In September 1939, not long after the formation of Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland, it was decided that Regimental staff vehicles would be marked with the white steel helmet symbol as a means of unit identification.  The symbol was quickly adopted by the entire regiment, and was firmly established as the unit markings when expansion to Division status came in 1942.  

Divisional HQ company vehicles were further designated by the addition of a black line over the top of the helmet, or alternately, a black border to the entire symbol.

For the battle of Kursk, German units changed their divisional markings temporarily; some (replacement) GD units used the geometric symbols shown below right during the summer of 1943, whilte the white helmet was retained by other units.

It appears that GD's Tigers did not use the white helmet device.

Regimental Markings

During the French Campaign, GD used the standard tactical markings that had been in existence since about 1935.  Subunits in the Regiment were also designated by geometric shapes around the white helmet.  The First Battalion used a square, the Second Battalion a circle, the Third Battalion a triangle and the Fourth Battalion a diamond.  Different colours were also used to differentiate companies within each battalion.

Battalion Sign Company Colour I Headquarters Dark Green Heavy Green/White 1 White 2 Red 3 Yellow 4 Blue II Headquarters Dark Green Heavy Green/White 5 White 6 Red 7 Yellow 8 Blue

Battalion Sign Company Colour III Headquarters Dark Green Heavy Green/White 9 White 10 Red 11 Yellow 12 Blue IV Headquarters Dark Green 13 (Infantry Gun) White 14 (Anti Tank) Red 15 (Heavy Infantry Gun) Yellow

Tactical Markings

The official system of tactical signs described on the main vehicle markings page was also adopted by Grossdeutschland vehicles.

Upon changing to divisional status in 1942, the GD Divisional pennant  was as for a standard division, with the GD monogram added to the white centre. 

Other GD specific pennants included the 1a pennant (1a was a designation for a divisional staff officer) and the division commander's pennant shown below.

One history shows a wartime sketch of this pennant for the Motorcycle Battalion of GD circa 1942  Von Usedom was the name of the commanding officer.

Another history shows this non-regulation pennant used on a command car belonging to 1 Battery, Artillery Regiment GD

Units of battalion, regiment or brigade size were designated by a flag bearing the Waffenfarbe, or arm of service colour, associated with that unit.  Grossdeutschland's command vehicles would thus have been marked by a unit pennant in white.  Upon expansion to divisional status, GD panzer battalions would have used rosa (pink), artillery red, signals lemon yellow, pioneers black, reconnaissance golden yellow, and the infantry (later panzergrenadier and panzerfüsilier) regiments retained white.

Vehicle Numbers

The early Panzertruppe GD (also known as Panzer Abteilung GD) consisted of a battalion-sized group of armour with 3 companies.  The 1st company, equipped with PzKpfw IVs, used their own system of markings for at least a short time.

In general, however, the system involved use of 3 digits numbers; the first digit indicating the Company the tank belonged to, the second the Platoon, and the third the vehicle's position within the platoon.

The 13th company of Panzertruppe GD (and from the summer of 1943 on, the entire III Battalion of the Panzer Regiment) was equipped with Tiger tanks, and they numbered their vehicles with the letter S (presumably for "schwere", or heavy) followed by a two digit sequence representing the platoon and vehicle.  After the Panzer Abteilung expanded to a full regiment, and an entire battalion of Tigers was created, the unit used the letters A, B and C to indicate the 9th, 10th and 11th companies of the Panzer Regiment GD, again followed by a two digit sequence representing platoon and vehicle.

An interesting variation confirmed by photographic evidence was the use of the GD steel helmet replacing the R on the command tank of the commander of Panzer Regiment Grossdeutschland.  The helmet was very small so as not to be obtrusive, and used in conjunction with the numerals 01.

Unofficial Unit Markings

Some GD vehicles are seen with a windmill device painted on the side, a reference to a familiar landmark near Stonne in France where GD fought its first large scale battle in 1940.   According to one source these windmill emblems appeared only on motorcycles, Sd Kfz 250 halftracks and troop carrying vehicles - and apparently only during maneuvers in early 1942. This marking also reappears in 1944, known as the "uhu" or owl marking, and is believed to have been used only by the reconaissance battalion.
One reference (an article by a Mr. Kitamura's in Panzerblatt #6 (Armour Modelling magazine, issue 6) says that the reconnaissance battalion had their armoured cars carry this marking because of the commander's name (Usedom) and Hussar tradition (Usedom Husaren).  The first letters of Usedom and Husaren are, of course "Uhu", which in German means "owl" - a creature associated with wisdom or intelligence.

The First (armoured) Battalion of the Panzerfüsilier Regiment was nicknamed the "Lion Battalion", after their commanding officer Horst Niemack continuously referred to them as "killer lions" in action.   On 20 August 1944, he promulgated the following order:

I Battalion has fought extremely well in the battles of the past few days.
In recognition of its proud success, with the authorization of the division commander I decree that the battalion may apply the lion to its APCs as a special recognition marking.  Niemack.

Unknown Markings And finally, some markings for which photographic evidence is in existence may never be fully understood.  The following photo shows Maultier halftracks of a GD supply column, taken in 1943.  Two digit numbers are worn on the doors of the vehicles, with the GD steel helmet and tac signs on the fenders.  The arrow symbol on the bonnet of the truck is a mystery. The tactical sign is the 1943 version of the "truck column" sign.  The M may stand for "mittlerer" for medium, or perhaps "Maultier", the type of truck.  The thick bar on the left indicated a company sized unit. The bottom part of the tactical sign - indicating the method of transport - is obscured in this photo, but would indicate either a motorized unit (above left) or half-tracked (left).

Photo courtesy Collection Akira Tamaguchi