USSR Tank Emblem Guide

This guide will describe (most of) the USSR tank roundels, which have always been interesting to me.

Guards Roundel

The Guards Roundel is a simple badge that you can put on vehicles to specify that they are a part of Guards units.

What is a Guards Unit?

Guards units are/were simply regular units that distingushed themselves in combat and were thus awarded the 'Guards' title, and are/were considered to have elite status. The term originates from WW2, its name coming from both the Russian Imperial Guard and the old Red Guards.

Use of the decal

In game, I like to use this decal on both planes, tanks & ships. Generally I will place the decal on the front cheeks of the tank, or sometimes on the back sides of the turret (if the design of the vehicle allows it). On planes I like to place it under or behind the cockpit, and on the engine for radial-engined planes. On ships, generally near the bridge or on the boiler chimneys.
Historically, as far as I can tell, it was only present on tanks in WW2, but please correct me if I'm wrong.


Notice here the roundel on an SU-122 (photo taken from Wikipedia).


The roundel is also present on the 9th May parade T-34.

Unlocking requirements

To unlock this decal in-game you must win 140 ground battles using USSR vechiles, with a battle activity % not less than 50.

1st Guards Tank Brigade

The 1st Guards Tank Brigade was an armoured brigade that took part in battles in Stalingrad, Ukraine, and then in Berlin during WW2.

Decal specifics

The 1st Guards Tank Army (which the 1st Guards Tank Brigade was apart of) used a diamond for vehicle marking. Inside the diamond, the top number represented the unit number (obviously '1' in this instance), whilst the bottom number represented the vehicle number (left blank in-game so you can choose).

History

The 1st Guards Tank Brigade was a part of the 1st Guards Tank Army, working under the 8th Guards Mechanized Corps. The army was commandered by Mikhail Katukov, whilst the 8th Corps was led by Major General Ivan Dremov.

The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed first in July 1942, again in January 1943 and then given Guards status in January 1944. After the war, it was stationed in East Germany.

The 8th Guards Mechanized Corps fought in Kursk, then in Ukraine (where it was awarded Guards status) and then finally in Berlin. It took part in the 1968 Invasion of Czechoslovakia, and was reformed twice: once in 1988 and then again in 2014.

Elements of both the 8th Guards Corps and the 1st Guards Tank army were involved in the 2022 Ukrainian offensive, fighting in the northeastern sector. It unfortunately took heavy losses and was reassigned to the eastern fighting sector.

Usage ingame

The 1st Guards Tank Brigade emblem appears on two vehicles in-game. The first is the premium T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.). This vehicle features the decal on the side of the turret. The second vehicle is the premium T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.). This vehicle doesn't feature the decal, however it is dressed in the same camo as its sister tank.




The 1st Guards Tank Army fielded T-34s, IS-2s, SU-85s and SU-152s. Judging by photos of the markings on these tanks, the best placement for the decal is on the front turret cheeks.


T-34/76 belonging to the 22nd Tank Brigade. Note the large vehicle identification number "20", featured both in the marking and as large numbers on the turret.


T-34/76 belonging to the 40th Tank Brigade. This vehicle's number is "2".

Unlocking requirements

This decal is unlocked by purchasing the premium T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.) vehicle.

2nd Guards Tank Corps

The 2nd Guards Tank Corps

Decal specifics

The decal for the 2nd Guards Tank Corps was a white arrow pointing to the front of the vehicle. It was used on both sides of the turret, facing forwards, and on the rear of the turret as well. The letter above the arrow represented the last name of the division commander (in game, the division represented is the 4th Guards Brigade, so the letter stands for brigade commander Losik Oleg Aleksandrovich). The numbers underneath the arrow represent the vehicle number (usually three digits).

History

The 2nd Guards Tank Corps saw service during World War II on the Eastern Front of Europe. The unit's most notable moment was in the raid on Tatsinskaya during Operation Little Saturn in World War II.

The 4th Guards Tank Brigade (the one depicted in-game) was famously the first Soviet unit to enter Minsk. For the successful operations during the liberation of the capital of Belarus, the city of Minsk, the corps headquarters, as well as the 4th, 25th, 26th Guards Tank and 4th Guards Motor Rifle Brigades, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The 4th Guards Tank Brigade was awarded the honorary title "Minsk."

Elements of the tank corps were involved in fighting in Ukraine in 2015, and then again in the Kiev offensive in 2022, suffering minor losses but being withdrawn after the Battle of Ivankiv.

Usage in-game

The decal should only be applied to T-34/85 tanks; on to both sides and the rear of the turret. You can choose your own tactical number, but keep in mind that in the 4th Brigade most of the numbers were three digits.


This vehicle's tactical number is 145.


A destroyed T-34. This vehicles' number was 144. The faint 'L' symbol marking it as part of the 4th Brigade can be seen.


Vehicles belonging to the 4th Brigade. Note the decal on the back of the turrets.


T-34/85 dressed in how it would look in real life. I've given this vehicle the number "307".

Unlocking requirements

I cannot remember. I think for one of the weekly decal contests.

3rd Guards Tank Brigade

The 3rd Guards Tank Brigade was a unit that operated from 1942 onwards. They were equipped with KV-1, KV-1S, T-34 and T-60 tanks. I also found some images from a model site of KV-2s with the decal, but no historical photos or references so I cannot confirm its accuracy.

Decal specifics

The decal presents itself as a circle, with the top half being thicker than the bottom half. In the middle there is a number (3) which denotes the brigade, in this case the 3rd. There is a small notch on the bottom of the circle underneath the brigade number.

History

The 3rd Guards were involved in the first half of WWII. From my research I believe they were formed in September 1941 as the 8th Tank Brigade, before getting Guards status and changing to the 3rd in January 1942.


T-60 belonging to the 3rd Guards. Note the decal is placed in several spots including the turret back and sides, and behind the hull.


KV-1S belonging to the 3rd Guards. Note the emblem on the side of the turret. The tank in-game that most matches the one in this photo is is the KV-1 (ZiS-5), however.


Drawing of a 3rd Guards T-34. The drawing caption indicates 1942, on the Kalininsky Front (north-west of Moscow).

Usage in-game

The decal is placed in different but similar locations depending on the tank.

For the KV-1:

Place the decal on the sides of the turret, at a relatively small size, use the mirror feature. I placed propaganda text on the rear of the turret like the photo too.

For the T-60:

The decal goes in four spots, but you only need three slots as you can use the mirror function for one of them.

First, the turret sides, then the turret back, and finally on the rear below the exhaust. I followed this painting guide I found on Google:


For the T-34:

This one is simple. The decal just goes on the sides of the turret underneath the gunner's periscope. Ensure you use the 1941 model and that the add-on armour modification is uninstalled (trade protection for looking good)!

Unlocking requirements

The 3rd Guards Tank Brigade decal was unlocked from April 7th to May 6th by defeating 60 players (30 in RB) whilst using USSR heavy tanks. It is no longer available unless Gaijin decide to bring it back (and the others too, please snail).

Thank you to Lexyc for providing useful information!

4th Guards Tank Corps

7th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Brigade

The 7th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Brigade was an independent unit that fielded IS-2s.

Decal specifics

The decal is of a white bear, facing forwards, on a red star background.

History

The 7th participated in the Berlin offensive, and were equipped with just IS-2s.

Usage in-game

In real life the decal is but a small part of the overall tank marking. It is featured on the front side of the turret, with the bear facing towards the front. You can do this in-game by using the second two-sided decal option.

Alongside the decal were large white stripes, used for easy identification from friendly air forces. These stripes were featured as a cross on the turret roof, and as lines going around the turret.


Note the lines on the roof and the turret sides.

The tactical number of the vehicle was always present on the turret sides, closer to the rear. From the images I've seen it appears that most were three digits.


IS-2, at the Brandenburg gate. This vehicle's number is 404.

Unfortunately there's no solid white bar decal, and the max limit is 4 (with premium), so this is the best we can try to replicate. I used the '1' decal for the stripes.

Unlocking requirements

This decal is unlocked by defeating 70 players in ground battles, using USSR tanks.

References

• War Thunder (obviously) + the wiki
  
• http://wio.ru/tank/oz/oz.htm
  
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Guards_Tank_Army
  
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Guards_Motor_Rifle_Division
  
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_divisions_1917%E2%80%931945
  
• https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/1st_Guards_Tank_Army_(Soviet_Union)?so=search
  
• http://www.ww2.dk/new/army/td/2gvtd.htm
  
• https://www.themotorpool.net/Soviet-JS-2-Heavy-Tank-7th-Guards-Heavy-Tank-Rgt-p/hg7001.htm
  
• https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=1109
  
• http://tankfront.ru/ussr/sap/gvsap366t.html
  
• https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=235969
  
• https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/ussr/tanks-2/t-60/t-60-3rd-guards-tank-brig-42/
  
• https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10694557

[tonsil stone muncher]

thank you

[Hans Luger]

@michanka, some of the decals were available for special events. If you can unlock them normally or I can find which event it was for I'll put it in the section.

[Hans Luger]

Updated the 3rd Guards Tank Brigade section. Thanks @Lexyc!

I plan on doing other nations after I've finished with the Soviet decals, by the way. Probably US/UK first (give me a break from reading all those Cyrillic articles!)

[tonsil stone muncher]

How do you get it?

[El skufio]

This emblem of the 3rd Guards Tank Brigade of the USSR was basically an early emblem relevant in the first half of World War II, it was usually applied to KV-1, KV-1C, T-34-76 and T-60 tanks. the number 3 in the middle of the emblem indicates the brigade number, and usually under the emblem the roth number was written. I found this information on the internet, but unfortunately I don't have a photo, so I can't prove it.

[tonsil stone muncher]

where do you find these hidden ones

[The Whiskey King]

sweet

[Hans Luger]

thanks, will definitely keep expanding it. I've got about another 7 more emblems, plus any additional hidden ones that people send me!

[The Whiskey King]

really cool post, hope you continue to expand it!