Soviet Early Tanker

[slava1stclass]

To all:

Nice image.

Regards,

slava1stclass

[Ed_Haynes]

Nice one. Makes me recall:

[Guest Rick Research]

Junior Lieutenant Petr Ivanovich Ivanov in the 27th "Auto Transport" ( ) Regiment:

notice the TINY sized armor devices fitting inside the points of the overcoat tabs

and the devices having been REMOVED from his old style covered buttons gimnastyorka's tabs:

Unfortunately not dated, but unit stamp is quite clearly Auto Transport and not Armor!

[Ed_Haynes]

Closeup.

[Guest Rick Research]

Heraldically maybe the tanks facing "outward to shoulders" makes sense... but it looks like they are reversed in retreat!

Ivanov's above, though removed, show gun barrels forward, the devices angled to be horizontal on the angled tabs. Same on my 1940 Captain's gimnastyorka.

Here is another photo, unfortunately taken in the dark without a flash of Lieutenant Viktor Usarovich Barunin, first certified 11 December 1938 (70 years next week) by 2nd Tank Battalion/13th Tank Brigade--

Notice his Red Star (for Lake Khasan?) screwwed onto the jacket lapel!!!! (His tanks are "retreating" as well.)

This same photo travelled with him, to be RE-certified by 10th Tank Regiment on 18 December 1940:

What is interesting here is the earliest use of a Feldpost unit number I've yet seen-- the 1938 stamp is "Tank Forces No. 5267" though the unit is written out by the signing officer.

[Ed_Haynes]

There was, I think, a great deal of variability in how the French tunics and their insigniae were treated. They were, after all, an exotic British import (which must have been embarassing enough just at that level).