I just acquired an Eastern Express KV-85 and was thinking of doing it as a Berlin operation vehicle if they were used there.

I know KV-1S's and T-34/85's were there but they were made in higher numbers than the KV-85's.

Hey Michael,
According to Steven Zaloga's "Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of WW II" there were only about 130 KV-85's built in September and October 1943.
When you compare that to the 4600 KV-1's and KV-2's built over the war, it's unlikely with all the attrition on the Eastern Front that anything from such a small production run would survive up to the end of the war.
Mind you, while I've never seen any photographic evidence of the KV-85 being used during the battle for Berlin, anything is possible.
Cheers

jjumbo

John,

Yeah, I've seen that 130 production number and my reasoning is for asking about them being in Berlin is I have yet to see a reference or picture to confirm if they were.

Guess I'll just have to get a JS-2 kit for a Berlin bound Russian tank.

Hey Michael,
I've seen photo's of T-34/76 Model 43's use by some units in Berlin along with a few elderly KV-1's.
Here's a couple of sites with photos of one of these supposed tanks:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/chronometers/amsterdam/1090398300/first_russian_tank_in_berlin.jpg/tpod.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57669468@N00/124106971/

You could always do one of these vehicles.
Cheers

jjumbo

True, but I've been in a heavy tank mood since the AMPS East show this past year. I've already got a KV-1, now the KV-85 and I'd like another Russian heavy before going for a Churchill and Tigers. Thanks for the reference pictures since I do have a T-34/76 I could still do in that scheme.

Too bad nothing classified as a heavy tank for the Yanks in WWII.

The Russian Battlefield website has a page on the KV-85 including combat deployment - Berlin is not mentioned. However, the KV-1s did take part in the Battle of Berlin.

http://www.battlefield.ru/content/view/49/50/lang,en/

GB

I doubt there were any KV-85s in Berlin, but there were some in the crimea so you could set on in an urban setting.

The truth is that we don't know for sure though. A photo of a very early T-34 Model 41 in Czechoslovakia in may 1945 recently surfaced. There was at least one Matilda in german hands in Budapest in 1945....so you never know.

Danny Egan
President
AMPS
http://www.amps-armor.org

Hey Michael,
The nearest thing to a heavy tank that the U.S. produced during the war was the M6 at 63 tons.
Only 40 vehicles got built and all were used for trials and experimentation and never got into combat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M6_Heavy_Tank

The odd thing about the Stalin tanks is that they weighed the same as the Panther and the T26E3/M26 Pershing, about 45 tons.
The T26E3 was originally called a heavy tank but was re-designated as the M26 Pershing medium tank after the war.
The 41 ton T14 Assault tank was also designed but never put into production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T14_Heavy_Tank

The T-28/T95 GMC was first produced in September '45 and the Pershing's big brothers, the T29, T30, T32 and T34 weren't produced until '46-'47.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-28_Super_Heavy_Tank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T29_Heavy_Tank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T30_Heavy_Tank

If your in the mood for heavy Soviet tanks, get Tamiya's IS-2M Iosef Stalin.
While far from perfect, it's a good kit built OOTB.
Cheers

jjumbo

Just out of curiosity, did anyone produce a kit of the M6 US heavy Tank concept?

Hey Michael,
Don't recall anyone making a kit of the M6 in any scale.
I guess U.S. prototypes just aren't as sexy as German prototypes.
Cheers

jjumbo

Actually, KV-85, which was a prototype for heavy IS tank, were produced only because heavy tanks "IS" were not ready for production yet. KV-85 were manufactured in August (22 tanks), September (63) and October (63) of 1943. Total of 148 (not 130) was made. Then manufacturing was stoped in a favor of IS series.
KV-1S did made to Berlin just because of production numbers alone. 1085 of KV-1S had been made. Can't knock them all out...

Trumpeter has so many KV-1s, which one is the KV-1S? #360?

Bill, I am sorry to ruin your day, but as far as I was able to find, only PST makes (or used to make?) KV-1S.


If you really want to put KV-1 in Berlin, I can ask on the Russian modeling forum I belong to, maybe someone has better info or even pics? Or you can ask yourself just as well:
scalemodels.ru
At the top left corner you can see a little British flag. If you click on it site will be automatically translated in English.

Thanks, Alex.

For a KV-1S, Eastern Express also made them in 1/35th. I've seen them on ebay about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

That's where I got my Eastern Express KV-1 (late 1941) and KV-85s from.