Soviet combat vehicle production during World War II

Foreign light tanks continued to be delivered under Lend-Lease, but domestic production would be replaced by cheaper armoured cars[citation needed] and the plentiful SU-76M self-propelled gun, which was simpler but packed a bigger high-explosive punch.

The T-34 tank's basic design was optimal, and continual development of industrial processes allowed it to be produced in greater numbers than any other armoured vehicle during the war.

The most successful were the later IS-2 tank and heavy self-propelled guns, whose large-calibre firepower was generally useful against both soft and hard targets.

After Voroshilov lost political favour, the new KV-13 model with the KV-85's turret and gun was renamed IS-1 after Joseph (Iosif) Stalin.

It was soon upgraded to a new turret with high-velocity 122 mm gun, and renamed IS-2, finally giving a slow, expensive heavy tank one clear superiority over the medium T-34.

The KV-2 used the same hull as the KV-1 but was armed with a 152 mm howitzer in a huge turret - which could not even rotate on uneven terrain - and was intended for use against fortified targets and infantry.

Like the KV-2 it was intended for use as an assault weapon against infantry, but used the cheaper and less exposed Samokhodnaya Ustanovka-designated style of casemate mount.

The 122s D25 Gun could penetrate almost any German tank, and the 152s ML20 had long been used against enemy armour; although it had a low velocity, the massive shell could inflict considerable damage through concussive effects.