Tactical markings on
tanks were a type of vehicle marking used during the Second World
War. They took the form of coloured shapes painted on the tank,
usually the turret sides, though sometimes on the hull front, sides
and/or rear. The shape and colour denoted the unit the tank belonged
to. Canadian armoured brigades consisted of three armoured
regiments. An armoured division had one such brigade, with an
armoured reconnaissance regiment also under command. Each regiment
was divided into Squadrons, "A", "B", "C" and Headquarters.
Not all units used
the marking scheme shown below.
| Squadron
|
Armoured
Recce Regiment |
Senior
Regiment in Brigade |
Middle
Regiment in Brigade |
Junior
Regiment in Brigade |
| "HQ"
|
|
|
|
|
| "A"
|
|
|
|
|
| "B"
|
|
|
|
|
| "C"
|
|
|
|
|
1 Bde |
nil
|
11th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The Ontario Regiment ) |
12th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The Three Rivers Regiment ) |
14th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The Calgary Regiment ) |
2 Bde |
nil
|
6th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(1st Hussars ) |
10th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(Fort Garry Horse) |
27th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment) |
4 Div
|
29th Canadian
Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment
(The South Alberta Regiment) |
21st Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The Governor General's Foot Guards) |
22nd Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The Canadian Grenadier Guards) |
28th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The British Columbia Regiment) |
5 Div
|
3rd Canadian
Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment
(The Governor General's Horse Guards) |
2nd Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)) |
5th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(8th Princess Louise's (New Brunswick) Hussars) |
9th Canadian
Armoured Regiment
(The British Columbia Dragoons) |
Lieutenant
Colonel J.G. Vining, Commanding Officer, The
Three Rivers Regiment, and the crew of his
Churchill tank, Worthing, England, 22 Jul 1942.
Note the diamond on the turret side denoting
Headquarters Squadron. LAC Photo.
|
Unidentified
crewmen standing next to a Sherman Tank in
England. Some units used a system of number and
letter codes as tactical markings in place of
the geometric codes. LAC Photo.
|
