KV I and KV II Soviet heavy tanks

The KV Soviet heavy tanks took the name from Kliment Voroshilov, who was a  Soviet politician and defense commissar. This tanks were heavily armored and virtually immune to the German tanks of the early years of WWII. A few KV could face whole Panzergruppen and delay their advance for several days. They had great capacity to recieve enemy fire without being pierced. Some KV tanks counted more than 100 hits after the battle, none of wich had penetrated the armor...But this had also a price to pay, KV's were too heavy, with mechanical problems, slow and with poor maneuverability. The appearance of the T-34 with its revolutionary design and better performances , decreased the interest in continuing to produce this expensive and heavy tanks. By the way some KV remained in service till the end of the war. A captured KV-2 was used by Germany against US forces during the Ruhr fighting in 1945!!
But there is no doubt that this tanks played a very important role during the first years of  the war and set the basis for the design of the later heavy tanks IS-1 and IS-2.
The KV-1 had a 76.2 mm gun and the KV-2 a 152 mm howitzer housed in an enormous turret.

KV-1 with a 76.2 mm gun

KV-2 and KV-1

KV-2 with a 152 mm howitzer