The 1932-1938 tactical signs :

In 1932-1938, a different system was in effect introduced by the new combat Regulations for the Armored Forces, adopted in 1932. In fact, since 1932, the Soviet armored forces began to develop rapidly, 2 mechanized Corps, 5 separate mechanized Brigades, 2 tank Regiments, 4 mechanized cavalry Divisions, 15 tank and 65 tankettes Battalions for rifle Divisions were formed and made the old system obsolete. In 1927, there were 90 tanks and 1050 vehicles, in 1935 there were more than 8000 tanks and more than 35000 vehicles. Moreover, despite its harmony and apparent simplicity, it was difficult for the human eye of an infantryman interacting with tanks and poorly acquainted with tactical designations to identify rapidly the vehicle, and this was an unaffordable luxury in combat conditions. The new tactical designations were a combination of a continuous colored stripe along the perimeter of the turret or hull for the Battalion, a dotted colored stripe (below) for the Company, a colored square on the sides of the vehicle hull (for small tanks on the sides of the turret) for the Platoon. Arabic numerals (from 1 to 3) were inscribed in black paint in the square, indicating the position of the tank in the platoon. The numbers of platoons, companies and battalions were determined by the color of the corresponding geometric figures: red for the first, white for the second, black for the third, light blue for the fourth, yellow for the fifth. In some cases, only continuous or only broken lines were applied to the turrets of tanks and armored cars, indicating only the battalion numbers or only the company numbers, respectively. During parades, the squares indicating the platoon number and the numbers in it indicating the tank number in the platoon were usually painted white. In this case, the number in the square indicated the rank in the formation of the parade. It was applied sometimes on all the vehicles of the rank, sometimes only on the exterior vehicles of the rank.
In addition to the general tactical designations, the Ukrainian and Kyiv military districts, in the 30s, had their own tactical registration markings in the form of a yellow rectangle on the left side of the tank’s turret or tankette’s cabin on which a four-digit number consisting of two pairs of digits was painted in black.

In addition to applying special tactical numbers and conventional signs during maneuvers in the pre-war years, additional identification marks were applied to the vehicles of the opposing sides in the form of white vertical stripes across the entire height of the turret or a white circle on its rear. Vertical, more wide stripes were applied on the turrets of the simulated enemy tanks during the exercises of the Belorussian Military District in the fall of 1936, the Leningrad Military District in the fall of 1937. During the maneuvers of the Kyiv District in 1935, the upper half of the turret was painted white, and in the Moscow Military District in 1937, red or black stripes were used along the perimeter and a white circle on the back of the turret. Squares, crosses or longitudinal or transverse stripes were also applied on the roofs to determine friends or foes.