Rank Insignia and Uniforms Thread

I'd like to make a request. :eek:

Could someone make me a template for a kneeling soldier (or a pair of kneeling soldiers) ? He's supposed to be kneeling as if he/they was/were operating a heavy machine gun (think the M1910 and similar) or a mortar (WWI style one).

If someone's willing to help me with this, please use the same style of drawing characters as in this picture.

Thanks in advance for any help with this !
 
After gaining "Most preferred puppet state" status, Canada decides to adopt rank insignias even closer to the US one:

z8ck.png
 
A rough idea for the appearance of the soldiers of the Považie Commonwealth from my Sparrow Avengers universe, during the 1920s and 1930s. The 1920s soldier is the one to the right, with uniform and equipment closely based on the Austro-Hungarian field uniform from the second half of WWI. The 1930s soldier, armed with an SMG and wearing a more modern padded field jacket, is the one on the left. (I based the 1930s soldier's dress style on a soldier of WWII Hungary.) Obviously, during the interwar period, the armed forces of Považie Commonwealth were greatly influenced by German and Austrian style designs. This isn't very surprising, given the country's economic and trade ties with German-speaking countries. However, this once well-working relationship quickly soured during the latter half of the 1930s and the eve of the Second World War.

Považská zväzová republika - Samopalník (30. roky) a puškár (20.-30. roky) Small.jpg
 
Parade uniforms of the CGU Army. Most branches use the first type; this applies to infantry, artillery, medical, engineering, aviation, and other branches. The one depicted in the image is of the Infantry.
The latter three are specially-tailored to the elite; the armoured forces; the cavalry. Descendants of the Imperial Army Cavalry Corps of the Terran Empire, the CGUA Cavalry is composed of tank, walker, and armoured infantry components.
Regiments designated as "Dragoons" provide mechanized or "armoured" infantry battalions; they wear the traditional light blue and white. Regiments designated as "Hussars" are trained for light scouting duties, and provide tactical and strategic reconnaissance battalions; they wear black and red with white cord. The heavy cavalry is composed of the Cuirassier and Carabinier regiments; only the former is depicted in this image, and they wear silver breastplates and sometimes crested helms. Cuirassiers operate the tanks and other heavy armoured vehicles. Carabiniers wear golden breastplates in parades; they are tasked with operating mechanized walkers.
Not depicted are "Lancer" or "Uhlan" uniforms; they have the same combat function as Hussars, but have different regimental lineage.

In combat, most troops wear the same Army field uniform. Though actual operators of armoured vehicles often go with a short jacket instead of the infantry one.

CGU Army Parade Uniforms.png
 
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I've found a similar page about helments and camo patterns, you can find it on the military resources page. This baby will go there too, to make them company.
 
Say, Hapsburg... Does cavalry in the traditional sence still exist in the CGU ?

Not in the expeditionary forces, no. At least not operationally. But some reconnaissance units in the colonial defence forces use actual riding animals; in startup settlements, it's often logistically easier to have horses than to keep importing fuel cells.
All cavalry officers are taught to ride animals, though. For ceremony if for nothing else. A bit of an antiquated carryover, but hey. Romantics leading the army will do that.
 
Hm, just as I suspected. :)

BTW, do they only use horses or are there also alien mounts ? Or did the CGU's famous anti-alien obsession nix that option ?
 
BTW, do they only use horses or are there also alien mounts ?
Depends on the planet and its existing biosphere. Some planets are terraformed, and they import Earth life or modified Earth life. Some planets are existing "garden" worlds, and have their own fauna. Which can be, and often are, domesticated for use as livestock. Which includes use as mounts, and that is cheaper than importing horses all the way from another planet.
When every gram counts, as it definitely does in a spacecraft, one (or a dozen) less horses means more propellant, or more supplies.
Whether or not the native fauna can be domesticated is evaluated by a forward research team that spends several years on a world studying and experimenting with the wildlife and environment. To ensure that it's relatively safe for habitation and settlement.

Or did the CGU's famous anti-alien obsession nix that option ?
Thing of it is, that attitude is really only directed against alien civilizations and sapient species. They don't really hate that which doesn't present a coordinated, organised threat. Which, at least in the years prior to the CGU's foundation, many sapient xenos did. The problem comes with the fact that National Humanism sees any alien civilisation as a threat, not just the spacefaring ones with active militaries and states.
 
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And it allows for Space Western stories. :D

Naturally. ;) I have cavalry in my sci-fi universe as well. However, it's a lot more common than in most others, given the level of interstellar politics, society and technology. Mounts range from plain old Earth examples to species descended from genetically modified creatures of earthly or alien origin.
 
I know that part of it is due to a majority of sci-fi being made in the US but have you noticed there's a distinct lack of space-gauchos and space-jackaroos ?

Actually, I have those in my 'verse. :eek: :D

But then, the weirder mounts of earthly origin I have there also include giant breeds of marmots, which are often used as kind of a rodent version of a yak in mountainous or subarctic regions. Unlike their current Earth ancestors, they also tend to inhabit colder inland steppes. And like dromedaries in Australia, many had escaped their human masters and gone feral. ;)

Also, one of the major alien civilizations of the setting has a reptile-esque mount that is pretty good in arid or semi-arid regions. However, they mostly use it purely on their own homeworld or interstellar colonies, due to it not being well-suited for Earth-like atmospheres.

And no, I don't have any chocobos in that setting, so cut the jokes ! :p Though ostrich-pulled carts occassionally appear on a certain planet colonized mostly by various South Africans.
 
Partly due to the massive expension of the Waffen-SS, there was a project near the end ofthe war to create a rank of SS-Volksmarschall which would have been the equivalent of the army/airforce's Generalfeldmarschall and the navy's Grossadmiral. The first recipient was to be Sepp Dietrich but the faillure of the Ardennes Offensive meant that the idea never came to fruition.

A sketch exist of the Volksmarschall baton (though one was never actualy produced) but the design of what his insignia would have looked like is unknown.

The idea I had was that it would not stray too much from the other ranks and since he would still be subordinate to the reichfuerer-SS, he couldn't have an insignia that appear to overshadow him. For that reason, I have used the insignia of a SS-Oberstgruppenführer (the 3 leaves are used surrounded by a wreath by himmler) but replaced the pips with the usual marshall's batons that you find in all 3 other services highest ranks. (the other 2 insiginias are there for comparison sake only)

volksmarschall.png
 
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