Russian Heavy Tank JS-2m "114" Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade, Prague 1945 1:72 HG7004

Russian Heavy Tank JS-2m "114" Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade, Prague 1945 Scale 1:72 Features: Fully assembled True to Scale (1:72) Die-Cast chassis, turret and gun Turret turns Appliquéd turret armour Main gun can be elevated Realistic tracks Realistic wheels Highly detailed features Professionally painted in accurate colors Markings Tampo (pad) applied The JS tanks were named after Joseph Stalin. The JS-2 had a 122mm D-25T main gun and 6 road wheels to improve soft ground track performance. In 1944 new specifications included new armour tempering, a 60-degree glacis replaced the 30-degree and the driver’s front hatch was removed. Also a relocated wider porthole, improved mantlet, increased lower hull side armor and a new periscope sight. The commander’s cupola moved to the left and a 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun attached. In 1944 2,250 JS-2’s were produced and no further improvements were made until 1954. One of the fiercest battles fought by the Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade was at Ostrava Czechoslovakia in 1945. The city and region were rich in coal and steel manufacturing. The occupying Germans depended on this to produce a large portion of their war machine. On April 30, 1945 after 57 days of battle forces including the Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade liberated the city of Ostrava and most estimates place the 1st Tank Brigade losses were at least 90%. The Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade received a handful of IS- 2m heavy tanks in April 1945 before reaching Prague. The tanks carried the tri-color roundel of the Czechoslovak national insignia on the side of the turret. An external 12.7 mm DShK machine gun mounted on the Commander’s cupola started to appear in late version JS-2m at the end of WWII. On May 8 1945 the Germans agreed to leave Prague and on May 9, 1945 the Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade along with Soviet forces entered Prague.