2nd Armoured Regiment markings

Was the 2nd Armoured Regiment still using the blue turret stripe as identification in Spring of 1945 or had it been replaced by the "khaki star"? If they were still using the blue stripe would it appear on the turret schurzen of a T4? How would it be displayed on TA? Thank you.

The documentation I've consulted about 2nd's tank regiment activity during 1944-1945 campaign points out that the blue stripe was used on TACAM R-2 units and it was painted only on the battery commander's vehicle. I haven't found any text or photo with the stripe on TAs vehicles. The romanian TAs where marked only with the standard marking (the kaki star inside a white circle).

What division was the 2nd Armored Rgt. part of in the spring of 1945?

It was part of the Soviet 27th Tank Brigade and it did not operate in support of Romanian troops (except some regiments drafted from Bessarabia)

Was the 2nd Armoured Regiment the only users of the khaki star or did all Romanian armoured formations use it after August 1944?

The 2'nd armoured regiment was the only romanian armoured unit operating after 23 august 1944. It was formed from the remains of the 1'st Armoured Divison (Great Romania Armoured Division) which was removed from romanian army's structure by the russian occupants. The main reason for the removal of the 1'st Armoured Division was its combat power and the fact that fought on the eastern front for more than 3 years, inflicting many losses for the opposing russian troops.

What about the "Jupiter" Armoured Detachment and the 4th Army Armoured Group? Though both of them were disbanded by late 1944.

Thanks, Victor.

So, just to clarify, the Romanian 1st and 4th Army (late '44 - '45) had absolutely no armored elements at their disposal, not even at lower structural levels?

Did, for instance, the 8th Cavalry "Purtata" Division have any assault guns or tanks at its disposal? Not even at company or platoon level?

I assume that the T38s in the second battalion were painted dark grey with the khaki star on the turret? By the way was the 2nd Armoured Reg't. attached to the 27th Guards Tank Corps or the 27th Tank Brigade? I have seen references to both. thanks for all the info.

It wasn't the only armored unit operating after 23 August 1944. There were several detachments fighting in late August 1944 in Wallachia, as well as the Matei Detachment supporting Soviet troops during their crossing of the Eastern Carpathians. The remains of these detachments were joined in a detahcment serving with the Mechanized Corps and then with the 4th Army's Armored Detachment.

I am operating from memory here, mabadesc, since I am not at home, so I really can't be more specific. Look on the website.

Regarding the TAs in the 2nd Armoured Regiment. Were TAs usually left in their German camoflage or were some painted olive green? I saw a picture on the website of a olive green TA with white[?] stripes on the gun mantlet and the fenders. Are these a platoon leader's TA? Thank you all for your help.

The standard painting scheme for romanian TAs was kaki color with the kaki star in a white circle as a reconaissance sign. Starting with 1943 about 100 TAs where delivered to the romanian army. They mainly kept their german grey or sand colors and had only the romanian markings painted.

In february 1945 the 2'nd Armoured Regiment had only 13 Tas left and they where all painted kaki. Saw some units with the kaki star painted on the skirt armour plates.
Some veterans which I met told me that there where some captured units that where left in german colours and had only the romanian markings painted. This was done by scraping the zimmerit coating in the place where the markings where and painting the romanian kaki star directly on the hull.

The white rings on the mantlet and gun barrel where usualy done by the crew as a victory marking. Every line signified an enemy target destroyed. Sometimes white lines where painted on the fenders of ground vehicles and vhere used to identify the vehicle during foggy weather. The lines where 5 cm thick and 50 cm long but this was more common on trucks than on armoured units.

The platoon leader's vehicle had a big horizontal blue stripe painted on its sides.

Thanks, though I don't think the white band on the manlet is a 'kill' marking. It is very thick, more like some sort of field sign or recognition sign. You can see the illustration if you go to the Weapons secton on the website, click on Armour, click on TAs.

Surely is not a kill mark. I've looked at the drawing and the only thing I suppose is that it was used to recognize the vehicle in foggy weather. It could draw the attention that it was an armoured vehicle and it has a gun barrel coming out of its hull. Probably it was painted in order to distinguish the vehicle from the trucks that had painted white stripes only on fendres.

This post has been edited by romrail on April 10, 2006 08:48 pm

This is the picture you are referring to:


It's from this forum ( http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=426&st=0 )

The original picture appears in Modelism nr 2 1992 (37) with the comment that is from the military parade of 23 august 1945, after the war ended, and the tank was probably repainted kaki with the white fenders for the parade and is wearing the new symbol of the 2nd armored regiment used after the war.

In the same article appears a picture showing a Stug. III in the last winter of war with the same mantlet ring, so I presume that it marks a commanding vehicle. As for the blue stripe it was only used on R35's and Tacam R2's, also marking a commanding vehicle.

Here is the scan: