Why are there JS-1's with 85mm guns in the game??

[MikeyD]

One small matter of nomenclature.

The tank originally was named the IS-85 (accepted for service at the same time as the KV-85 but the new chassis took awhile to get into production). When the IS-85 was uparmed it got the name IS-2, and for neatness sake the 85mm gun tank was retroactively renamed IS-1. So IS-1 is by definition an 85mm gun vehicle. Otherwise it'd be an IS-2

[Zitadelle]

Originally posted by Panther Commander:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Zitadelle:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Cessna:

I seem to recall reading that during the final attack on Berlin the Russians put mattress springs on their tanks to protect against shaped-charge weapons like Panzerfausts.

I don't know how true this is, but it would make for a cool mod...

Actually, the mattress spring anecdote is incorrect. Recently, Zaloga and others have provided research indicating that the Russians developed either off-mounted steel plates or spring-mounted screens to serve as offset panzerfaust protection. These were not ad-hoc field developments, but designed and engineered in rear echelons. Furthermore, studies indicate that a typical bedspring would provide insufficient resistance for a panzerfaust/schrek round and would not result in premature detonation of the round. </font>

[MikeyD]

I've seen that stand-off armor in pictures (IS-2s, T-34-85s, and SU-152s around Berlin) and can see where the confusion comes from. They look like a bed frame, they may be the size of a bedframe, but looking closely, it seems they'd be awfully uncomfortable to sleep on .

I guess you should think of 'bedspring armor' the same way as the Sherman 'caliope' rocket launcher. It looked like a caliope but it wasn't really .