Heavy Tank Production, Spring-Summer 1945

"State Committee of Defense Decree #7950ss
Moscow, Kremlin
March 29th, 1945

On the modernization of the heavy IS-2 tank, the State Committee of Defense decrees that:

1. The proposal of the People's Commissar of Tank Production (comrade Malyshev) and Deputy Commander of Armoured and Motorized Forces (comrade Korobkov) to accept the IS-3 (modernized IS-2 heavy tank) tank with the following characteristics, designed by the Kirov factory in Chelyabinsk, into service.
1. Overall data, mass, and size:
1. Combat mass, tons: 46-46.5
2. Hull length: 6850 mm
3. Height to periscope top: 2450 mm
4. Full width: 3170 mm
5. Clearance: 465 mm
6. Bore axis height: 1800 mm
7. Range with main tanks: 120-150 km
2. Armour:
1. Hull: welded
2. Thickness and angle of armour plates:
1. Upper front plates: 120 mm at 55 deg
2. Lower front plate: 110 mm at 55 deg
3. Lower side: 90 mm at 0 deg
4. Upper side: 90 mm at 60 deg
5. Upper rear: 60 mm at 49 deg
6. Lower rear: 60 mm at 41 deg
7. Floor: 16-20 mm
8. Roof: 20-30 mm
9. Turret: cast with variable thickness from 75 to 250 mm, with slopes from 30 to 70 deg
3. Turret ring diameter: 1840 mm
4. Armament:
1. 122 mm D-25 gun
2. DShK AA machinegun
3. DT machinegun
4. Gun elevation: +20 degrees +/- 2 degrees
5. Gun depression: -3 degrees +/- 0.5 degrees
6. Ammunition:
1. 28 gun shells
2. 5 DShK belts
3. 12 DT magazines
4. 25 F-1 grenades
5. Observation and aiming devices:
1. Telescopic T-Sh-14 sight
2. Collimating KV-T sight
3. Prismatic MK-IV periscopes:
1. Commander (1)
2. Driver (1)
3. Loader (1)
4. Gunner (1)
6. Other characteristics are same as on the IS-2 tank.
2. The People's Commissariat of Tank Production (comrade Malyshev) and Kirov factory (comrade Zaltsmann) must correct the defects discovered in the trials of the IS-3 tank before organization of its mass production.
3. The People's Commissariat of Tank Production (comrade Malyshev) and Kirov factory (comrade Zaltsmann) must provide for production of heavy tanks and SPGs in the following amounts:

   	April	May	June
   IS-3	25	100	250
   IS-2	225	250	-
   ISU-152	100	100	100
   ISU-122	150	150	150
   Total	500	500	500

4. The People's Commissariat of Tank Production (comrade Malyshev) and factory #200 (comrade Sherbakov) must provide for production of hulls and turrets for them in the following amounts:

   	Uralmash factory			Factory #200			Total
   	April	May	June	April	May	June	April	May	June
   IS-3	30	75	100	25	90	175	55	165	275
   IS-2	60	15	-	150	90	-	210	105	-
   ISU	225	225	250	-	-	-	225	225	250
   Total	315	315	350	175	180	175	490	495	525

5. The GOKO operations bureau must review the measures taken by the NKTP for production of the IS-3 tank in 5 days.
6. The secretaries of the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk VKP(b) regional committees must aid the Kirov factory, factory #200, Uralmash, and factory #255 in their execution of this decree on production of IS-3 heavy tanks.