picture 170161

The T-10M heavy tank was the final development of the IS tank series. In comparison to its predecessor, it received a longer hull with additional road wheels, a larger turret mounting and a new 122mm M-62-T2 gun with a five-baffle muzzle brake. Originally designated IS-10, it was accepted to service in 1953 under the designation T-10 as part of the de-Stalinisation process: through the mid-1960s large numbers remained in service with units of the 2nd strategic echelon, deployed in western USSR. All T-10Ms deployed during Operation Danube were painted in dark olive overall, and most received the white identification stripe down the turret and the hull. (Artwork by David Bocquelet)