of Katukov’s 1st Guards Army near the town of Nizhnyuv in Transcarpathia. The Nazis, with 40 tanks, broke through the battle formations Soviet soldiers and threatened to reach the city of Chernivtsi, encircling Katukov’s troops. In order to prevent this, the ISU-152 regiment occupied a height in the most tank-dangerous direction and fought off the advancing Nazis for several hours. Ultimately, the Germans withdrew, losing about 30 tanks.

Self-propelled guns of this type performed very well in urban battles. The most powerful high-explosive fragmentation shells of the 152-mm howitzer often made it possible to literally eliminate enemy resistance holed up in houses with literally one shot. To protect vehicles from soldiers armed with Faustpatrons, self-propelled guns were used as part of assault groups along with infantry cover.

But for all its advantages, the ISU-152 had a number of disadvantages. The installation of an additional fan (the same one that was reported to Stalin) did not eliminate the problem of excessive gas pollution in the fighting compartment. During intense fire inside the vehicle, it was literally impossible to breathe from the powder gases.

As already mentioned, the work of the loader, who had to feed heavy projectiles manually in extremely cramped conditions, was difficult. Due to the inconvenience of the panoramic sight, it was difficult for the gunner to ensure effective engagement of targets at a distance of over 900 meters. Fuel tanks located inside the hull created a risk for the crew to burn alive if they were damaged and increased the likelihood of complete destruction of the self-propelled guns as a result of detonation of fuel vapors. Burning diesel fuel could also spill onto the floor of the fighting compartment. Fortunately, as noted in the documents, fires on the ISU-152 were extinguished relatively easily.

But even the totality of all the listed shortcomings could not outweigh positive qualities self-propelled guns The ISU-152 was in service with the USSR Army for a very long time. The last episode of combat use of this vehicle was the suppression of the Hungarian uprising in 1956. It is worth noting that the Soviet commanders did not show their best side at the first stage of the fight against the rebels, which led to the loss of about a dozen ISU-152s, mainly from Molotov cocktails. The exact numbers of losses have not yet been established. After the events in Hungary, self-propelled guns of this type no longer participated in battles, but were often used in exercises and maneuvers.

The last ISU-152s were withdrawn from service Soviet army in 1972.

You can discuss the material.

Renders of this car in all resolutions are available.

Mass production

Description of design

Armored hull and deckhouse

Armament

Engine

Transmission

Chassis

Electrical equipment

Surveillance equipment and sights

Means of communication

Serial variants

Upgraded options

Vehicles based on ISU-152

Combat use

Machine evaluation

Organization

Interesting facts about ISU-152

Where can you see

ISU-152 in computer games

Models ISU-152

ISU-152- Soviet heavy self-propelled artillery unit (self-propelled gun) during the Great Patriotic War. The abbreviation in the car name ISU means “self-propelled unit based on the IS tank” or “IS unit”; letter "AND" in addition to the standard Soviet designation "SU" military equipment of this class was required to distinguish it from self-propelled guns of the same caliber SU-152 at another tank base. Index 152 means the caliber of the vehicle's main armament.

Developed by the design bureau of experimental plant No. 100 in June - October 1943 and adopted by the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) on November 6 of the same year. At the same time, its serial production began at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ), which continued until 1946. Several cars of this brand were produced in 1945 by the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ). ISU-152 were widely used at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War in almost all aspects of the use of self-propelled artillery. In addition to the Red Army, ISU-152s were in service with the armies of Poland and Czechoslovakia, and single captured vehicles were used by the Wehrmacht and the Finnish army. There is only one known photograph of an ISU-152 used by the Finnish Army, dated 1944.

In the post-war period, the ISU-152 underwent modernization and was in service with the Soviet army for a long time. They were also supplied to equip the Egyptian armed forces. Self-propelled guns transferred to Egypt took part in the Arab-Israeli armed conflicts in the Middle East. They took part in the Seven Days War in the form of fixed firing points buried in the sand up to the fenders. Non-modernized versions were supplied to Egypt, but they were equipped with a night vision system with an IR spotlight mounted in pairs with a headlight in a protective basket to the left of the gun. Beginning in the mid-1970s, the ISU-152 was withdrawn from service with the Soviet Army and replaced by more modern self-propelled guns; A number of machines that survived the cutting into metal now serve as monuments and exhibits in museums around the world.

The slang name for ISU-152 is “St. John’s wort.” In the Wehrmacht they called her “Dosenöffner” (German). "can-opener").

History of creation

Work on the creation of the ISU-152 self-propelled guns began in June 1943 in the design bureau of pilot plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk in connection with the final decision to replace the KV-1s heavy tank in production with the new promising IS-1 tank.

However, on the basis of the KV tank, the SU-152 heavy assault gun was produced, the need for which active army was extremely high (in contrast to the need for heavy KV tanks). The excellent combat qualities of the SU-152 served as the basis for the creation of its analogue based on the IS-1 tank.

The development of the ISU-152 was carried out under the leadership of Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin, the main developer of the entire Soviet line of heavy tanks. The chief designer of the ISU-152 was G. N. Moskvin. In the early stages, the project of the new self-propelled guns was designated as IS-152. In October 1943, the first prototype, Object 241, was built. It successfully passed factory and state tests; On November 6, 1943, by decree State Committee defense, the new self-propelled gun was adopted by the Red Army under the final name ISU-152. In the same month, serial production of the ISU-152 began at ChKZ. In December 1943, the SU-152 and ISU-152 were still produced jointly at ChKZ, and from the next month the ISU-152 completely replaced its predecessor SU-152 on the assembly lines.

During the production process, minor changes were made to the design of the ISU-152, aimed at increasing combat and operational qualities and reducing the cost of the vehicle. In the second half of 1944, a new welded hull nose made of rolled armor plates was introduced instead of one solid part, and the thickness of the gun's armored mask was increased from 60 to 100 mm. They also began installing a 12.7-mm DShK anti-aircraft heavy machine gun on the self-propelled guns and increased the capacity of the internal and external fuel tanks. The 10P radio station was replaced by an improved version 10RK.

Experimental prototypes: SU-152-M (IS-152 No. 1) and IS-152, “Object 241”

The planned replacement of the KV-1 heavy tank with the promising IS-85 breakthrough tank also required the transfer of the SU-152 to a promising base. But work on improving self-propelled guns was not limited to this. Even before the combat debut of the SU-152, a number of serious shortcomings were identified. In this regard, on May 25, 1943, by order of plant No. 100, the self-propelled artillery design group began modernizing the vehicle. The group was headed by G.N. Moskvin and N.V. Kurin, seconded to it, who had extensive experience in creating self-propelled artillery installations. Together with the customer, expanded tactical and technical requirements were developed for a modernized model of a heavy self-propelled gun, which at that time was designated in documents as SU-152-M. According to primary sources, they included the following:

The project was planned to be completed by July 1, 1943, but the group completed the task ahead of schedule; at the end of July, construction of a prototype, called IS-152, began.

However, in the future, ambiguity sets in - new tanks IS-85, KV-85 and self-propelled guns IS-152 were shown in the Kremlin to the country's leadership headed by I.V. Stalin, however, in the memoirs of participants in the events and available archival documents there are no: the exact date of this review and an exact list of those present. The day is called July 31, 1943, but according to ChKZ documents, the KV-85 and IS-85 tanks were being tested at that time. Historian M. N. Svirin suggests holding the show on August 31, and a group of authors of numerous publications on armored vehicles under the leadership of Colonel I. G. Zheltov - on September 8. It is also not clear which self-propelled guns were shown to management. It is assumed that this was an experimental IS-152 self-propelled gun, but there is a photograph showing I.V. Stalin in the Kremlin on a self-propelled gun, externally identical to the SU-152. It is possible that the management was shown a modernized model of the SU-152, on which the improvements planned for implementation on the IS-152 were tested.

One way or another, by the above-mentioned GKO decree No. 4043ss of September 4, 1943, it was the IS-152 self-propelled gun that was put into service along with the KV-85 and IS-85, but according to ChKZ documents it turned out to be much more expensive than the serial SU-152. During September - October 1943, the design of the IS-152 self-propelled guns was improved, and a second prototype was built: Object 241 based on the IS tank, which turned out to be comparable in cost to the serial SU-152. It was accepted for serial production on November 6, 1943 as the ISU-152.

Comparative characteristics of self-propelled guns: SU-152 and ISU-152

Comparison table

Mass production

On November 6, 1943, by decree of the State Defense Committee, a new self-propelled gun was adopted by the Red Army under the final name ISU-152. In the same month, serial production of the ISU-152 began at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ). In December 1943, the SU-152 and ISU-152 were still produced jointly at ChKZ, and from the next month the ISU-152 completely replaced its predecessor SU-152 on the assembly lines.

During the production process, minor changes were made to the design of the ISU-152, aimed at increasing combat and operational qualities and reducing the cost of the vehicle.

Due to the heavy workload of ChKZ with the production of heavy IS-2 tanks, the armored hulls for ISU self-propelled guns were supplied by the Ural Heavy Engineering Plant (UZTM).

Due to a shortage of ML-20S howitzer gun barrels, serial production of the ISU-122 self-propelled guns began in April 1944, differing from the ISU-152 only in the installed artillery system (respectively, the sight, ammunition and trends in combat use) - instead of the ML-20S, 121.92 mm A-19S guns, which at that time were in abundance in arms depots, were mounted in the armored hull.

In the second half of 1944, a new welded hull nose made of rolled armor plates was introduced instead of one solid part, and the thickness of the gun's armored mask was increased from 60 to 100 mm. They also began installing a 12.7-mm DShK anti-aircraft heavy machine gun on the self-propelled guns and increased the capacity of the internal and external fuel tanks. The 10P radio station was replaced by an improved version 10RK.

From the beginning of 1945, self-propelled guns began to be equipped with a 12.7-mm DShK anti-aircraft heavy machine gun.

In 1945, several ISU-152 vehicles were produced by the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ).

From November 1943 to May 1945, ChKZ and LKZ built 1,885 ISU-152s. Serial production of self-propelled guns ended in 1946 (some sources indicate the end of production in 1947); a total of 3,242 vehicles of this brand were produced. Licenses for the production of ISU-152 were not sold to other countries.

Description of design

The ISU-152 had the same layout as all other serial Soviet self-propelled guns of that time (with the exception of the SU-76). The fully armored hull was divided into two parts. The crew, gun and ammunition were located in front in the armored cabin, which combined the fighting compartment and the control compartment. The engine and transmission were installed at the rear of the vehicle.

Armored hull and deckhouse

The armored body of the self-propelled gun was welded from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 90, 75, 60, 30 and 20 mm. On the first series of vehicles, the frontal part of the hull was an armor casting; Subsequently, as more resistant rolled armor became available, the design of the frontal part of the hull was replaced with a welded one. Armor protection is differentiated, anti-ballistic. The armor plates of the wheelhouse were installed at rational angles of inclination. Compared to the previous model of self-propelled guns of the same class and purpose - SU-152 - the armored hull of the ISU-152 was distinguished by a slightly higher height (since it did not have such a deep landing as that of the KV series vehicles) and a larger volume of the armored cabin due to reduced angles of inclination zygomatic and side armor plates. The associated slight decrease in security was compensated by thickening the armor of these parts of the cabin. Compared to the SU-152, a larger cutting volume was provided Better conditions crew work. The main armament - a 152.4-mm howitzer-cannon ML-20S - was mounted in a frame-type installation to the right of the center line of the vehicle. The gun's recoil devices were protected by a fixed cast armor casing and a movable cast spherical armor mask, which also served as a balancing element.

Three crew members were located to the left of the gun: in front was the driver, then the gunner, and behind was the loader. The vehicle commander and the castle commander were located to the right of the gun. The crew entered and exited through a rectangular double-leaf hatch at the junction of the roof and rear sheets of the armored cabin and through a round hatch to the right of the gun. The round hatch to the left of the gun was not intended for the crew to get in and out; it was required to bring the panoramic sight extension out. The hull also had a bottom hatch for emergency escape self-propelled gun crew and a number of small hatches for loading ammunition, access to the necks of fuel tanks, other components and assemblies of the vehicle. The crew escape hatch, which had round shape, was located on the left side of the body behind the second torsion bar. “Small hatches” were located as follows: hatches for access to transmission elements: behind the first torsion bar on the right, behind the third torsion bar on the right, 2 hatches on the left behind the fourth torsion bar, on two sides of the side behind the fifth torsion bar, at the right sprocket. The hatch for filling oil into the transmission elements is behind the 3rd torsion bar on the left along the direction. The hatch for loading ammunition was located on the left side of the Isu-152 behind the third support roller at the level of the mud cleaner. The Isu-152K was equipped with a figured (with cutouts) 20mm. armor plate on the bottom in front of the sprockets.

Armament

The main armament of the ISU-152 was the 152-mm howitzer-cannon ML-20S mod. 1937/43 (GAU index - 52-PS-544S). The gun was mounted in a frame on the front armor plate of the wheelhouse and had vertical aiming angles from −3 to +20°, the horizontal aiming sector was 10°. The height of the firing line was 1.8 m; direct shot range - 800-900 m at a target 2.5-3 m high, direct fire range - 3800 m, maximum firing range - 6200 m. The shot was fired using an electric or manual mechanical trigger.

The gun's ammunition load was 21 rounds of separate loading. The shells were placed along both sides of the cabin, the charges were placed there, as well as on the bottom of the fighting compartment and on the rear wall of the cabin. Compared to the range of ammunition for the ML-20 towed guns, the ISU-152 ammunition was significantly less diverse. It included:

• armor-piercing tracer sharp-headed projectile 53-BR-540 weighing 48.8 kg, initial speed 600 m/s;
• high-explosive fragmentation cannon projectile 53-OF-540 weighing 43.56 kg, initial speed 655 m/s at full charge.

Instead of 53-BR-540 armor-piercing tracer shells, blunt-headed armor-piercing tracer shells with a 53-BR-540B ballistic tip could be used (from the beginning of 1945).

To destroy reinforced concrete bunkers, a 53-G-545 concrete-piercing cannon shell could be inserted into the ammunition load. The range of propelling charges was also significantly reduced - it included a special charge 54-ZH-545B for an armor-piercing projectile and a full charge 54-ZH-545 for high-explosive fragmentation projectile. In principle, the ML-20S howitzer gun could fire all types of shells and charges from its towed version ML-20. However, in the manuals and shooting tables for the ISU-152 from the Great Patriotic War, only the above ammunition is listed. This does not exclude the possibility of firing with other types of ammunition at that time, but there is no documentary evidence of such firing in the form of reports, manuals and regulatory documents of that time. This point is an issue that has not yet been fully explored and often becomes the cause of controversy in military-themed forums. On the other hand, in the post-war period, when the focus of using the ISU-152 shifted from an assault gun to a self-propelled howitzer, the possibility of firing the entire range of ammunition from a towed ML-20 became significantly more likely.

From the beginning of 1945, the ISU-152 was equipped with a large-caliber 12.7-mm DShK anti-aircraft machine gun with an open or K-8T anti-aircraft sight on a turret mounted on the right round hatch of the vehicle commander. The ammunition load for the DShK was 250 rounds.

For self-defense, the crew had two PPSh or PPS machine guns (submachine guns) with 1,491 rounds of ammunition (21 disks) and 20 F-1 hand grenades.

Engine

The ISU-152 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2-IS with a power of 520 hp. With. (382 kW). Engine starting was ensured by an inertia starter with manual and electric drives or compressed air from two tanks in the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The electric drive of the inertia starter was an auxiliary electric motor with a power of 0.88 kW. Diesel V-2IS was equipped with a fuel pump high pressure NK-1 with all-mode regulator RNA-1 and fuel supply corrector. To clean the air entering the engine, a Multicyclone type filter was used. Heating devices were also installed in the engine-transmission compartment to facilitate engine starting in the cold season. They could also be used to heat the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The ISU-152 had three fuel tanks, two of which were located in the fighting compartment, and one in the engine compartment. The self-propelled gun was also equipped with four external additional fuel tanks, not connected to the engine fuel system.

Transmission

The ISU-152 self-propelled gun was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which included:

• multi-disc main clutch of dry friction “steel on ferodo”;
• four-speed gearbox with range (8 forward gears and 2 reverse);
• two onboard two-stage planetary rotation mechanisms with a multi-disc dry friction locking clutch “steel on steel” and band brakes;
• two double-row combined final drives.

All transmission control drives are mechanical. Compared to the previous model of the heavy self-propelled gun SU-152, a new element of the transmission was planetary rotation mechanisms. The use of this unit made it possible to increase the overall reliability of the transmission as a whole, which was precisely the most significant drawback of the KV series tanks and vehicles based on it.

Chassis

The ISU-152 has an individual torsion bar suspension for each of the 6 solid-cast gable road wheels of small diameter on each side. Opposite each road wheel, travel limiters of the suspension balancers were welded to the armored body. The drive wheels with removable pinion gears were located at the rear, and the idlers were identical to the road wheels. The upper branch of the caterpillar was supported by three small solid support rollers on each side; these rollers were borrowed from the design of the SU-152 self-propelled gun. The caterpillar tension mechanism is screw; each caterpillar consisted of 86 single-ridge tracks with a width of 650 mm. The tracks could be distinguished by the presence of an egg-shaped lightening hole in the middle of the ridge of each track (these tracks were installed on military vehicles of later series; this type was also typical for the Is-3).

Electrical equipment

The electrical wiring in the ISU-152 self-propelled guns was single-wire; the second wire was the armored hull of the vehicle. The sources of electricity (operating voltages 12 and 24 V) were a P-4563A generator with a 1 kW RRA-24F relay-regulator and two series-connected 6-STE-128 batteries with a total capacity of 128 Ah. Electricity consumers included:

• external and internal lighting of the vehicle, illumination devices for sights and scales measuring instruments;
• external sound signal and signaling circuit from the landing force to the vehicle crew;
• instrumentation (ammeter and voltmeter);
• electric trigger of a howitzer-gun;
• means of communication - radio station and tank intercom;
• electrics of the motor group - electric motor for inertia starter, reels of spark plugs for winter engine starting, etc.

Surveillance equipment and sights

All hatches for entering and disembarking the crew, as well as the artillery panorama hatch, had Mk IV periscopic devices for monitoring the environment from inside the vehicle (3 pieces in total). In combat, the driver conducted observation through a viewing device with a triplex, which was protected by an armored flap. This viewing device was installed in an armored hatch on the front armor plate of the wheelhouse to the left of the gun. In a quiet environment, this plug hatch could be pulled forward, providing the driver with a more convenient direct view from his workplace.

For firing, the ISU-152 was equipped with two gun sights - a telescopic ST-10 for direct fire and a Hertz panorama for firing from closed positions. The ST-10 telescopic sight was calibrated for targeted shooting at a distance of up to 900 m. However, the firing range of the ML-20S howitzer gun was up to 13 km, and for shooting at a distance of over 900 m (both direct fire and from closed positions) the gunner I had to use a second, panoramic sight. To provide visibility through the upper left round hatch in the cabin roof, the panoramic sight was equipped with a special extension. To ensure the possibility of fire in the dark, the sight scales had illumination devices.

Means of communication

Communication equipment included a 10P (or 10RK) radio station and a TPU-4-BisF intercom for 4 subscribers.

Radio stations 10Р or 10РК were a set of a transmitter, receiver and umformers (single-armature motor-generators) for their power supply, connected to an on-board 24 V power supply.

10P was a simplex tube heterodyne shortwave radio station operating in the frequency range from 3.75 to 6 MHz (wavelengths from 50 to 80 m). When parked, the communication range in telephone (voice) mode reached 20-25 km, while on the move it decreased somewhat. A greater communication range could be obtained in telegraph mode, when information was transmitted by a telegraph key using Morse code or another discrete coding system. Frequency stabilization was carried out by a removable quartz resonator; there was no smooth frequency adjustment. 10P allowed communication on two fixed frequencies; to change them, another quartz resonator of 15 pairs included in the radio set was used.

The 10RK radio station was a technological improvement of the previous 10P model; it became simpler and cheaper to produce. This model now has the ability to smoothly select the operating frequency, number quartz resonators was reduced to 16. Communication range characteristics did not undergo significant changes.

The TPU-4-BisF tank intercom made it possible to negotiate between members of the self-propelled gun crew even in a very noisy environment and connect a headset (headsets and laryngophones) to the radio station for external communication.

Serial and modernized options

Serial variants

• The ISU-152, based on the IS tank produced in 1943, had a one-piece, monolithic frontal part of the hull;
• The ISU-152, based on the IS tank produced in 1944, had a frontal part of the hull welded from two rolled armor plates. This version of the self-propelled gun was distinguished by an increased thickness of the gun's armored mask, from 60 to 90 mm, and more capacious fuel tanks.

From the beginning of 1945, the ISU-152 began to be equipped with a 12.7-mm DShK anti-aircraft machine gun. A number of previously produced vehicles also received this machine gun during repairs.

Upgraded options

The high combat and operational qualities of the ISU-152, as well as some stagnation in the development of Soviet cannon self-propelled artillery in the late 1950s (affected by the fascination of the army and the country's leadership with missile technology) led to the decision to modernize the remaining vehicles of this brand in service. Modernization was carried out in two directions:

• ISU-152M (the prototype was designated Object 241M);
• ISU-152K (the prototype was designated Object 241K).

The program of both post-war modernizations of the ISU-152 included:

• installation of a night vision device and an infrared spotlight;
• replacing the V-2IS engine with a more modern V-54;
• increase in ammunition from 20 to 30 rounds;
• replacement of sights and telecommunications equipment (radio station and intercom) with more modern ones.

The modernized vehicles were equipped with tracked fenders modeled after the IS-2M tank, additional fuel tanks and a log for self-pulling in the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, in their appearance, the modernized ISU-152M and ISU-152K were noticeably different from the original version of the self-propelled gun.

Differences of Isu-152K:

• Instead of a fan system for blowing radiators, an ejection system is used.
• A different coolant heating system has been installed.
• The radiators, fuel tanks, oil tank, and individual elements of the power plant systems have been changed.
• New air cleaners have been installed.
• The design of the power compartment roof, wheelhouse and partition of the power compartment has been changed, and changes have been made to the structure of the wheel arch liners and wings.
• A new PS-10 sight was introduced instead of the ST-10, and the design of the commander's cupola was changed.
• Changes have been made to the gun mounting units, gun stoppers and sights (in particular, a ring has been added around the sight on the gun mantlet, which serves to protect against weather conditions and reduce glare from the sun).
• The ammunition capacity has been increased and the placement of ammunition inside the ammunition has been changed.
• The placement of the anti-aircraft machine gun has been changed and an additional third hatch has been introduced on the roof of the wheelhouse.
• Changes have been made to the design of the front gearbox.
• Automatic fire-fighting equipment has been installed.
• Changes were made to the design of the bottom, additional aft armor and armor for hatches serving the chassis were installed (varied from the production series).
• Tracks from the T-10 were used; it was possible to install expansion plates in the holes in the track for movement on soft soils.
• New boxes were installed on the sides for transported property (as a result, the spare parts and accessories were removed from the body).
• New arrangement of fuel tanks in pairs on the modified stern.
• Both types of ISU were subject to modernization, the early ones with a welded and rolled nose (the design of the attachments was different).
• On some models, additional armor was installed on the top of the moving part of the armored mask (reinforced with 15 mm armor plate).

Vehicles based on ISU-152

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the ISU-152 chassis (as well as the ISU-122) served as the basis for the development of self-propelled artillery systems of high and special power, launchers tactical missiles. The disarmed ISU-152 and ISU-122 with a welded gun embrasure in the front wheelhouse, called ISU-T, were used as tank tractors, staff vehicles, and mobile artillery observation posts. A number of these vehicles were transferred to civilian departments for use as tractors or transport in difficult terrain. On railways In the USSR, a small number of disarmed ISU-152s were, and are, used in recovery trains as tilters or tractors in emergency situations. There is even unconfirmed information about the presence of several such machines in the inventory fleet of JSC Russian Railways.

The BTT-1 tank tractors with expanded functionality compared to the ISU-T were built on the same base. Dampers were welded to the BTT-1 body to push the emergency tank using a log; at the rear the vehicle was equipped with openers, a platform above the engine and transmission compartment and a collapsible boom of a manual crane with a lifting capacity of up to 3 tons. Instead of a gun and ammunition, the wheelhouse housed a powerful winch driven by a power take-off from the main engine of the vehicle. The BTT-1T version was equipped with a set of rigging equipment instead of a winch.

Also based on the ISU-152, experimental vehicles known as the ISU-152BM (high power) were created:

• ISU-152-1 (object 246) with BL-8 cannon,
• ISU-152-2 (object 247) with a BL-10 cannon.

Combat use

The ISU-152 as a whole successfully combined three main combat roles: a heavy assault gun, a tank destroyer and a self-propelled howitzer. However, in each of these roles, as a rule, there was another, more specialized self-propelled gun with best characteristics for its category than the ISU-152.

In addition to World War II, ISU-152s were used in the suppression of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, where they once again confirmed their enormous destructive power. Particularly effective was the use of the ISU-152 as a powerful “anti-sniper rifle” to destroy rebel snipers hiding in residential buildings in Budapest, who inflicted significant damage on Soviet troops. Sometimes, just the presence of a self-propelled gun nearby was enough for the inhabitants of the house, in fear for their lives and property, to expel the snipers or bottle throwers who had settled there.

In the Arab-Israeli wars, ISU-152s were used mainly as stationary firing points along the banks of the Suez Canal and showed little success in the hands of Egyptian troops. A number of these vehicles were captured by the Israeli army.

ISU-152 as a heavy assault gun

The main use of the ISU-152 was fire support advancing tanks and infantry. The 152.4 mm (6-inch) ML-20S howitzer gun had a powerful OF-540 high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 43.56 kg, loaded with 6 kg of TNT (trinitrotoluene, TNT). These shells were very effective against both unsheltered infantry (with the fuze set to high explosive) and against fortifications such as pillboxes and trenches (with the fuze set to high explosive). One hit from such a projectile into an ordinary medium-sized city house was enough to destroy all life inside.

ISU-152s were especially in demand in urban battles, such as the assault on Berlin, Budapest or Königsberg. The self-propelled gun's good armor allowed it to move into direct fire range to destroy enemy firing points. For conventional towed artillery, this was mortally dangerous due to enemy machine gun and targeted sniper fire.

To reduce losses from fire from “Faustniks” (German soldiers armed with “Panzerschrecks” or “Faustpatrons”), in urban battles the ISU-152 used one or two self-propelled guns along with an infantry squad (assault group) to protect them. Typically, an assault team included a sniper (or, at a minimum, just a marksman), machine gunners, and sometimes a backpack flamethrower. Heavy machine gun DShK on ISU-152 was effective weapon to destroy the “faustniks” hiding on the upper floors of buildings, behind rubble and barricades. Skillful interaction between the crews of self-propelled guns and the assigned infantry soldiers made it possible to achieve their goals with the least losses; otherwise, the attacking vehicles could very easily be destroyed by the Faustians.

There is an opinion that the ISU-152, based on the realities of its use (in fact, very often, like other Soviet self-propelled guns, it fought in the formation of advancing infantry, that is, it performed the tasks of tanks), can be classified as a heavy turretless tank.

ISU-152 as a tank destroyer

The ISU-152 could also successfully act as a tank destroyer, although it was significantly inferior to specialized tank destroyers that were armed with anti-tank guns. In this capacity, she inherited the nickname “St. John’s Wort” from her predecessor SU-152. The BR-540 armor-piercing projectile weighing 48.9 kg with a muzzle velocity of 600 m/s was intended to destroy armored targets; the BR-540 hitting the target was very destructive, the chance of surviving after it was negligible.

It is pertinent to note that the ISU-152 was not a true tank destroyer; it had a low rate of fire compared to “real” tank destroyers such as the German Jagdpanther or the domestic SU-100 (their rate of fire reached 5-8 rounds per minute, albeit for a short period of time). On the other hand, careful camouflage, quick changes of firing positions and the use of ISU-152 in groups of 4-5 vehicles significantly mitigated the lack of rate of fire. In addition, in 1944-1945. a sufficient number of specialized tank destroyers of the SU-85, SU-100 and ISU-122 types had already appeared in the Red Army, so combat clashes between the ISU-152 and enemy armored vehicles were no longer as frequent as those of the SU-152 in 1943, when the latter was the only one Soviet powerful anti-tank weapon. They tried to use the ISU-152 more as an assault weapon, since its firepower was significantly superior to any other Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns.

Another quote from the memoirs of D. F. Loza:

The OF-540 high-explosive fragmentation projectile could also be used against tanks with good results. D. F. Loza briefly characterizes this possibility as follows: “But there was no huge roar. Of course, maybe, if such a monster as the ISU-152 crashes, you will hear it! And he will demolish the tower along with their heads.”

ISU-152 as a self-propelled howitzer

ISU-152 is very rare, but was used as self-propelled howitzers for indirect fire. The Red Army did not have specialized vehicles for this purpose, like the German Hummel, the American Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 or the English Sexton. Tank and mechanized units of the Red Army were well equipped with towed artillery, but towed guns were vulnerable on the march, and they could not support tanks and motorized infantry as they quickly advanced into enemy defenses. In this role, ISU-152s were also used for artillery preparations. The maximum firing range of the ISU-152 was about 13 km, despite the limited 20° gun elevation angle. However, the ability to fire from closed positions was severely limited by the low speed of loading shells. In addition, unlike the towed version of the ML-20 gun, which had an elevation angle of 65°, the ISU-152 could not fire along high-steep trajectories. This significantly reduced the scope of application of this vehicle as a self-propelled howitzer.

Indirect firing of the ISU-152 is also a subject of debate in military forums. According to the documents, two facts of such use of self-propelled guns have been reliably established; there is also a photograph of an ISU-152 firing from closed positions with ammunition placed next to the self-propelled gun. Several more pieces of evidence were found in memoir sources. It is likely that, in addition to these cases, this was practiced more than once, since front-line reports and photographic documents contain only part of the information about the combat use of vehicles. However, their small number indicates that the use of the ISU-152 as a self-propelled howitzer during the Great Patriotic War was a rare occurrence.

However, in the post-war period, aspects of the combat use of the ISU-152 began to shift from an assault gun towards a self-propelled howitzer. The new tanks of the T-55 and T-62 types, which became widespread, had higher tactical and operational speed so that heavy, slow-moving control systems could successfully accompany them on the offensive. The armor of the ISU-152 was no longer sufficient against new anti-tank weapons, and the new 100-mm and 115-mm guns of the T-55 and T-62 tanks had good high-explosive fragmentation projectile power against enemy field fortifications. In conditions of stagnation in the development of Soviet cannon self-propelled artillery, thanks to the rapid development of missile weapons, the ISU-152 was preserved as assault guns for urban battles and began to be used as self-propelled howitzers, where the requirements for security and operational mobility were not so critical.

Machine evaluation

In general, the ISU-152 was a fairly successful example of a universal heavy self-propelled artillery mount. Mentioned above in the section Combat use The features and long service of the vehicle in the Soviet army serve as additional confirmation of this.

The ISU-152's armor was quite adequate for the late stages of World War II. Frontal 90-mm armor plates, inclined at an angle of 30°, confidently protected the vehicle from the most common German 75-mm anti-tank gun Pak 40 at distances of over 800 m. The ISU-152 was easy to repair; Often, self-propelled guns knocked out by the enemy returned to service after a couple of days of repairs in the field. After eliminating the “childhood diseases” of the ISU-152 vehicle, it proved to be a very reliable and unpretentious self-propelled gun; it was easily mastered by untrained crews.

However, in addition to its advantages, the ISU-152 also had disadvantages. The largest of them was a small transportable ammunition load of 20 rounds. Moreover, loading new ammunition was a labor-intensive operation, sometimes taking more than 40 minutes. This was a consequence of the large mass of the projectiles; as a result, greater physical strength and endurance were required from the loader. The telescopic sight of the ST-10 was calibrated for firing at a distance of up to 900 m, while the gun allowed direct fire at a distance of over 3.5 km. Therefore, when accurately shooting at a distance of over 900 m, the gunner was forced to use a less convenient panoramic sight. Another way to solve this problem was to concentrate the fire of several self-propelled guns at the desired point. What it lacked in accuracy it made up for in firepower. A hit by a high-explosive fragmentation projectile in the close vicinity of a heavily armored target often disabled it even without penetrating the armor (the blast wave and shrapnel damaged the gun, chassis, sights goals). Firing powerful high-explosive fragmentation shells at armored targets was quite common, since 13 out of 20 rounds in the ammunition load were high-explosive fragmentation shells. The remaining 7 were concrete or armor-piercing.

The compact layout made it possible to reduce the overall size of the vehicle, which had a beneficial effect on its visibility on the battlefield. However, this same arrangement forced the placement of fuel tanks inside the fighting compartment. If they were breached, the crew had a high risk of being burned alive. However, this danger was somewhat reduced by the worse flammability of diesel fuel compared to gasoline and the presence of a tetrachlorine fire extinguisher. In front-line reports, it was often noted that vehicles on fire based on the heavy IS tank (including the ISU-152) could easily be extinguished.

It is very difficult to compare the ISU-152 with other self-propelled guns from different countries of that period due to the lack of analogues in terms of the combination of tactical use, the weight of the vehicle and its weapons. Long-barreled guns of 150-155 mm caliber were equipped only with lightly armored self-propelled howitzers Hummel (Germany) and Gun Motor Carriage M12 (USA) based on medium tanks, which were not anti-tank self-propelled guns, nor assault weapons. In the 45-50 t weight category, there is only the German Jagdpanther tank destroyer, which was not also an assault gun. The German assault guns, which also performed anti-tank functions, the StuG III and StuG IV, were significantly lighter than the ISU-152 in terms of armament and weight, and were also weaker armored. The assault tank (actually self-propelled gun) StuPz IV “Brummbär” was also lighter in weight and equipped with a short-barreled 150 mm gun; its anti-tank capabilities were significantly limited. To some extent, the German Jagdtiger can be considered an analogue of the ISU-152, which also had a very powerful 128 mm cannon and extremely strong armor. On the other hand, the German self-propelled guns still had a pronounced anti-tank orientation; in addition, its mass was 1.7 times greater than that of the ISU-152. The armored vehicles of the Second World War of the USA and Great Britain did not have any production models of heavy self-propelled artillery units.

Organization

ISU-152, together with SU-152 and ISU-122, were used in separate heavy self-propelled artillery regiments (OTSAP). From May 1943 to 1945, 53 such units were formed.

Each OTSAP had 21 self-propelled guns consisting of 4 batteries of 5 vehicles each plus the regiment commander’s self-propelled guns. The regiment commander usually had the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel, battery commanders - the rank of captain or senior lieutenant. Self-propelled gun commanders and driver mechanics, as a rule, were lieutenants or junior lieutenants. The remaining crew members were sergeants or privates according to the staff list. OTSAP usually had several unarmored support and support vehicles - trucks, jeeps or motorcycles.

Beginning in December 1944, Guards heavy self-propelled artillery brigades began to be formed to provide heavy fire support for tank armies. Their organization was borrowed from tank brigades, the number of vehicles in both cases was the same - 65 self-propelled guns or tanks, respectively.

For their valor during the liberation of Belarusian cities, 8 OTSAP were awarded their honorary names, and three more regiments were awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Battle.

Interesting facts about ISU-152

• The work of the loader for these self-propelled guns was very difficult - it was necessary to single-handedly carry shells weighing more than 40 kg in the cramped fighting compartment of the vehicle.
• On military-historical forums, there are frequent and very heated debates about torn off turrets (especially from the Tiger tank) after they were hit by shells from the ISU-152. In fact, the BR-540 armor-piercing projectile has sufficient kinetic energy and momentum to destroy the turret ring elements of a heavy tank and displace it several tens of centimeters from the axis of rotation. In this sense, the term “failure” is quite legitimate. The collapse of towers several meters upward and to the side, widely shown in cinema and computer games, can only be a consequence of the detonation of ammunition in the fighting compartment, which, in principle, can result from a strong blow to the tank’s hull. No documents have yet been found on reliable cases of combat clashes between the ISU-152 and the Tigers (unlike the Panthers), only mentions are known in memoirs. This is the reason for the fierce disputes mentioned above, especially since those arguing do not always distinguish between shelling of “Tigers” from ISU-152 or towed ML-20 guns.
• Soviet and foreign publications about the ISU-152 often cited deliberately false facts, caused either by confusion with the SU-152, or by the authors’ desire to show that in 1943 the USSR had an adequate response to the “Tiger”.

Where can you see

Many ISU-152 survived the Great Patriotic War and became museum exhibits or self-propelled guns-monuments. ISU-152 is present in the exhibitions:

• Armored Museum in Kubinka
• Kazakhstan. Kostanay region, Kostanay. Recovery train.
• Park and memorial complex "Victory Park" in Saratov
• Military History Museum artillery, engineering troops and signal troops in St. Petersburg
• Central Museum of the Armed Forces in Moscow
• in the exhibition of the Panorama Museum "Battle of Stalingrad" in Volgograd
• Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Kyiv
• Museum of Military Glory in Gomel.
• Kyiv Motorcycle Plant, well-preserved example.
• in the Museum of the Heroic Defense and Liberation of Sevastopol on Sapun Mountain in Sevastopol (the Sevastopol exhibit was made in 1943-1950)
• in the Museum of Military Glory of Omsk in Omsk,
• in the museum of military equipment in Verkhnyaya Pyshma (Sverdlovsk region)
• In Brest, Belarus, the Brest Fortress memorial
• In Kostopil (Rivne region)
• In Kazan Victory Park
• Isu-152M can be seen in Nakhabino at the SPUR training ground, the state of preservation is average
• in Perm, Museum of OJSC "Motovilikha Plants"

Self-propelled guns-monuments ISU-152 are located in many CIS cities and military units Russian army:

• on a pedestal in the city of Kremenchug, Poltava region
• on a pedestal in the town of Kozelets, Chernihiv region
• on a pedestal in the city of Novosibirsk on the Monument of Glory
• on a pedestal in the city of Priozersk, Leningrad Region, in the Korela Fortress Museum
• on a pedestal in the city of Perm, Dzerzhinsky district
• on a pedestal at the Kursk Bulge Memorial Complex in the city of Kursk
• in the village of Prosti, Nizhnekamsk region of the Republic of Tatarstan
• in the village of Dolgoderevenskoye, Sosnovsky district, Chelyabinsk region
• in the city of Kurchatov, Kursk region
• in the village of Soskovo, Oryol region
• on the pedestal of the monument in honor of the feat of the crew of Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Alekseevich Kozlov in the village of Pukhovo, Liskinsky district, Voronezh region
• in r.p. Sargatskoye, Omsk region.
• memorial on Mount Kremenets in Izyum, Kharkov region
• The city of Zolochev in the Kharkov region is a monument to soldiers and officers of the 5th Guards Tank Army of General Rotmistrov
• City of Ekaterinburg, Kirovsky district, MZhK microdistrict, in one of the courtyards
• City of Kazan, Victory Park (instead of ISU-152 it is written SU-152).
• The city of Krasnoarmeysk, Moscow region, memorial of military glory.
• City of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region, Volzhskaya embankment.
• Tchaikovsky city, Ural Tankmen Square
• City of Tolyatti, Samara region, Victory Park.
• Ulyanovsk city, Victory Park.
• The city of Korosten, Zhytomyr region.
• City of Irbit, Sverdlovsk region.
• Chelyabinsk city, ChTZ Victory Garden.
• City of Syktyvkar, School No. 25.
• City of Makushino, Kurgan region, City Garden.
• Voronezh city, Diorama Museum.
• The village of Safonovo, Murmansk region, Museum of the Northern Fleet. About 10 units are rusting, there are examples with a 122 mm gun
• Svente village, (Daugavpils region, Latvia). Located in a private museum.
• Tambov city - Pekhotka district, on a pedestal at the checkpoint of military unit 64493

Outside countries former USSR ISU-152 is presented in museums in Poland, Finland and Israel.

• The city of Yampol, Vinnytsia region.
• Talnoe city, Cherkasy region. Ukraine
• Israeli Tank Forces Museum in Latrun

ISU-152 in computer games

The ISU-152 appears in a fairly large number of computer games of various genres - in simulators of armored vehicles and aircraft (as a target), in real-time strategies and even in turn-based strategies:

• war game "World War II";
• turn-based strategy "Panzer General III";
• real-time strategy "Blitzkrieg";
• real-time strategy “Behind Enemy Lines”;
• real-time strategy "Stalingrad";
• real-time strategy "Order of War";
• real-time strategy "Rush for Berlin"
• real-time strategy "Rush for the bomb"
• real time strategy "Sudden Strike 2"
• real-time strategy "Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory";
• MMO game "World of Tanks".
• game for Playstation “Panzer front”
• the game Close Combat III: The Russian Front and its remake Close Combat: Cross of Iron
• military game "Call of Duty" (in online game mode);

The reflection of the tactical and technical characteristics of armored vehicles and the features of their use in battle in many computer games is far from reality.

Models ISU-152

Scale copies of the ISU-152 are produced by a number of model manufacturing companies. However, in many regions of Russia, practically the only available option is a plastic prefabricated model of the ISU-152 from Zvezda on a scale of 1:35. The Isu-152 model with a cast nose is produced by the Dragon company, the model is orders of magnitude better than the Zvezda, however, it is outdated (produced in the 90s). Tamiya has released the ISU-152 model with a cast nose, this model is the best of all at the moment. The Zvezda model is made extremely inaccurately and requires significant effort and expense to bring it to a replica state. In 2007 (No. 77), M-hobby magazine published drawings of the Isu-152 K by Viktor Malginov. Drawings for self-construction of the model were repeatedly published in the magazine “Modelist-Constructor”.

It is not for nothing that the Great Patriotic War, among other things, is also called the “war of engines.” The outcome of the largest military operations during the war years directly depended on the availability of tanks and self-propelled units in service with the armies of warring countries. Many books and films have been created about the combat vehicles used by the parties. The most legendary installations are the German “Ferdinand” and soviet fighter tanks ISU-152 "St. John's wort". The debut of these steel giants took place in the battle of Kursk.

ISU-152 "St. John's wort" is one of the heaviest Soviet self-propelled artillery units. Many often confuse this combat vehicle with the SU-152, the chassis of which was created using the rollers of the KV-1S tank. The designers equipped the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” with rollers from the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank. Since a self-propelled artillery mount (SU) was designed on its basis, it was decided to add the first letter of the tank’s name to it. The index 152 indicates the caliber of ammunition used by the main armament of this combat vehicle. The tank was intended to destroy such German counterparts as the Tiger and Panther.

Historical and many other literary sources present the popular slang name for the legendary Soviet combat vehicle - “St. John’s wort”. Wehrmacht soldiers called the ISU-152 tank Dosenoffner (“can opener”).

Start of creation of self-propelled guns

The debut of self-propelled artillery mounts took place already in the First World War. But they were not widely used in those years. However, the need for powerful artillery systems was felt by all warring parties, especially Germany and the Soviet Union. During the short period of time between the First and Second World Wars, weapons designers and engineers of these two countries intensively developed variants of powerful self-propelled artillery guns.

Soviet gunsmiths used the tank base of such models as the T-28 and T-35 for this purpose. However, these works were never completed. In 1941, design work was again intensified. The reason was numerous requests to Soviet leadership from the active army, which especially needed artillery support to storm enemy fortifications in the offensive near Stalingrad. The problem was that at that time the Red Army had only towed artillery, which negatively affected its mobility and made it vulnerable.

In 1942, design work began on the SU-152. In 1943, Soviet troops already received the first batch - twelve combat vehicles. However, their mass production did not last long.

The production of this tank turned out to be too expensive, and its effectiveness was low. According to eyewitnesses, these combat vehicles were not reliable enough. It was technical malfunctions, and not enemy fire, that were the reason that tanks often had to be left on the battlefield.

In the same year, the model used to create the chassis of the self-propelled guns - the KV-1S - was removed from service, and it was decided to modify the installation itself. The SU-152, like the tank, was removed from the assembly line. Its place was taken by the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort”. The history of the creation of this combat vehicle begins in 1943. The IS-2 was now used as the tank basis instead of the KV-1S. The ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was assembled on its basis.

The production of the new self-propelled gun mount was not widespread. In total, no more than 670 units were produced. All design and creation work was completed in the shortest possible time. Within 25 days the first ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was ready. A photo of the combat vehicle is presented in the article.

Who developed the tank?

Work on the creation of the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was carried out by the design bureau of pilot plant No. 100 in the city of Chelyabinsk. Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin became the head. Under his leadership, the entire line of Soviet heavy tanks was created. The chief designer of the ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” is G. N. Moskvin. The first cars were produced by the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ) in 1943. Several units were manufactured by workers of the Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ). For only three years (from 1943 to 1946), serial production of the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” was carried out.

Description of design

The layout of this self-propelled gun mount is no different from other Soviet self-propelled guns. The combat vehicle is protected by an armored hull. The design of the tank consists of two parts: the armored cabin and the stern.

The crew consisted of five people. The front part of the hull, being a combat and at the same time management compartment (armored room), became the location of the driver, gunner and loader, all ammunition and the main gun. The aft part became the location of the engine and transmission. The commander and castle commander were located to the right of the gun. According to eyewitnesses, the crew’s chances of getting out alive when the tank was hit were minimal. The reason for this was the presence of a fuel tank in the wheelhouse.

How was the armor protection provided?

The frontal parts of the first ISU-152 were cast. The armor casting was then replaced by a welded structure. For this purpose, armored rolled plates were used in the production of hulls and deckhouses, which provided the tank with differentiated projectile protection. Their thickness was 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 cm and 5 mm. When installing them, rational angles of inclination were taken into account. As a result, this was reflected in the height and volume of the armored cabin in the ISU-152 “St. John’s wort”.

The characteristics of the degree of protection of the sides of this tank, compared to the SU-152, were somewhat lower. But the designers managed to compensate for this by thickening the armor. To protect the recoil devices, fixed cast armored casings and movable cast spherical armored masks were used, which were also used as a balancing element.

Structure of a tank corps

For boarding and egress of the crew, the ISU-152 is equipped with a special rectangular double-leaf hatch located in the upper part of the hull between the roof and rear sheet of the armored cabin. On the right side of the tank gun there was also a round hatch. There was also a hatch to the left of the gun, but it was not intended for the crew. Only the extensions of the panoramic sights were brought out through these hatches. If necessary, the crew could leave the ISU-152 using the emergency hatch in the bottom of the hull. The combat kit was loaded into the tank through small hatches. The combat vehicle was equipped with small repair hatches, which provided quick access to the neck of the fuel tank, the tank unit or any other component.

What was the combat vehicle armed with?

The 152-mm ML-20S gun-howitzer, which was previously used as a towed version (model 1937), was used as the main tank gun.

To mount the gun on the tank, a frame mounted on the armor plate of the frontal part was used. Unlike the towed version, howitzers on the ISU-152 are installed so that the flywheels that provide vertical and horizontal guidance are not located on both sides of the gun, but are moved to left side. This design solution ensured comfortable work for the crew. In the ISU-152, vertical aiming ranged from -3 to +20 degrees, horizontal - 10. Firing was carried out at a height of 180 cm. Firing was carried out using electric or manual mechanical triggers.

In 1945, weapons designers decided to equip the tank with a DShK 12.7 mm large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun. It could have an open or K-8T anti-aircraft sight and was designed to fire 250 rounds. The mounting location for the machine gun was the turret on the right commander's hatch.

In addition to the tank cannon and machine gun, the crew was armed with two PPSh or PPS machine guns for self-defense. Their ammunition consisted of 1491 rounds of ammunition, which were contained in twenty discs. The crew also had 20 F-1 hand grenades at their disposal.

Ammunition

Unlike the ML-20S towed gun, only two types of shells were provided for the tank gun:

• Armor-piercing tracer. Such ammunition weighed almost fifty kilograms. It was capable of reaching a maximum speed of up to 600 m/s. This type could be replaced by armor-piercing tracer blunt-headed projectiles containing ballistic tips.
• High-explosive fragmentation. The mass of the projectile was 44 kg. The ammunition had an initial speed of 650 m/s.

In addition to the ammunition, concrete-piercing cannon shells were included. The tank howitzer was adapted to fire various types of projectiles.

Engine

The ISU-152 was powered by a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel engine V-2-IS, the power of which was 520 hp. With. It was started using an inertia starter, using both manual and electric drives, as well as compressed air, collected in two tanks. The V-2IS diesel engine was supplied with an NK-1 fuel pump and a fuel supply corrector. Using the Multicyclone filter, the air entering the engine was cleaned. The engine and transmission compartment was equipped with heating devices to facilitate engine starting at sub-zero temperatures. In addition, they were used to heat the tank's fighting compartment. In total, the combat vehicle had three fuel tanks and four additional external ones, which were not connected to the entire fuel system.

Transmission

A mechanical transmission was provided for the combat vehicle. It consisted of the following elements:

• Multi-disc main clutch.
• Four-speed gearbox.
• Two onboard two-stage planetary rotation mechanisms.
• Two combined final drives (double-row).

The tank was equipped with mechanical control drives. The ISU-152 tank differed from the previous model by the presence of planetary rotation mechanisms. Due to these components, the transmission has become more reliable, which cannot be said about combat vehicles created on the basis of the KV tank.

Chassis design

The ISU-152 was equipped with an individual torsion bar chassis. On each side of the side there were solid cast dual-slope road wheels (6 pieces). For each of them, a special travel stop was provided, which was connected to the armored hull by welding. To support the tank track, three small solid-cast support rollers were used. The SU-152 had a similar design. The caterpillar tension was carried out using a screw mechanism. The tracks were equipped with special single-ridge tracks, 986 pieces), the width of which was 65 cm.

Electrical equipment

The power source for single-wire wiring in the ISU-152 was the P-4563A generator using a 1 kW RRA-24F relay generator. Also, power supply could be provided using two series-connected 6-STE-128 batteries. Their total capacity was 128 A/h. The energy in the tank was necessary to provide:

• External and internal lighting of a combat vehicle.
• Illuminated sighting devices.
• External sound signal.
• Operation of control and measuring instruments (ammeter and voltmeter).
• Operation of the radio station and tank intercom.
• Operation of the inertia starter electric motor, spark plug spools used for winter engine starting.

Design of sights and surveillance equipment

The crew of the ISU-152 tank could monitor the environment through the landing and disembarking hatches, which were equipped with special periscope devices. A viewing device with a triplex was provided for the driver. Protection this device provided by an armored shutter. The location for installing the device was a plug hatch located on the left side of the tank howitzer. In a non-combat situation, this hatch moved forward, due to which the driver’s viewing radius increased.

During direct fire at a distance of 900 meters, ST-10 telescopic sights were developed for the guns. When firing from a closed position, as well as during direct fire at a distance exceeding 900 meters, the Hertz panorama was used. For this purpose, special extensions were developed that provided visibility through the hatch in the tank roof. Thanks to the presence of special illuminating devices, firing from the ISU-152 was also possible at night.

How did you ensure communication with the crew?

A 10P radio station was used as a means of communication in the tank. It included a transmitter, receiver and umformer (single-armature motor-generator), with the help of which the radio station in the St. John's Wort combat vehicle was powered. The ISU-152 tank, unlike its predecessor, had a technologically improved 10P model: the radio station was equipped with a smooth frequency selection function. Its production was much simpler and less expensive. Using the TPU-4-BisF tank intercom, high-quality communication between crew members was ensured. This device also supported external communication. To do this, a headset was connected to the radio station.

Application of a combat vehicle

The Battle of Kursk became a baptism of fire for the ISU-152 St. John's Wort. The use of these tanks did not play a decisive role in the outcome of the battle. However, the model went down in history as almost the only type of armored vehicle capable of hitting German self-propelled guns at any distance. Only 24 “St. John’s wort” took part in the Battle of Kursk. This tank turned out to be lethal for many types of Wehrmacht armored vehicles. With the help of armor-piercing shells, the armored defense of the German Tigers and Panthers was easily penetrated.

If there was not enough armor-piercing ammunition, they were replaced with concrete-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation ammunition. Although such shells were unable to penetrate armor, they nevertheless turned out to be very effective in disabling sights and guns in enemy tanks. Soviet concrete-piercing shells had very high energy, capable of direct hit into a combat vehicle to rip off its turret from its shoulder strap.

The main task of the ISU-152 was to provide fire support to tanks and infantry during the offensive. This combat vehicle was very effective during battles in urban environments. During the Great Patriotic War, Budapest, Berlin and Koenigsberg were stormed using "St. John's Killers".

After the modernization, the ISU-152 was used by the Soviet army for some time. It was withdrawn from service in 1970. For some time, unmodernized units of "St. John's Boys" were supplied to Egypt. There they were used in the Middle East armed Arab-Israeli conflict.

In 1956, St. John's Worts were used by Soviet troops to suppress the Hungarian Uprising. The tank especially distinguished itself when destroying snipers holed up in residential buildings. The very fact of the participation of the legendary tank in the battle had a strong psychological impact on their residents: fearing that the tank would destroy the facade, the inhabitants of the house forcibly pushed the Hungarian snipers out of it.

Prefabricated model ISU-152 “St. John’s wort”

For those who are interested in modeling, today there is a children's gift option created on the basis of the legendary Soviet tank. The ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” model is produced by the Zvezda manufacturer specifically for children over eight years old. The product comes with special step-by-step instructions. The gift set ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” (“Star”), in addition to 120 plastic parts, includes glue and paints with a brush. According to consumer reviews, all plastic elements hold up quite well, are made of very high quality and are highly detailed.

The ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” (“Zvezda”) model has successful imitation of welding seams, MTO grilles and hatch hinges on the body. The imitation of the DShK anti-aircraft machine gun is highly appreciated. If desired, the ISU-152 “St. John’s Wort” model can be assembled with both open and closed hatches. The set has a scale of 1:35. Model size: 30 cm (length), 0.88 cm (width) and 0.82 cm (height). The children's set ISU-152 "St. John's wort" ("Star") will become a useful toy: the fascinating process of assembling the legendary tank will familiarize the child with the basics of engineering specialization.

Conclusion

ISU "St. John's wort" was used by the Soviet army until the very end of the Great Patriotic War. Towards the end of the war, these tanks became fewer and fewer. The reason for this was the wear and tear of their engines and chassis. Many "St. John's worts" were cut into metal.

After the victory, several units survived. Now they are located in museums in cities of Russia and other CIS countries.

Developer: KB ChKZ
Year of commencement of work: 1942
Year of production of the first prototype: 1943
It was serially produced in 1944-1945 and remained in service until the end of the 1970s.

The development of the KV-1 heavy tank, which entailed a significant redesign of its design, in 1943 led to the creation of IS series tanks, which were significantly more distinguished powerful weapons and the best booking. Accordingly, the production of SU-152 self-propelled guns, for which the chassis from the KV-1s was used, was discontinued, and they were to be replaced by a new vehicle.

The issue of modernizing the self-propelled guns was initiated by the management of plant No. 100, which on May 25, 1943 issued an order to begin work on an improved model of the SU-152. On the same day, the design group for self-propelled artillery under the leadership of G.N. Moskvin, to which N.V. Kurin was seconded, jointly at the BTU GBTU of the Red Army identified the main directions of modernization and new performance characteristics. In official correspondence, the new self-propelled guns were designated as SU-152-M. The following requirements were developed:

“The development of the SU-152-M heavy self-propelled gun is being carried out to replace the KB-14 self-propelled gun.

1) for self-propelled vehicles, use the chassis and mechanical equipment of the “Object 237” tank;

3) it is necessary to supplement the cannon armament of a heavy self-propelled gun with a 7.62-mm defensive all-round machine gun or a cal. anti-aircraft machine gun. 12.7 mm;

4) increase the thickness of the armor of the frontal hull plate to 90-100 mm;

5) increase visibility by using several viewing devices of the MK-1U type on a rotating base;

6) improve the ventilation of the fighting compartment by introducing an additional fan, or provide for blowing the gun barrel after firing...”

It was envisaged that the development of the project would be completed by July 1, 1943, but events related to the new self-propelled guns developed somewhat faster.

Unfortunately, history has not preserved for us the details of the development process of the SU-152-M - we only know that the draft design was submitted ahead of schedule and almost immediately it was approved. The production of working drawings apparently took only a few weeks, because the assembly of the first prototype began in July 1943, and on August 31 (according to other sources - July 31) the official display of the SU-152-M took place, which was now called IS-152. According to eyewitnesses, a demonstration of the capabilities of self-propelled guns took place in front of the country's top leadership, where I.V. Stalin, V.M. Molotov, K.E. Voroshilov, L.P. Beria and others were present. The car made a good impression, but there were some incidents. The fact is that before the show, only the driver was left from the “self-propelled guns”; the places of the remaining crew members were taken by NKVD officers. It is clear that they had a very vague idea of ​​the problems associated with the operation of self-propelled guns of the earlier version. The IS-152 delivered to the Kremlin aroused sincere interest among the leader, who wanted to climb onto this particular self-propelled gun. Stalin first looked into the fighting compartment and asked the “tanker” what had been done in the new self-propelled gun to improve ventilation. The state security officer was taken aback by surprise, but the situation was saved by the driver mechanic, who said that an additional fan had been introduced into the design of the IS-152. After completing the inspection, Stalin congratulated People's Commissar V.A. Malyshev on the creation of an improved self-propelled gun, so necessary for the front, and already on September 4, GKO decree No. 4043ss was issued on the adoption of three new types of equipment, including the IS-152.

Factory tests of the self-propelled guns took place in September 1943 and revealed a large number of various shortcomings. In addition, the cost of the IS-152 turned out to be higher than planned, so the production of the SU-152 (KV-14) was maintained, and the new self-propelled gun was sent for revision. By this time, the second prototype was ready, which was created for “Object 241”. This was a modernized version of the IS-152, which became the standard for the series. Factory tests of this vehicle began in October 1943, after which a cycle of state tests began, conducted at the Gorokhovets training ground. Since the main shortcomings were eliminated and the price of the IS-152 differed little from the SU-152, on November 6, 1943, a decision was made to begin mass production of this self-propelled gun at the Chelyabinsk plant under the designation. At the same time, production of the SU-152 was stopped. Structurally, the serial self-propelled gun ISU-152 was a combination of developments on the IS-1 heavy tank and the SU-152 self-propelled gun.

The chassis of the ISU-152 was similar to the IS-1. For one side, it consisted of six double rollers with a diameter of 385 mm, mounted on the axis of the bracket on two ball bearings, between the inner races of which there was a spacer sleeve. The guide wheel with a diameter of 550 mm was interchangeable with the IS-1 and was a steel casting with stiffeners. The rear drive wheel had two removable ring gears with 14 teeth each. Each caterpillar consisted of 86 tracks, but in order to save weight, the belt was assembled from 43 tracks with a ridge and 43 detachable (composite) tracks without a ridge. The track width was 650 mm, the pitch was 162 mm. The tank's suspension was independent, torsion bar, and consisted of twelve balance beams and twelve torsion bars.

The body of the self-propelled gun was made of rolled sheets of armor steel. Due to the smaller width of the chassis, the slope of the side armor plates had to be reduced from 25° to 15°, and the slope of the rear armor plate was completely eliminated. To compensate, the thickness of the side armor was increased to 75 mm, and the frontal armor to 90 mm (the installation angle of the frontal armor plates was 30°). The roof of the cabin was made of two sheets 30 mm thick. The front part was welded to the front, zygomatic and side armor plates. In addition to two hatches, it had a hole for installing a fan covered by an armored cap, a hatch for access to the filler neck of the front fuel tank (on the left) and an antenna output hole (on the right). The rear top sheet was made removable and attached with bolts. The bottom of the hull was assembled from three armor plates and had hatches and openings closed with plugs and armored covers.

In the engine compartment, located at the stern, a diesel V-shaped engine V-2IS (V-2-10) with a power of 520 hp was installed. at 2000 rpm, to the right of which there was a fuel tank, to the left - an oil tank. Oil radiators were located above the tanks. In the front part of the engine compartment, near the engine bulkhead along the sides, VT-5 Multicyclone type air cleaners were installed. The self-propelled gun used a liquid cooling system with forced circulation and a circulating lubrication system under pressure. A small circulation tank was built into the oil tank, which ensured rapid heating of the oil and the ability to use the method of diluting the oil with gasoline at low temperatures.
The main fuel supply was located in the aft tank with a capacity of 520 liters. Another four tanks with a total capacity of 300 liters were located outside and were spare, since they were not connected to the power system. Fuel was supplied forcibly using a 12-piston high-pressure NK-1 pump.

The transmission compartment and the centrifugal fan of the cooling system were fenced off by an armored bulkhead in which horseshoe-shaped water radiators were installed. The transmission included: main multi-disc dry friction clutch (steel over ferodo); four-way, four-speed gearbox with range; two two-stage planetary rotation mechanisms and two double-row final drives.

The roof of the MTO consisted of a removable sheet over the engine, mesh over the air supply windows to the engine and armored grilles over the blinds. The removable sheet had a hatch for access to the engine components, which was closed with an armored cover. In the rear there were two hatches for access to the necks of the fuel and oil tanks. The middle stern sheet was bolted and could be hinged during repairs. For access to the transmission units there were two round hatches protected by armored covers. The thickness of the MTO roof was 30 mm, the aft inclined armor plates were 60 mm each

The armament of the ISU-152 remained similar to the SU-152 and consisted only of the ML-20S gun-howitzer model 1936\43. However, the gun had aiming angles slightly different from more early model. The vertical angle ranged from -3° to +20°, the horizontal aiming sector was 10°. The height of the firing line was 1800 meters, the direct shot range was 800-900 m at a target 2.5-3 m high, the direct fire range was 3.8 km, the longest firing range was 13 km. The shot was fired using an electric or manual mechanical trigger. The gun on the first series of vehicles was protected by a mask with an armor thickness of 60 mm, borrowed from the SU-152, but later the armor was increased to 100 mm.

The arsenal of ML-20S shells consisted of the following types: - armor-piercing tracer sharp-headed BR-240 projectile weighing 48.78 kg and an initial speed of 600 m/s (or blunt-headed BR-240B with similar indicators);

— high-explosive fragmentation projectile OF-540 (or OF-530) weighing 43.56 kg and an initial speed of 655 m/s when fully charged;

— fragmentation howitzer grenades made of steel cast iron O-530A;

— concrete-piercing cannon shells G-545.

Despite the low initial speed, the armor-piercing projectile, due to its mass, had a huge destructive effect and, from a distance of 1000 meters, pierced a vertically mounted armor plate 123 mm thick.

Armor-piercing tracer shells and high-explosive fragmentation grenades were placed at the bottom of the left side of the hull in special frames. The cartridges and combat charges were located in the wheelhouse niche in special frames and clamp stowage. The full ammunition load was 20 (according to other sources - 21) rounds.

Lung small arms should have included a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun DShK model 1938. With a K-8T sight, mounted on a turret on the commander's hatch chase. The ammunition load for the machine gun was 250 rounds. In the fighting compartment, in the stowage, there were two PPSh (later PPS) submachine guns with 1,491 rounds of ammunition and 20 F-1 hand grenades.

The means of monitoring the environment, as on the SU-152, were quite varied. Three prismatic viewing devices with protective armor covers were installed on the roof of the fighting compartment; two more such devices were installed on the left round hatch and the top flap of the rectangular double-leaf hatch. The vehicle commander's workplace was equipped with a PTK-4 periscope. During combat, the driver-mechanic conducted observation through a viewing device with a triplex mounted in a plug hatch to the left of the gun, which was protected by an armored flap. The gun had mechanical (manual) and electric triggers, and the first type was standard for self-propelled guns of the first series. The electric trigger was located on the handle of the flywheel of the lifting mechanism, which, together with a sector-type rotary mechanism, was attached to the left “cheek” of the frame.

For firing, the SU-152 was equipped with two gun sights - a telescopic ST-10 for direct fire at a distance of up to 900 meters and a Hertz panorama for firing from closed positions. When shooting at night, the sight and panorama scales, as well as the sighting and gun reticles, were illuminated by the light bulbs of the Luch-5 device.

The electrical wiring in the ISU-152 self-propelled guns was single-wire; the second wire was the armored hull of the vehicle. The sources of electricity (operating voltages 12 and 24 V) were a P-4563A generator with a RRA-24F relay-regulator with a power of 1 kW and two series-connected 6-STE-128 batteries with a total capacity of 128 Ah. Communication equipment included a 10P radio station or 10RK-26, as well as an internal intercom TPU-4-Bis for 4 subscribers.

Having started production of the ISU-152 in November 1943, the assembly shops of ChKZ, due to the similarity of the designs with the SU-152, took on an extremely high pace. Already in December, the formation of the first heavy self-propelled artillery regiment (tsap) equipped with new self-propelled guns began, and in the winter of 1944 it turned out that gunsmiths could not cope with the supply of ML-20S guns, which is why a surplus of finished hulls and chassis began to form. To resolve this issue, 122-mm A-19 and then D-25S guns were installed on the ISU-152, which entailed not only a change in the name of the self-propelled guns, but a number of design modifications. However, these machines will be discussed in a separate article.

Mass re-equipment with ISU-152 and ISU-122 began in 1944, and in total 56 tsaps were equipped by the end of the war. Some of these regiments had self-propelled guns of both types and even older SU-152s. According to the state, it was supposed to have 21 self-propelled guns consisting of four batteries and one command ISU-152. The regiment commander usually had the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel, battery commanders - the rank of captain or senior lieutenant. Self-propelled gun commanders and driver mechanics, as a rule, were lieutenants or junior lieutenants. The remaining crew members were sergeants or privates according to the staff list. OTSAP usually had several unarmored support and support vehicles - trucks, jeeps or motorcycles.

Although the ISU-152 was used during the final stage of combat operations in Europe, their combat career turned out to be very eventful. First of all, the new self-propelled guns were used to support advancing troops, serving as mobile large-caliber artillery. However, situations were not rare when the ISU-152 was used as an anti-tank weapon and fired directly. As an example, we can cite an episode of combat operations of the 1st Guards Tank Army, commanded by the talented tanker M.E. Katukov. In April 1944, having barely received the ISU-152, the Katukovites were drawn into heavy fighting in Transcarpathia, on the border of Hungary and Romania. Having lost most of their “thirty-fours,” the command was forced to form a battalion of captured Pz.V “Panther” and Pz.IV tanks with long-barreled 75-mm guns. However, Katukov’s army found itself in a very difficult situation, which was aggravated after the breakthrough of about 40 “panthers” near the town of Nizhnyuv (in the bend of the Dniester River). If they reached Chernivtsi, the army found itself surrounded. To prevent this, Katukov ordered the ISU-152 regiment to be deployed to the most tank-dangerous direction. Self-propelled guns took up positions on the top of the hill and held back the attack of German tanks for several hours. According to Katukov’s report, out of 40 “panthers” only 8 survived and were forced to retreat. Even taking into account the somewhat inflated data on German losses, the ISU-152 fully confirmed its high combat qualities.

Self-propelled artillery regiments especially distinguished themselves in the battles for Polotsk and Vitebsk. Eight regiments received honorary names in honor of the liberated cities, three regiments were awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Battle, and three were awarded the Order of the Red Star. ISU-122 and ISU-152 soon earned fame as a formidable opponent of the German Tigers. This reputation was reinforced by action, for example, of the 12 Tigers lost by the 502nd PzAbt in the summer of 1944 in Belarus and the Baltic states, half were accounted for by ISU-122 and ISU-152.

During heavy battles in Prussia, Soviet heavy self-propelled guns also repeatedly confirmed their effectiveness in the fight against enemy tanks. While repelling a German counterattack on the Zemland Peninsula, the commander of the 378th Guards TsAP lined up the regiment's battle formation in a fan formation and ensured shelling in a 180-degree sector. One of the regiment's batteries, occupying a position along a front 250 meters long, on April 7, 1945, successfully repelled an attack by 30 German tanks, knocking out 6 of them without its own losses. Only two self-propelled guns received minor damage to the chassis.

The battle on April 20, 1945 near Lichtenberg, during the assault on Berlin, unfolded in a similar way. A day earlier, self-propelled guns of the 360th Guards TsAP and infantry of the 388th Rifle Division entrenched themselves on occupied positions and met a German counterattack, which involved up to an infantry regiment and 15 tanks. During the battle, the enemy lost (according to Soviet data) 10 tanks and about 300 soldiers and officers. No personal losses were reported.

In a number of cases, the presence of powerful self-propelled guns played a decisive role. One example is the battle on January 12, 1945 during the Sandomierz-Silesian operation, when the 385th Guards TsAP was tasked with suppressing enemy artillery and conducted continuous fire on German positions for 107 minutes. Having fired 980 shells, the self-propelled guns managed to suppress two mortar batteries, eight guns and up to a battalion of soldiers.
A few days later, on January 15, 1945, near the town of Borowe (East Prussia), the Germans, with up to one motorized infantry regiment supported by tanks and self-propelled guns, unexpectedly counterattacked our advancing infantry. It is unknown how this battle would have ended if the 390th TsAP had not joined the fight - with the fire of their 152-mm ISU-152 guns they repelled the enemy attack and gave the infantry the opportunity to develop the offensive.

When used correctly, the ISU-152 has proven itself well during the assault on city blocks. At the end of the war, special assault groups were created to storm fortified city positions. As a rule, they included a group of self-propelled guns (usually two), which, accompanying infantry and tanks, destroyed enemy firing points located in houses, rubble and barricades with direct fire from a place or short stops. This tactic was most widely used in battles in Poland, Prussia and the eastern part of Germany.

Thus, general impression the combat use of the ISU-152 during the Great Patriotic War remained positive. However, some of the shortcomings of the self-propelled guns could not be eliminated. Yes, delivered greatest number The ventilation problems in the fighting compartment were far from completely resolved after installing an exhaust fan. According to the recollections of the self-propelled gunners, powder gases at times still literally flowed out of the barrel and accumulated in a toxic film on the floor.

The work of the artillerymen was also not simplified. The loader had to be in good physical shape, since he had to feed projectiles weighing 40-50 kg manually. In addition, separate loading led to a low rate of fire, which did not allow the ISU-152 to be used as a full-fledged anti-tank weapon.

The howitzer functions of the self-propelled gun were also “cut off”. Due to the use of strong armor for the frontal part of the hull and the gun mantlet, its maximum elevation angle was only 20° (versus 65° for the towed version of the ML-20), which did not allow firing along high-steep trajectories.

When firing at a range of more than 900 meters, the gunner had to use a less convenient panoramic sight, thereby reducing accuracy. In this case, the desired effect could be achieved by the simultaneous use of several self-propelled guns firing at one distant target.
The small amount of ammunition carried and its long loading time (about 40 minutes) were again criticized.

The option of placing fuel tanks inside the fighting compartment was also considered not very successful. If a shell hit them, the fuel vapors accumulated inside would often detonate, leading to the complete destruction of the vehicle. In another version, burning diesel fuel was poured into the fighting compartment, but then the crew still had a chance to survive by using tetrachlorine fire extinguishers. In front-line reports, it was often noted that vehicles on fire based on the heavy IS tank (including the ISU-152) could easily be extinguished.

And yet, the ISU-152 was destined for a long life. The post-war career of these self-propelled guns was quite peaceful, except for the suppression of revolutionary uprisings in Hungary. This episode was the last in the combat use of the Soviet ISU-152.

The conflict between the warring factions in the Hungarian government had been brewing since the late 1940s, but it was only in the fall of 1956 that it entered an active stage. In fact, the uprising began on October 22 with student protests, which became widespread a day later. The rebels stormed the radio center and government buildings, which caused an immediate reaction from the Soviet Union and military units stationed in Hungary. On the night of October 20-21, a pontoon crossing was established near Zahoni, and units of the Special Corps were put on full combat readiness. The introduction of armored vehicles into Budapest took place on October 23 - T-34-85 tanks appeared on the streets of the Hungarian capital, which formed the basis of the 37th tank and 4th mechanized regiments, as well as heavy IS-2 and ISU-152 self-propelled guns. In total, in the city the Soviet side had 290 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,230 armored personnel carriers, 156 guns and 6,000 soldiers and officers. Apparently hoping that the introduction of heavy equipment would make the Hungarians come to their senses, the Soviet side turned out to be completely unprepared for further events. Units of the army and people's militia went over to the side of the rebels, who eagerly handed them weapons from warehouses. In addition, in Budapest there were at least 50 tanks (mostly T-34-85), which were most often used as fixed firing points near strong points, and several anti-aircraft guns.

The main task of the Soviet troops was to maintain order, but almost immediately tanks and self-propelled guns were involved in street fighting. Unlike the previous assault on Budapest, when assault groups acted with great efficiency against German and Hungarian units, now self-propelled guns and tanks acted separately, without infantry support. Having no anti-tank guns or mines, the rebels used a long-proven weapon against tanks – Molotov cocktails. During the day, the Hungarians managed to set fire to and destroy several vehicles, including self-propelled guns. But the Soviet tank crews also put up stubborn resistance, often opening fire on residential buildings where rebel firing points were spotted. By October 25, most of the key buildings came under the control of Soviet troops, but this could not solve the crisis in Hungary.
Losses in self-propelled guns, in general, turned out to be small, but the now widely circulated photographs of two damaged ISU-152s and one T-34-85, taken from different angles, create the false impression that much more Soviet vehicles were destroyed.

A few days later, the troops had to be withdrawn, but already on November 4, a new assault on the city took place, the fierceness of the battles was not inferior to the battles of 1945. This time the actions of armored vehicles and infantry were more coordinated, and tank units were reinforced by newer T-44 and T-54 vehicles. In fact, the main rebel forces were defeated or disarmed by November 6, but in some places in Budapest the fighting continued until November 14, and in the southern foothills of the country until the end of the year. Information on the total losses of the ISU-152 has not yet been found, but in the period from October 23 to the end of November, at least a dozen self-propelled guns were shot down and disabled.

Subsequently, ISU-152 was not involved in such operations. Quite often, throughout the 1950-1960s, old self-propelled guns were used during exercises and combined arms maneuvers, and the last self-propelled guns of this type were decommissioned only in 1972.

The first foreign army to receive 152-mm self-propelled guns was the Polish Army. In 1944, along with other equipment, the Soviet Union transferred a little more than 30 heavy self-propelled guns. Soon the Poles formed the 25th self-propelled artillery regiment, which included 10 ISU-152 and 22 ISU-122. As part of the 1st Polish Tank Corps (T-34 and T-34-85), the regiment took part in the battles on the Nysa River (the left tributary of the Oder in southwestern Poland) in March 1945.
At the beginning of 1945, the Polish command was going to form another ISU-152 regiment from the received equipment, but self-propelled guns of this type were not enough, as a result of which the 13th self-propelled artillery regiment received two ISU-152 batteries and two SU-85 batteries. This formation took part in the capture of Berlin in April-May 1945.
In the post-war period, the ISU-152 remained in service with the Polish army until the end of the 1960s, after which some of the self-propelled guns withdrawn to the reserve were converted into ARVs and auxiliary vehicles.

As part of providing military assistance to friendly countries, several ISU-152s were also transferred to the Czechoslovak army after the war, where they were used until the end of the 1950s.

In the early 1960s. Egypt acquired at least a regiment of ISU-152. No exact information has been preserved about their operation. Soviet self-propelled guns were used for their intended purpose during the wars of 1967 and 1973, and after their service life was exhausted, the Egyptians dug them along the Suez Canal, constructing fixed firing points from ISU-152. Several self-propelled guns and auxiliary vehicles based on ISU-152 (according to some sources - about two dozen) became trophies israeli army and now one of them is on display at the Yad la-Shiryon tank museum along with the BTT-1.

The first stage of modernization of the ISU-152 was carried out in 1944, when self-propelled guns began to use an improved chassis from the IS-2 tank, thicker frontal armor (welded from two rolled armor plates) and more capacious fuel tanks. Although this version did not fully meet the requirements for high-power self-propelled guns, its production continued until 1947, when the last 2790th production vehicle was delivered.

After the war, two attempts were made to improve the combat qualities of self-propelled guns, especially since during 1945-1949. None of the prototypes of the 100\152 mm self-propelled guns were accepted for mass production.

One of the first projects, called (“Object 241K”), was developed in 1953 by the design bureau of the Leningrad Kirov Plant. First of all, the self-propelled gun was equipped with a new V-54K engine with an ejection cooling system and a standard heater, which entailed a modification of the MTO. The radiators were now located horizontally on both sides of the engine, and fuel tanks were installed on the fenders under the ejectors. Thanks to the changed layout, it was possible to get rid of the fuel tank in the fighting compartment, and the capacity of the main tank was increased to 920 liters, which increased the highway range by another 500 km. Due to the changed cooling system, only two external fuel tanks were left. The motor frame was now attached to the sides of the hull, which made it possible to increase the rigidity of its mounting and avoid failure of the transmission and engine with minor damage to the bottom. The new type of gearbox used had 8 forward and 2 reverse speeds - in total, all of the above improvements led to an increase in the maximum speed to 40 km/h.

The ISU-152K chassis was modernized by borrowing many elements from the T-10 heavy tank, from which the road wheels and “wings” with downward curved edges were adopted. Some vehicles were equipped with tracks 720 mm wide, although there were also “combined” versions, when a self-propelled gun equipped with tracks of one type carried spare tracks of a different width.

The gun mantlet was modernized by installing an armor ring on the hole above the sight and slightly changing the shape of the movable armor. Some ISU-152Ks were equipped with an additional 15 mm armor plate welded on top of the 60 mm armor plate above the gun mantlet, although some vehicles did not have these innovations at all.

Visibility from the fighting compartment was improved after the installation of a commander's cupola like that of the T-10, equipped with seven TPN viewing devices and one 1-TPKU. Since its size was slightly larger than the diameter of the commander's hatch, the fan armor had to be reduced. At the same time, the driver received a new hatch with an MK-4 viewing device. The turret for the DShK machine gun has now become standard, and its ammunition capacity has been increased to 300 rounds. The machine gun was served by the right gun loader (locked), and not by the commander, as in early versions of the self-propelled guns.
The felling has undergone significant alterations. After removing the fuel tank from it, the ammunition load was increased to 30 rounds - an additional 10 shells were placed in the free space, and two AK-47 assault rifles and a stack of grenades were attached above them. The cartridges were placed on the starboard side (21 pieces), under the gun (6 pieces) and on the left side under the shell boxes (3 pieces). Also, instead of the ST-10 sight, the PS-10 was installed.
The production, or more precisely, the modification, of self-propelled guns according to the ISU-152K standard at LKZ continued during 1955-1958, after which work on modernizing the self-propelled guns was transferred to ChKZ.

The version created in Chelyabinsk (“Object 241M”) was largely the same as the ISU-152K, differing mainly only in the absence of an ejection cooling system. In general, the modernized self-propelled guns actively used components and assemblies from the IS-2M heavy tank, and instead of the DShK machine gun, a DShKM with the same ammunition and night vision devices were installed. Subsequently, since 1958, during routine repairs, standard radio stations and intercoms were replaced with newer “Granat” and TPU R-120.

In the 1960s The self-propelled guns were planned to be used as a means of firing nuclear ammunition, but the small elevation angle of the gun and insufficient range could lead to the fact that the self-propelled gun could well be covered by a shock wave. They tried to solve the problem by creating an active-missile projectile, but after the adoption of new types of self-propelled guns, this option was completely abandoned.

The chassis of a number of ISU-152 (as well as ISU-122) were used to create self-propelled artillery systems of high and special power, and tactical missile launchers. Disarmed ISU-152 and ISU-122 with a welded hole for mounting a gun in the front panel of the cabin called ISU-T were used as tank tractors, staff vehicles, and mobile artillery observation posts. A number of these vehicles were transferred to civilian departments for use as tractors or transport in difficult terrain.
Tank tractors were built on the same base BTT-1 with expanded functionality compared to ISU-T. Dampers were welded to the body of the BTT-1 to push the emergency tank using a log; the rear of the vehicle was equipped with openers, a platform above the engine and transmission compartment and a collapsible boom of a manual crane with a lifting capacity of up to 3 tons. Instead of a gun and ammunition, the wheelhouse housed a powerful winch driven by a power take-off from the main engine of the vehicle. Option BTT-1T Instead of a winch, it was equipped with a set of rigging equipment.

On the railways of the USSR, a small number of disarmed ISU-152s were used in recovery trains as tilters or tractors in emergency situations. The last of these machines served until 1995-1996. on the railways of Ukraine and Russia, after which they were transferred to museums or installed as monuments.

Sources:
Baryatinsky M. “Armored vehicles of the USSR 1939-1945,” Armor collection No. 1, 1998
Baratinsky M. “Heavy self-propelled guns of the Red Army”, Armor collection No. 2, 2006
Karpenko A.V. “Heavy Soviet self-propelled guns”, Tankmaster No. 4, 2001
Svirin M. “Stalin’s self-propelled guns. History of Soviet self-propelled guns 1919-1945.” Moscow. "Yauza"\"EXMO". 2008
Solyankin A.G., Pavlov M.V., Pavlov I.V., Zheltov I.G., “Soviet heavy self-propelled artillery mounts 1941-45,” Eksprint, 2005
Shunkov V.N. "Weapons of the Red Army", Harvest, 1999
Tanks T-54, T-55, T-62 and other captured tanks
Samohodno orudje JSU-152
St. John's worts: heavy artillery self-propelled guns ISU-152
Self-propelled gun drawings
Self-propelled gun drawings

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA OF A HEAVY SELF-PROPELLED UNIT

Resolution of the State Defense Committee No. 4043ss of September 4, 1943 ordered Experimental Plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk, together with the technical department of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army, to design, manufacture and test the IS-152 artillery self-propelled gun based on the IS tank by November 1, 1943. Its immediate predecessor is the SU-152 (KB-14) self-propelled gun, which was based on the KV-1s tank.

The SU-152 self-propelled gun, put into service on February 14, 1943, was in mass production until the beginning of 1944. The appearance of these vehicles in the Battle of Kursk was an unpleasant surprise for the Germans. A massive 152-mm armor-piercing projectile (48.8 kg), fired from a direct shot distance of 700–750 m, pulled the turret off the Tiger. It was then that heavy artillery self-propelled guns received the respectful nickname “St. John’s Wort” from the soldiers.

It goes without saying that the military wanted to have a similar self-propelled gun based on the new heavy tank, especially since the KV-1s was being discontinued.

Soviet experimental self-propelled gun ISU-152-1 (ISU-152BM with a 152-mm BL-8/OBM-43 cannon, produced in a single copy) in the courtyard of plant No. 100 in Chelyabinsk

The layout of the self-propelled gun IS-152 (object 241), later called ISU-152, did not differ in fundamental innovations. The armored cabin, made of rolled sheets, was installed in the front part of the hull, combining the control and combat compartments into one volume. The thickness of its frontal armor was greater than that of the SU-152: 60–90 mm versus 60–75.

The 152 mm caliber ML-20S howitzer-gun was mounted in a cast frame, which acted as the upper mount of the gun, and was protected by a cast armor mantlet borrowed from the SU-152. The swinging part of the self-propelled howitzer-gun had minor differences compared to the field one: a folding tray was installed to facilitate loading and a shield with trigger, the handles of the flywheels of the lifting and turning mechanisms were located on the gunner's left along the vehicle's direction, the axles were moved forward for natural balancing.

The ammunition consisted of 20 separately loaded rounds, half of which were BR-545 armor-piercing tracer shells weighing 48.78 kg, and half were OF-545 high-explosive fragmentation cannon grenades weighing 43.56 kg. For direct fire, the ST-10 telescopic sight was used; for firing from closed positions, a panoramic sight with an independent or semi-independent aiming line from the ML-20 field howitzer gun was used. The maximum gun elevation angle was +20°, declination -3°. At a distance of 1000 m, an armor-piercing projectile penetrated 123 mm armor.

Projections of ISU-152, 1944

On some vehicles, a 12.7-mm DShK machine gun, model 1938, was installed on the anti-aircraft turret of the commander's hatch.

The power plant and transmission were borrowed from the IS-2 tank and included a 12-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, non-compressor diesel engine V-2IS (V-2-10) with a power of 520 hp. at 2000 rpm, multi-disc main dry friction clutch (steel on ferrodo), 4-way eight-speed gearbox with a range multiplier, two-stage planetary turning mechanisms with locking clutches and two-stage final drives with a planetary gear set.

The chassis of the self-propelled guns, applied to one side, consisted of six dual cast road wheels with a diameter of 550 mm and three support rollers. The rear drive wheels had two removable ring gears with 14 teeth each. The guide wheels are cast, with a crank mechanism for tensioning the tracks.

Assembly of self-propelled guns ISU-152 at a Soviet plant. The ML-20S howitzer gun with a caliber of 152.4 mm is mounted in a frame on an armor plate, which will then be installed in the armored cabin of the combat vehicle

Suspension – individual torsion bar.

The caterpillars are steel, fine-linked, with 86 single-ridge tracks each. The tracks are stamped, 650 mm wide and 162 mm pitch. Pin engagement.

The combat weight of the ISU-152 was 46 tons.

The maximum speed reached 35 km/h, the range was 220 km. The vehicles were equipped with YUR or 10RK radio stations and a TPU-4-bisF intercom.

The crew included five people: commander, gunner, loader, lock and driver.

Already at the beginning of 1944, the production of ISU-152 began to be hampered by a shortage of ML-20 guns. To get out of this situation, at Artillery Plant No. 9 in Sverdlovsk they put the barrel of a 122-mm A-19 hull cannon on the cradle of an ML-20S gun and as a result received a heavy artillery self-propelled gun ISU-122 (object 242), which, due to the higher initial speed of the armor-piercing projectile - 781 m/s - was an even more effective anti-tank weapon than the ISU-152. The vehicle's ammunition load increased to 30 rounds.

A Soviet soldier shoots at a training ground from an anti-aircraft large-caliber 12.7-mm DShK machine gun mounted on an ISU-152 self-propelled gun

Soviet self-propelled guns ISU-122 on the march. 1st Ukrainian Front, 1945

From the second half of 1944, some ISU-122s began to be equipped with a D-25S cannon with a semi-automatic wedge breech and a muzzle brake. These vehicles were designated ISU-122-2 (object 249) or ISU-122S. They differed in the design of recoil devices, a cradle and a number of other elements, in particular, a new cast mask with a thickness of 120–150 mm. The gun sights are telescopic TSh-17 and Hertz panorama. The convenient location of the crew in the fighting compartment and the semi-automatic nature of the gun contributed to an increase in the rate of fire to 3–4 rounds/min, compared to 2 rounds/min on the IS-2 tank and the ISU-122 self-propelled gun.

From 1944 to 1947, 2,790 ISU-152 self-propelled units were manufactured, 1,735 ISU-122 and 675 ISU-122S. Thus, the total production of heavy artillery self-propelled guns - 5200 units - exceeded the number of manufactured heavy IS tanks - 4499 units. It should be noted that, as in the case of the IS-2, the Leningrad Kirov Plant was supposed to be involved in the production of self-propelled guns based on it. By May 9, 1945, the first five ISU-152s were assembled there, and by the end of the year another hundred were assembled. In 1946 and 1947, production of ISU-152 was carried out only at LKZ.

Since the spring of 1944, heavy self-propelled artillery regiments SU-152 were re-equipped with ISU-152 and ISU-122 installations. They were transferred to new states and all were given the rank of guards. In total, 56 such regiments were formed before the end of the war, each containing 21 ISU-152 or ISU-122 vehicles (some of these regiments had a mixed composition of vehicles). In March 1945, the 66th Guards heavy self-propelled artillery brigade of three regiments was formed (1804 people, 65 ISU-122, ZSU-76).

The Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-122S is fighting in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945

Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-152 in the original winter camouflage with troops on the armor

Heavy self-propelled artillery regiments attached to tank and rifle units and formations were primarily used to support infantry and tanks in the offensive. Following in their battle formations, self-propelled guns destroyed enemy firing points and ensured successful advancement for infantry and tanks. In this phase of the offensive, self-propelled guns became one of the main means of repelling tank counterattacks. In a number of cases, they had to move ahead of the battle formations of their troops and take the blow themselves, thereby ensuring freedom of maneuver for the supported tanks.

So, for example, on January 15, 1945, in East Prussia, in the Borowe region, the Germans, with up to one regiment of motorized infantry, supported by tanks and self-propelled guns, counterattacked the battle formations of our advancing infantry, along with which the 390th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment was operating. The infantry, under pressure from superior enemy forces, retreated behind the battle formations of the self-propelled guns, who met the German attack with concentrated fire and covered the supported units. The counterattack was repulsed, and the infantry was again able to continue its offensive.

Heavy self-propelled guns were sometimes involved in artillery preparations. At the same time, fire was carried out both direct fire and from closed positions. In particular, on January 12, 1945, during the Sandomierz-Silesian operation of the 368th guards regiment ISU-152 of the 1st Ukrainian Front fired at a strong point and four enemy artillery and mortar batteries for 107 minutes. Having fired 980 shells, the regiment suppressed two mortar batteries, destroyed eight guns and up to one battalion of enemy soldiers and officers. It is interesting to note that additional ammunition was laid out in advance at the firing positions, but the shells in the combat vehicles were consumed first, otherwise the rate of fire would have been significantly reduced. It took up to 40 minutes for the subsequent replenishment of heavy self-propelled guns with shells, so they stopped firing well in advance of the attack.

Soviet tankers and infantrymen on the self-propelled gun ISU-152. The album is signed: “Our boys on self-propelled guns are fighting on the front line”

Heavy self-propelled guns were used very effectively in the fight against enemy tanks. For example, in the Berlin operation on April 19, the 360th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment supported the advance of the 388th Rifle Division. Parts of the division captured one of the groves east of Lichtenberg, where they entrenched themselves. The next day, the enemy, with the strength of up to one infantry regiment, supported by 15 tanks, began to counterattack. When repelling attacks during the day, heavy self-propelled gun fire destroyed 10 German tanks and up to 300 soldiers and officers.

In the battles on the Zemland Peninsula during the East Prussian operation, the 378th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, when repelling counterattacks, successfully used the formation of the regiment's battle formation as a fan. This provided the regiment with shelling in a sector of 180° or more and made it easier to fight enemy tanks attacking from different directions.

Units of the Soviet heavy self-propelled artillery regiment at the crossing of the Spree River. On the right is self-propelled gun ISU-152

One of the ISU-152 batteries, having formed its battle formation in a fan along a front length of 250 m, successfully repelled a counterattack of 30 enemy tanks on April 7, 1945, knocking out six of them. The battery suffered no losses. Only two cars received minor damage to the chassis.

Back in December 1943, taking into account that in the future the enemy might have new tanks with more powerful armor, the State Defense Committee, by a special resolution, ordered the design and production of self-propelled artillery mounts with guns of increased power by April 1944:

With a 122-mm cannon having an initial speed of 1000 m/s with a projectile weight of 25 kg;

With a 130-mm cannon having an initial speed of 900 m/s with a projectile mass of 33.4 kg;

With a 152-mm cannon having an initial speed of 880 m/s with a projectile mass of 43.5 kg.

All these guns penetrated 200 mm thick armor at a distance of 1500–2000 m.

In the course of implementing this resolution, artillery self-propelled guns were created and tested in 1944–1945: ISU-122-1 (object 243) with a 122-mm BL-9 cannon, ISU-122-3 (object 251) with a 122-mm S- cannon 26-1, ISU-130 (object 250) with a 130 mm S-26 cannon; ISU-152-1 (object 246) with a 152-mm BL-8 cannon and ISU-152-2 (object 247) with a 152-mm BL-10 cannon.

The ISU-152 crew is on vacation. Germany, 1945

The S-26 and S-26-1 guns were designed at TsAKB under the leadership of V. G. Grabin, while the S-26-1 differed from the S-26 only in the caliber of the tube. The 130 mm caliber S-26 gun had ballistics and ammunition from the B-13 naval gun, but had a number of fundamental design differences, as it was equipped with a muzzle brake, a horizontal wedge breech, etc. The ISU-130 and ISU-122-1 self-propelled guns were manufactured at the factory No. 100, and they were tested from June 30 to August 4, 1945. Later, the tests continued, but both self-propelled guns were not accepted into service and were not launched into series.

The BL-8, BL-9 and BL-10 guns were developed by OKB-172 (not to be confused with plant No. 172), all of whose designers were prisoners. The first prototype of the BL-9 was manufactured in May 1944 at plant No. 172, and in June it was installed on the ISU-122-1. Field tests were carried out in September 1944, and state tests in May 1945. On the latter, the barrel ruptured during firing due to metal defects. The BL-8 and BL-10 15 mm caliber guns had ballistics that significantly exceeded the ballistics of the ML-20, and were tested in 1944.

Self-propelled guns with prototype guns had the same disadvantages as other self-propelled guns on the IS chassis: a large forward reach of the barrel, which reduced maneuverability in narrow passages; small horizontal aiming angles of the gun and difficulty in aiming it, which made it difficult to fire at moving targets; low combat rate of fire due to the relatively small size of the fighting compartment, large mass of shots, separate-case loading and the presence of a piston bolt in a number of guns; poor visibility from cars; small ammunition load and difficulty in replenishing it during the battle.

At the same time, the good projectile resistance of the hull and wheelhouse of these self-propelled guns, achieved through the installation of powerful armor plates at rational angles of inclination, made it possible to use them at a direct shot distance and quite effectively hit any targets.

The ISU-152 self-propelled artillery mounts were in service with the Soviet Army until the end of the 70s, until the new generation of self-propelled guns began to enter the army. At the same time, the ISU-152 was modernized twice. The first time was in 1956, when self-propelled guns received the designation ISU-152K. A commander's cupola with a TPKU device and seven TIP observation blocks was installed on the roof of the cabin; the ammunition load of the ML-20S howitzer-gun was increased to 30 rounds, which required a change in the location of the internal equipment of the fighting compartment and additional ammunition racks; Instead of the ST-10 sight, an improved PS-10 telescopic sight was installed. Anti-aircraft guns were installed on all vehicles DShKM machine gun with 300 rounds of ammunition.

The self-propelled guns were equipped with a V-54K engine with a power of 520 hp. with ejection cooling system. The capacity of the fuel tanks was increased to 1280 liters. The lubrication system was improved, the design of the radiators became different. In connection with the ejection engine cooling system, the mounting of the external fuel tanks was also changed.

The vehicles were equipped with radio stations 10-RTiTPU-47.

The weight of the self-propelled gun increased to 47.2 tons, but the dynamic characteristics remained the same. The power reserve has increased to 360 km.

The second modernization option was designated ISU-152M. The vehicle was equipped with modified units of the IS-2M tank, a DShKM anti-aircraft machine gun with 250 rounds of ammunition, and night vision devices.

During the overhaul, the ISU-122 self-propelled guns also underwent some modifications. Thus, since 1958, standard radio stations and TPUs were replaced by “Granat” radio stations and TPU R-120.

In addition to the Soviet Army, ISU-152 and ISU-122 were in service with the Polish Army. As part of the 13th and 25th self-propelled artillery regiments, they took part in the final battles of 1945. Soon after the war, the Czechoslovak People's Army also received the ISU-152. In the early 60s, one regiment of the Egyptian army was also armed with the ISU-152.