Hobby Master Archive

During the June 1944 operation to knock Finland out of the war, the 21st Army was heavily supported by armor. The 27th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Dmitri A. Gnezdilov, was one of the first units re-equipped with the early production IS-2s in March 1944. Although the red star is always associated with the Red Army, in fact it was not a very common tactical insignia on tanks in WWII. Here is a rare case of the red star being painted on twice, probably due to the knowledge that Finnish forces were using captured Soviet tanks. The white tactical number presumably indicates 3rd company, 2nd Platoon, 3rd tank. Fighting at Viipuri (Vyborg) took place at the opening phase of the campaign against Finland on the Karelian isthmus in June 1944 with the 27th entering the war-torn city on June 20, 1944. The 27th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Regiment was the only IS-2 unit used in this stage of the offensive. The unit had only received there IS-2s starting in March 1944 just prior to the offensive starting. This tank had unusual markings with the two red stars on the turret, these were rarely seen on a battlefield tank. The 27th Guards Separate Heavy Tank Regiment decided to use the stars as a means of identification since the Finns had captured some Soviet tanks and were using them against the former owners. This was a means of identifying friend or foe.