Amedeo

The Soviets also sent ISU-152s to Egypt in the 60s and 70s, which in turn were captured in their wars with the Israelis. One interesting conversion was where they removed the main gun and converted them into BTT-1 recovery vehicles:
(The tank museum in Latrun, Israel is one awesome place, that's for sure):

Yes. The "liquidators" were the people (military and civil) tasked with "dealing with the consequences" of the 1986 nuclear accident. Among other things, it was deemed necessary to drill a large hole in a wall to let a large draining pipe pass. Using "normal" devices to drill the hole would have been too time consuming, given the level of radiations, hence they thought an ISU-152 could approach and rapidly "blow" a hole in the wall with a 152mm anti-concrete round, limiting crew exposure. They tested this concept with a wall distant from the contaminated site and it worked well. Unfortunately, they found that the hole was too small to let the pipe pass, and they dropped the idea althoghether. However the assault guns were not sent back but were used as bulldozers.
 
 
Well, as far as I know, until the late '60s early '70s, ISU-152 were still to be found in frontline units in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. I mean tank and motorized rifle divisions, as one can see in this 1971 photo depicting an ISU-152 column of the 16th Guards Tank Division:

I presume that their role was mainly direct-fire support. Indirect fire was possible (as it was already during WW2) but the peculiarities of the gun installation (closed top, relatively cramped space, limited elevation, few ammo etc.) clearly made this AFV suboptimal in the SPG role limiting range and sustained fire capacity, although one has to say that ammo capacity was increased already with the ISU-152K (from a 20 rounds to a 30 rounds loadout, IIRC).
Later (from the mid '70s) ISU-152's in units near the German border, were typically found in separate tank and tank-destroyer regiments and training units, as can be seen here in this video from a GSGV veteran (1972-1974):
Reading a few veteran's comments on the net, my understanding is that these independent units stationed near the Inner German Border equipped with obsolete or obsolescent AFVs were assigned the task of driving to nearby prepared positions, in case of a surprise NATO attack (!), and basically die in place there, buying time for the mobilization of their comrades. The explicit "not a step back attitude" was confirmed by a former company commander that said that in its unit, equipped with IS tanks, the machine were crewed by a three (and not four) man team, because, once in place, the driver simply had to stop the engine and go into the turret to act as loader. 
And yes, there were still IS-2M tanks in Germany until the mid '70s in these "blocking" units. According to some veterans of the 119th Separate Tank Regiment, IS-2s were discontinued (i.e. shipped back to the USSR) in 1976 and the unit acquired T-55s that were, in turn, replaced by T-62s in 1979.
I don't know whether during the 1979-1982 timeframe there still were ISU equipped units with the GSVG in East Germany. For sure, there were units in the Soviet Union still using them, as the previously posted photos show. It's confirmed also by a table contained in a 1982 CIA report:

I might add that I remember reading somewhere that the remaining ISU assault guns were intended to be used in special urban assault support units in the second echelon, tasked with reducing pocket of resistаnce in bypassed West German urban areas, but I can't give you a reliable source now.
Speaking about the LCUs, yes they are "Tapir" (NATO: Alligator) class ships. One is the Aleksandr Tortsev (bort 399) the other is the Tomskii Komsomolets (bort 072).
 
 

 

Yes. The "liquidators" were the people (military and civil) tasked with "dealing with the consequences" of the 1986 nuclear accident. Among other things, it was deemed necessary to drill a large hole in a wall to let a large draining pipe pass. Using "normal" devices to drill the hole would have been too time consuming, given the level of radiations, hence they thought an ISU-152 could approach and rapidly "blow" a hole in the wall with a 152mm anti-concrete round, limiting crew exposure. They tested this concept with a wall distant from the contaminated site and it worked well. Unfortunately, they found that the hole was too small to let the pipe pass, and they dropped the idea althoghether. However the assault guns were not sent back but were used as bulldozers.
 
 
Well, as far as I know, until the late '60s early '70s, ISU-152 were still to be found in frontline units in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. I mean tank and motorized rifle divisions, as one can see in this 1971 photo depicting an ISU-152 column of the 16th Guards Tank Division:

I presume that their role was mainly direct-fire support. Indirect fire was possible (as it was already during WW2) but the peculiarities of the gun installation (closed top, relatively cramped space, limited elevation, few ammo etc.) clearly made this AFV suboptimal in the SPG role limiting range and sustained fire capacity, although one has to say that ammo capacity was increased already with the ISU-152K (from a 20 rounds to a 30 rounds loadout, IIRC).
Later (from the mid '70s) ISU-152's in units near the German border, were typically found in separate tank and tank-destroyer regiments and training units, as can be seen here in this video from a GSGV veteran (1972-1974):
Reading a few veteran's comments on the net, my understanding is that these independent units stationed near the Inner German Border equipped with obsolete or obsolescent AFVs were assigned the task of driving to nearby prepared positions, in case of a surprise NATO attack (!), and basically die in place there, buying time for the mobilization of their comrades. The explicit "not a step back attitude" was confirmed by a former company commander that said that in its unit, equipped with IS tanks, the machine were crewed by a three (and not four) man team, because, once in place, the driver simply had to stop the engine and go into the turret to act as loader. 
And yes, there were still IS-2M tanks in Germany until the mid '70s in these "blocking" units. According to some veterans of the 119th Separate Tank Regiment, IS-2s were discontinued (i.e. shipped back to the USSR) in 1976 and the unit acquired T-55s that were, in turn, replaced by T-62s in 1979.
I don't know whether during the 1979-1982 timeframe there still were ISU equipped units with the GSVG in East Germany. For sure, there were units in the Soviet Union still using them, as the previously posted photos show. It's confirmed also by a table contained in a 1982 CIA report:

I might add that I remember reading somewhere that the remaining ISU assault guns were intended to be used in special urban assault support units in the second echelon, tasked with reducing pocket of resistаnce in bypassed West German urban areas, but I can't give you a reliable source now.
Speaking about the LCUs, yes they are "Tapir" (NATO: Alligator) class ships. One is the Aleksandr Tortsev (bort 399) the other is the Tomskii Komsomolets (bort 072).
 
 

 

Yes. The "liquidators" were the people (military and civil) tasked with "dealing with the consequences" of the 1986 nuclear accident. Among other things, it was deemed necessary to drill a large hole in a wall to let a large draining pipe pass. Using "normal" devices to drill the hole would have been too time consuming, given the level of radiations, hence they thought an ISU-152 could approach and rapidly "blow" a hole in the wall with a 152mm anti-concrete round, limiting crew exposure. They tested this concept with a wall distant from the contaminated site and it worked well. Unfortunately, they found that the hole was too small to let the pipe pass, and they dropped the idea althoghether. However the assault guns were not sent back but were used as bulldozers.
 
 
Well, as far as I know, until the late '60s early '70s, ISU-152 were still to be found in frontline units in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. I mean tank and motorized rifle divisions, as one can see in this 1971 photo depicting an ISU-152 column of the 16th Guards Tank Division:

I presume that their role was mainly direct-fire support. Indirect fire was possible (as it was already during WW2) but the peculiarities of the gun installation (closed top, relatively cramped space, limited elevation, few ammo etc.) clearly made this AFV suboptimal in the SPG role limiting range and sustained fire capacity, although one has to say that ammo capacity was increased already with the ISU-152K (from a 20 rounds to a 30 rounds loadout, IIRC).
Later (from the mid '70s) ISU-152's in units near the German border, were typically found in separate tank and tank-destroyer regiments and training units, as can be seen here in this video from a GSGV veteran (1972-1974):
Reading a few veteran's comments on the net, my understanding is that these independent units stationed near the Inner German Border equipped with obsolete or obsolescent AFVs were assigned the task of driving to nearby prepared positions, in case of a surprise NATO attack (!), and basically die in place there, buying time for the mobilization of their comrades. The explicit "not a step back attitude" was confirmed by a former company commander that said that in its unit, equipped with IS tanks, the machine were crewed by a three (and not four) man team, because, once in place, the driver simply had to stop the engine and go into the turret to act as loader. 
And yes, there were still IS-2M tanks in Germany until the mid '70s in these "blocking" units. According to some veterans of the 119th Separate Tank Regiment, IS-2s were discontinued (i.e. shipped back to the USSR) in 1976 and the unit acquired T-55s that were, in turn, replaced by T-62s in 1979.
I don't know whether during the 1979-1982 timeframe there still were ISU equipped units with the GSVG in East Germany. For sure, there were units in the Soviet Union still using them, as the previously posted photos show. It's confirmed also by a table contained in a 1982 CIA report:

I might add that I remember reading somewhere that the remaining ISU assault guns were intended to be used in special urban assault support units in the second echelon, tasked with reducing pocket of resistаnce in bypassed West German urban areas, but I can't give you a reliable source now.
Speaking about the LCUs, yes they are "Tapir" (NATO: Alligator) class ships. One is the Aleksandr Tortsev (bort 399) the other is the Tomskii Komsomolets (bort 072).
 
 

 

Yes. The "liquidators" were the people (military and civil) tasked with "dealing with the consequences" of the 1986 nuclear accident. Among other things, it was deemed necessary to drill a large hole in a wall to let a large draining pipe pass. Using "normal" devices to drill the hole would have been too time consuming, given the level of radiations, hence they thought an ISU-152 could approach and rapidly "blow" a hole in the wall with a 152mm anti-concrete round, limiting crew exposure. They tested this concept with a wall distant from the contaminated site and it worked well. Unfortunately, they found that the hole was too small to let the pipe pass, and they dropped the idea althoghether. However the assault guns were not sent back but were used as bulldozers.
 
 
Well, as far as I know, until the late '60s early '70s, ISU-152 were still to be found in frontline units in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. I mean tank and motorized rifle divisions, as one can see in this 1971 photo depicting an ISU-152 column of the 16th Guards Tank Division:

I presume that their role was mainly direct-fire support. Indirect fire was possible (as it was already during WW2) but the peculiarities of the gun installation (closed top, relatively cramped space, limited elevation, few ammo etc.) clearly made this AFV suboptimal in the SPG role limiting range and sustained fire capacity, although one has to say that ammo capacity was increased already with the ISU-152K (from a 20 rounds to a 30 rounds loadout, IIRC).
Later (from the mid '70s) ISU-152's in units near the German border, were typically found in separate tank and tank-destroyer regiments and training units, as can be seen here in this video from a GSGV veteran (1972-1974):
Reading a few veteran's comments on the net, my understanding is that these independent units stationed near the Inner German Border equipped with obsolete or obsolescent AFVs were assigned the task of driving to nearby prepared positions, in case of a surprise NATO attack (!), and basically die in place there, buying time for the mobilization of their comrades. The explicit "not a step back attitude" was confirmed by a former company commander that said that in its unit, equipped with IS tanks, the machine were crewed by a three (and not four) man team, because, once in place, the driver simply had to stop the engine and go into the turret to act as loader. 
And yes, there were still IS-2M tanks in Germany until the mid '70s in these "blocking" units. According to some veterans of the 119th Separate Tank Regiment, IS-2s were discontinued (i.e. shipped back to the USSR) in 1976 and the unit acquired T-55s that were, in turn, replaced by T-62s in 1979.
I don't know whether during the 1979-1982 timeframe there still were ISU equipped units with the GSVG in East Germany. For sure, there were units in the Soviet Union still using them, as the previously posted photos show. It's confirmed also by a table contained in a 1982 CIA report:

I might add that I remember reading somewhere that the remaining ISU assault guns were intended to be used in special urban assault support units in the second echelon, tasked with reducing pocket of resistаnce in bypassed West German urban areas, but I can't give you a reliable source now.
Speaking about the LCUs, yes they are "Tapir" (NATO: Alligator) class ships. One is the Aleksandr Tortsev (bort 399) the other is the Tomskii Komsomolets (bort 072).
 
 

 

It's widely known that, after the end of WW2, the Soviets continued to use the ISU-152 in their armed forces. Modernized versions, like the ISU-152K (1956) and ISU-152M (1959) served with first line units well into the early 1970s, when modern self propelled guns, such as the 2S1 and 2S3, were introduced.
What is, perhaps, not so widely known is that the introduction of the new generation SPGs didn't decree the instantaneous and complete disappearance of these assault guns from Soviet inventories... and units!
Here are a few photos I recently found on the net, depicting the use of ISU-152 assault guns in Soviet Army/Navy units during the late '70s and the early '80s.
331st OSDAN, 55th Naval Infantry Division (Pacific Fleet) 
1974-1978







1980-1981



207th Training Regiment, 24th Tank Division (Baltic MD)
1983




 
22nd Tank Division (Kiev MD)
1986


Some of these vehicles were also used by "liquidators" after the infamous Chernobyl' nuclear accident. 

It's widely known that, after the end of WW2, the Soviets continued to use the ISU-152 in their armed forces. Modernized versions, like the ISU-152K (1956) and ISU-152M (1959) served with first line units well into the early 1970s, when modern self propelled guns, such as the 2S1 and 2S3, were introduced.
What is, perhaps, not so widely known is that the introduction of the new generation SPGs didn't decree the instantaneous and complete disappearance of these assault guns from Soviet inventories... and units!
Here are a few photos I recently found on the net, depicting the use of ISU-152 assault guns in Soviet Army/Navy units during the late '70s and the early '80s.
331st OSDAN, 55th Naval Infantry Division (Pacific Fleet) 
1974-1978







1980-1981



207th Training Regiment, 24th Tank Division (Baltic MD)
1983




 
22nd Tank Division (Kiev MD)
1986


Some of these vehicles were also used by "liquidators" after the infamous Chernobyl' nuclear accident. 

It's widely known that, after the end of WW2, the Soviets continued to use the ISU-152 in their armed forces. Modernized versions, like the ISU-152K (1956) and ISU-152M (1959) served with first line units well into the early 1970s, when modern self propelled guns, such as the 2S1 and 2S3, were introduced.
What is, perhaps, not so widely known is that the introduction of the new generation SPGs didn't decree the instantaneous and complete disappearance of these assault guns from Soviet inventories... and units!
Here are a few photos I recently found on the net, depicting the use of ISU-152 assault guns in Soviet Army/Navy units during the late '70s and the early '80s.
331st OSDAN, 55th Naval Infantry Division (Pacific Fleet) 
1974-1978







1980-1981



207th Training Regiment, 24th Tank Division (Baltic MD)
1983




 
22nd Tank Division (Kiev MD)
1986


Some of these vehicles were also used by "liquidators" after the infamous Chernobyl' nuclear accident. 

Nueva imagen de mapa de bits.bmp
CM Red Thunder 2021-04-06 15-39-14-32.bmp

After the exam, in hindsight, I realized this was a... Hind sight! 😂

Another Soviet movie, V zone osobogo vnimaniia, released in 1978:
 В зоне особого внимания (боевик, реж. Андрей Малюков, 1977 г.) - YouTube
and its sequel Otvetnyi Khod (1981):
Ответный ход (боевик, реж. Михаил Туманишвили, 1981 г.) - YouTube
Basically it's VDV (and naval infantry) galore! 😄
I'm amazed at the amount of details one can gather in some scenes of these movies, considering the typical level of "discretion" in the USSR about military equipment.

After the exam, in hindsight, I realized this was a... Hind sight! 😂

After the exam, in hindsight, I realized this was a... Hind sight! 😂

After the exam, in hindsight, I realized this was a... Hind sight! 😂

After the exam, in hindsight, I realized this was a... Hind sight! 😂

You could just read this first ...
Pre-orders for Combat Mission Cold War are now open. - Page 14 - Combat Mission Cold War - Battlefront.com Community

As was explicitly said by a tester, Soviet uniforms and infantry models are still work in progress. So, beta screenshots might not represent what the final product will be.
I'm positive that when we'll, finally, run CM:CW on our PCs, we'll see an assortment of SSh-68 and SSh-40/60 helmets.

It's good to hear that BF will release CW possibly a couple months before Steam.  That's a nice reward to BF customers.

On the US side, the movie 'Stripes' was made in 1981.
 

Soviet "equivalents" of Rambo: First Blood part II...
... and The hunt for Red October.
 

Very interesting!
As can be clearly seen by the photos, the T-72M1 used in the test is a model with the additional 16mm thick applique armor plate mounted from 1983 on the T-64B/T-72A/T-80B tanks to make them proof against the M111. So, it's no surprise that the tank resisted the Austrian NP105A2, assuming it performs closer to the M735 than the M111.
 

I was referencing an article in AFV News Vol. 40 no. 2 that had an M60A3 firing on a former Czech T72M1 firing the standard Austrian NP105A2 APFSDS round (I assume a M735 clone).
Ah, some kind soul on the internet has posted the old article for reference. 
https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/105mm-apfsds-article/40308

Wow these comics got the guns wrong, I'm seething.

That Grease Gun makes me happy.

Glorious March to Victory Post #13 - "The Song of Small German Town 1980"
So on the very next turn Bil has offered ceasefire...we have playing together for a long time.  We have decided to do the final debrief at the same time, so I will wait for Bil to catch up a bit.
But I could not leave the second to last turn hanging because it represents this battle so well:
You remember the stand off on the Red Knoll at the end of turn 31...well here is how it played out:

My T62 got off the first shot and it was a killer (note the now-deaf-est Soviet Pl HQ in the ETO circled)
Then this happens:

Seriously, this is like the freakin ending of Reservoir Dogs at this point.  BTW I found out later, that M60 is immobilized by my heroic second squad.
So here we are at what is essentially End Game:

I will leave you to speculate as where things landed....
I can tell you that the fight over this non-descript little town in West Germany created so many pixel heroes in less than an hour.  I hope you have enjoyed it a fraction of as much as it was to play.