(Yes, I know this is not strictly a tank). But it was also used in offensive tasks, as a tank.
Why is it not a tank?
I don’t know too much about military hardware (i’m a history buff but i’ve never been into the technical details of guns, tanks, planes, etc.) and i’ve certainly never heard of this thing, but it doesn’t look like any tank i’ve ever seen. It looks like self-propelled artillery. I guess they look similar but fulfil different functions. Probably this has longer range and less armor than a proper tank.
Classification is not entirely clear, tanks are usually the armored tracked vehicles armed with cannons placed in turrets. For example of controversy look at Swedish Stridsvagn 103 which is usually called tank despite technically it is rather tank destroyer.
ISU-152 is usually classified as “assault cannon” since it’s basically an armored mobile howitzer used to fire directly.
The ISU-152’s name in Russian quite literally includes the word tank. Casemates, SPGs, and tank destroyers are still tanks.
“Самоходная установка на базе танка ИС с орудием калибра 152мм, ИСУ-152“
“IS tank based self-propelled installation with 152mm caliber gun.”
Quite the mouthful.
It also checks out on the definition front, “a heavy armored fighting vehicle carrying guns and moving on a continuous articulated metal track“.
Good, thank you for pointing this out Comrade 🤝🏼
