The JS-II (Josef Stalin) was a development of the earlier KV series of Russian tanks. It was a lighter tank than the KVs with an improved transmission and suspension and a re-designed hull and turret. The first examples appeared in 1944, helping to exploit the strategic initiative which the Red Army had achieved by that stage of WWII on the eastern front. A massive vehicle, the tank was well-armed and armored, the only drawback of the early versions was a slow rate of fire using separate charges and shells. This was remedied by the time the JS-III entered production. Symbolically, Josef Stalin tanks were at the head of the advance to Berlin in 1945, and remained in production after the war being the world's most powerful tank for well over a decade.

Pictured here is a 1:48 scale Chinese People's Liberation Army JS-II heavy tank that saw action in Korea during 1952. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 7-1/2-inches
Width: 2-1/2-inches

Release Date: June 2007

Historical Account: "The People United" - During the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945, the Communist military forces were nominally integrated into the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China forming the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army units. During this time, these two military groups used primarily guerrilla tactics, but also fought several conventional battles with the Japanese and the Kuomintang.

After the end of the Sino-Japanese War, the Communist Party merged the two military groups and renamed the multi-million strong force the People's Liberation Army and eventually won the Chinese Civil War.

During the 1950s, the PLA with Soviet help transformed itself from a peasant army into a more modern one. In November 1950, the PLA or People's Volunteer Army intervened in the Korean War as United Nations forces under General Douglas MacArthur approached the Yalu River. Under the weight of this offensive, Chinese forces drove MacArthur's forces out of North Korea and captured Seoul, but were subsequently pushed back to a line just north of the 38th Parallel. The war ended as a standstill in 1953, however, it is generally regarded as a victory by the Chinese people as this is the first time they ever "defeated" a major world power in battle.