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KV-1S Heavy Tank Model 1942. Berlin, April 1945.
As the war continued, the KV-1 (Klimenti Voroshilov) continued to get more armour to compensate for the increasing effectiveness of German weapons. This culminated in the KV-1 model 1942, which was protected by very heavy armour, but lacked a corresponding improvement to the engine. Tankers complained that although they were well-protected, their mobility was poor and they had no firepower advantage over the T-34 medium tank.
In response to criticisms, the lighter KV-1S (Russian language: КВ-1С = S for skorostnoy, meaning fast) was released, with thinner armour and a smaller, lower turret in order to reclaim some speed. Importantly, the KV-1S also had a commander’s cupola with all-around vision blocks, a first for a Soviet heavy tank.
