Rank Insignia and Uniforms Thread
- Thread starter general_tiu
- Start date
From a Soviet 1960s movie Tale about the Boy-Kibalchish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tale_about_the_Boy-Kibalchish
An alternate uniform for a Serbian royal guardsman (just a normal enlisted man, not an officer), for a TL where the first Serbian revolt succeeded. This uniform is essentially a modernization of the revolutionary-era Vožd's Guard that served Karađorđe IOTL (shown below).
The design is meant to fit in around the 1890s-1900 era and is inspired primarily by Austrian uniforms of the time, as I imagine the Serbs would be importing a fair amount of their gear from there or at least that a lot of the industrial mass production of uniforms would be led by Serbs from the Habsburg empire if not even actually done in the empire. These dudes would basically guard royal/princely residences (not 100% decided on whether Serbia would be declared a kingdom by that point ITTL), coronation ceremonies, royal weddings, and the like and generally parade around Belgrade on occasion. They'd probably have a height requirement as well, which shouldn't be terribly difficult for a country with a relatively tall population to supply men for.
To be clear the light color is meant to be white on the actual uniform but is made rendered in a more brownish beige tone to mimic the color palette of illustrations from the time.
Of course I don't imagine Serbia, even with the relatively better position it would be in without the post-1st-revolt Turkish reprisals and with an army stemming from the Austrian-trained Freikorps of Koča's Revolt rather than from peasant militias raised for the second revolt, would be able to make most enlisted mens' uniforms this fancy (granted this itself is far from the fanciest uniform as far as that time period goes). I picture the regular army giving professional soldiers something akin to the simplest US civil war uniform but with a šajkača hat, with a good chunk of conscripts in wartime still serving in peasant clothes and an army jacket. Common soldiers in opanci rather than leather boots would probably be unheard of in the standing army but common in wartime.
And a bit of mood music to go with this image: an old Serbian marching song
I have a UK where the ruling family is the House of Osman scenario (via exiles from the family who had lost a civil war over succesion that converted to christianity, became mercenaries and ended up marrying to Queen Elizabeth I eventually).
They brought with them a mercenary company. First used by Queen Mary to supress protestants but the Ottoman Claimant in charge of the Company converted to Protestantism after Elizabeth became queen and eventually married her. Said company was a mix of cavalry and infantry and at the time was mostly German with some Italians and Englishmen in it as well. Eventually the number of Englishmen within it rose and the company became The Prince Consort's Own Household Guard, no longer mercenaries. As he died before her it first became Prince of Wales' Lifeguard but after he became king was divided into the mounted Royal Sipahi Guard and infantry Household Guard (both of these were (at least nominally) loyal to not the Crown of England but the "Rightful Head of the House of Osman". At the current time both units have remained parts of the UK's royal guards alongside more explicitly UK guard regiments. Because of their unique status the Royal Sipahi Guard and the Household Guard recruit from the entirety of the British Commonwealth/Empire rather than just the UK. Their companies/troops are mostly organised as one UK troop/company, one North American troop/company and one troop/company of the other Dominions (or as one of Dominions and one of other Commonwealth states). Other than this peculiar status the Household Guard is not much different from the rest of the Foot Guards. But the Royal Sipahi Guards is styled after the Ottoman Sipahis, which means that their ceremonial uniform and equipment is as armoured lancers unlike the Cuirassier like Household Cavalry or Light Cavalry Lancers of OTL UK.
Anyway, this is the Uniforms and Rank Insignia thread so to get to that, I was inspired by the OTL Household Cavalry NCOs not wearing rank insignia but their ranks being indicated by aiguillettes (in full dress uniform, that is). Also the Napoleonic Admirals of the Red, White and Blue. The rank titles (other than the Trooper equilavent being Sipahi) are identical to OTL Household Cavalry. The uniforms/"insignia" recounted below are also full dress uniforms with other uniforms not being very differnt from those of the rest of the Army other than cap badges.
Uniform of the Royal Sipahi Guard: On foot; a dolman in the style of Hussars, Red with white braiding, no Pelisse. A Turkish/Ottoman style helmet. Armed with a round metal shield engraved with the Royal Coat of Arms in gold, a red tasseled spear and a kilij/mameluke saber. On horse: Same, other than the spear being replaced by a lance with a red and white pennon and a cuirass being worn. On either foot or horse no rank insignia is worn and instead rank is indicated with helmet plumes as follows; privates/troopers are titled Sipahi and have no plume, Lance Corporals have a blue plume, Lance Corporals of Horse a white plume, Corporals of Horse a red plume, Staff Corporals/Squadron Quartermaster Corporals two blue plumes, Squadron Corporals Major one blue and one white plume, Regimental Quartermaster Corporal two white plumes, Regimental Corporal Major one blue and one red plume, Cornets (Second Lieutenants) one white and one red plume, First Lieutenants two red plumes, Captains two blue and one white plume, Majors one blue and two white plumes, the Lieutenant Colonel two white and one red plume, the Colonel of the Regiment (a ceremonial post) one white and two red plumes, while the Colonel-in-chief (the Monarch) one blue one white and one red plume.
Also, one of the Dominions/Commonwealth Realms is the Rumelian Empire. And it has two units of horse guards, both of which are Sipahis (probably the only other Sipahi unit in British Empire/Commonwealth other than those three could be in Egypt).
Uniforms and "rank insignia" of Rumelian Sipahi Guard is pretty much identical to the Royal Sipahi Guard with the exceptions being that their jackets are Blue instead of Red, same for the colour of their spear tassels. And their shield would be engraved by the Coat of Arms of the Rumelian Empire, not the UK. Their lance pennons are red and blue.
While the other unit, the Kapikulu Sipahi Regiment, which serves as the horse guard of the hereditary Governor-General, who is the Caliph of Islam, has differences. Their jacket is blue but single breasted instead of a hussar-like dolman. Their spear tassels are green and their shields are engraved with the Governor-General's coat of arms. Their armour is also different as rather than a cuirass they wear "mirror armour"/"Krug". The pennons on their lances are green and red. Their rank is still shown with helmet plumes but it is distinct from the other two units. It is as follows; privates/troopers are titled Sipahi and have no plume, Lance Corporals have a white plume, Lance Corporals of Horse a mostly white plume with a black top, Corporals of Horse a half white half black plume (former on bottom, latter on top), Staff Corporals/Squadron Quartermaster Corporals a mostly black plume which is white near the bottom, Squadron Corporals Major a black plume, Regimental Quartermaster Corporal a black plume with a white top, Regimental Corporal Major a half black half white plume (former on the bottom, latter on top), Cornets (Second Lieutenants) one mostly white plume that is black on the bottom, First Lieutenants a black and a white plume, Captains a green plume, Majors a gold plume, the Lieutenant Colonel a green and a gold plume, the Colonel of the Regiment (a ceremonial post) a half white half black plume and a green and a gold plume, while the Colonel-in-chief (the Governor-General/Caliph) one black one white one green and one gold plume.
(Also, for both regiments, thought the official rank titles in English match up with the Royal Sipahi Guards in Turkish, Greek or Bulgarian they are far less distinct from the regular army.)
On an unrelated note, since this is in the Maps and Graphics subforum I suppose posting an image would be ideal as well. So here is rank insignia for the Ottoman Navy, that I made for a Naval Game in this Forum. Said game died after not that much time had passed, which was kind of a shame. Actual rank titles are pretty much OTL, and I am pretty sure I based the cuff insignia mostly on OTL as well, thought not entirely. Thought the shoulder insignia is mostly made by me, not conciously based on anything, thought it is pretty basic anyway.
They brought with them a mercenary company. First used by Queen Mary to supress protestants but the Ottoman Claimant in charge of the Company converted to Protestantism after Elizabeth became queen and eventually married her. Said company was a mix of cavalry and infantry and at the time was mostly German with some Italians and Englishmen in it as well. Eventually the number of Englishmen within it rose and the company became The Prince Consort's Own Household Guard, no longer mercenaries. As he died before her it first became Prince of Wales' Lifeguard but after he became king was divided into the mounted Royal Sipahi Guard and infantry Household Guard (both of these were (at least nominally) loyal to not the Crown of England but the "Rightful Head of the House of Osman". At the current time both units have remained parts of the UK's royal guards alongside more explicitly UK guard regiments. Because of their unique status the Royal Sipahi Guard and the Household Guard recruit from the entirety of the British Commonwealth/Empire rather than just the UK. Their companies/troops are mostly organised as one UK troop/company, one North American troop/company and one troop/company of the other Dominions (or as one of Dominions and one of other Commonwealth states). Other than this peculiar status the Household Guard is not much different from the rest of the Foot Guards. But the Royal Sipahi Guards is styled after the Ottoman Sipahis, which means that their ceremonial uniform and equipment is as armoured lancers unlike the Cuirassier like Household Cavalry or Light Cavalry Lancers of OTL UK.
Anyway, this is the Uniforms and Rank Insignia thread so to get to that, I was inspired by the OTL Household Cavalry NCOs not wearing rank insignia but their ranks being indicated by aiguillettes (in full dress uniform, that is). Also the Napoleonic Admirals of the Red, White and Blue. The rank titles (other than the Trooper equilavent being Sipahi) are identical to OTL Household Cavalry. The uniforms/"insignia" recounted below are also full dress uniforms with other uniforms not being very differnt from those of the rest of the Army other than cap badges.
Uniform of the Royal Sipahi Guard: On foot; a dolman in the style of Hussars, Red with white braiding, no Pelisse. A Turkish/Ottoman style helmet. Armed with a round metal shield engraved with the Royal Coat of Arms in gold, a red tasseled spear and a kilij/mameluke saber. On horse: Same, other than the spear being replaced by a lance with a red and white pennon and a cuirass being worn. On either foot or horse no rank insignia is worn and instead rank is indicated with helmet plumes as follows; privates/troopers are titled Sipahi and have no plume, Lance Corporals have a blue plume, Lance Corporals of Horse a white plume, Corporals of Horse a red plume, Staff Corporals/Squadron Quartermaster Corporals two blue plumes, Squadron Corporals Major one blue and one white plume, Regimental Quartermaster Corporal two white plumes, Regimental Corporal Major one blue and one red plume, Cornets (Second Lieutenants) one white and one red plume, First Lieutenants two red plumes, Captains two blue and one white plume, Majors one blue and two white plumes, the Lieutenant Colonel two white and one red plume, the Colonel of the Regiment (a ceremonial post) one white and two red plumes, while the Colonel-in-chief (the Monarch) one blue one white and one red plume.
Also, one of the Dominions/Commonwealth Realms is the Rumelian Empire. And it has two units of horse guards, both of which are Sipahis (probably the only other Sipahi unit in British Empire/Commonwealth other than those three could be in Egypt).
Uniforms and "rank insignia" of Rumelian Sipahi Guard is pretty much identical to the Royal Sipahi Guard with the exceptions being that their jackets are Blue instead of Red, same for the colour of their spear tassels. And their shield would be engraved by the Coat of Arms of the Rumelian Empire, not the UK. Their lance pennons are red and blue.
While the other unit, the Kapikulu Sipahi Regiment, which serves as the horse guard of the hereditary Governor-General, who is the Caliph of Islam, has differences. Their jacket is blue but single breasted instead of a hussar-like dolman. Their spear tassels are green and their shields are engraved with the Governor-General's coat of arms. Their armour is also different as rather than a cuirass they wear "mirror armour"/"Krug". The pennons on their lances are green and red. Their rank is still shown with helmet plumes but it is distinct from the other two units. It is as follows; privates/troopers are titled Sipahi and have no plume, Lance Corporals have a white plume, Lance Corporals of Horse a mostly white plume with a black top, Corporals of Horse a half white half black plume (former on bottom, latter on top), Staff Corporals/Squadron Quartermaster Corporals a mostly black plume which is white near the bottom, Squadron Corporals Major a black plume, Regimental Quartermaster Corporal a black plume with a white top, Regimental Corporal Major a half black half white plume (former on the bottom, latter on top), Cornets (Second Lieutenants) one mostly white plume that is black on the bottom, First Lieutenants a black and a white plume, Captains a green plume, Majors a gold plume, the Lieutenant Colonel a green and a gold plume, the Colonel of the Regiment (a ceremonial post) a half white half black plume and a green and a gold plume, while the Colonel-in-chief (the Governor-General/Caliph) one black one white one green and one gold plume.
(Also, for both regiments, thought the official rank titles in English match up with the Royal Sipahi Guards in Turkish, Greek or Bulgarian they are far less distinct from the regular army.)
On an unrelated note, since this is in the Maps and Graphics subforum I suppose posting an image would be ideal as well. So here is rank insignia for the Ottoman Navy, that I made for a Naval Game in this Forum. Said game died after not that much time had passed, which was kind of a shame. Actual rank titles are pretty much OTL, and I am pretty sure I based the cuff insignia mostly on OTL as well, thought not entirely. Thought the shoulder insignia is mostly made by me, not conciously based on anything, thought it is pretty basic anyway.
Last edited:
From a Future History "Timeline" I am making that I did post some other stuff out of before, but these are the first uniform/rank insignia stuff out of it.
Uniforms and Rank Insignia of the Legions of Hermes, the military of the State of Hermes, which ruled over Mercury from 2681 (taking over the Republic of Mercury via self-coup of the President against the the legislature and the other parties with military force) to 2841 (Venusian conquest of Mercury). The Legions/State of Hermes was not the only example of "planetary legions" through history, but it was one which was the most Roman. The earlier "Legions" had stopped with the use of that title as a political party and not much else, having governments and militaries not much different from other contemporary states. Similarly the later Legions of Zeus and Chronos were simply among the largest of Jovian and Saturnian independence organisations against Venusian Empire, and were not connected to "Legionary Ideologies".
The State of Hermes was an exception, as it's military was highly based on the Roman one. Said military was built for and saw action in the Hermetic War, 2687-2707. Where they saw combat all across the Solar System, from Venus to Saturn. They were defeated in the attempt but did great damage to the Solar System, causing the start of the one and a half century time period known as the Interregnum, until humanity was united by the Venusian Empire and the Pax Venusia started
Firstly the dress uniforms for enlisted personnel. Of the Legions proper/ground forces, of the Reserves, of the Auxilia and of the Navy (space warfare branch) respectively. Uniforms are presented without unit or rank insignia, as well as the pugio daggers that are officially a part of the dress uniform. However the colouring of the collars and the pillbox hat does show that the Ground Forces Legionary is of the elite Legio XIII "Imperator's Own", the Reserve Legionary is of the 1st Reserves stationed on Mercury itself, the Auxiliary is from Earth, an orbital habitat in it's orbit or Luna, while the Fleet Legionary is in the Home Fleet.
The rank insignia would be on their upper right arm, while Unit (Legion, Reserve Regiment, Auxilia Cohort or Navy Ship/Squadron) insignia would be on the upper left arm. Moreover the number of the Cohort (in Roman numerals) and the number of the Century (in Arabic numerals) would be on the collars of all but the Navy soldier, for them it would show their department on the ship (Weapons, Engineering etc.) they belonged to.
An officer's dress uniform would have the following differences: instead of the pugio dagger they would have a gladius sword (with the exception of Auxilia officers, who would be issued with longer spatha swords), officers wore helmets based on that of the Roman Empire with coloured crests (same colours as with the enlisted pillbox hats). On some ceremonial occasions and parades the officers were also issued lorica segmentata armour.
The service uniform for all services but the Navy is the same as the dress uniform, minus the dagger/sword and any armour. In this uniform enlisted wear berets of the same colour as their dress uniform pillbox hat while the officers wear peaked caps (much like how the Imperator is depicted below, with the colouring of the band matching the colur of the officer's helmet crest. The Navy service dress on the other hand is a single piece gloved flightsuit, able to be sealed airtight with a helmet. The flightsuit is colured blue, with some piping in grey/purple/black according to the which part of the fleet they are under.
There is also the field/combat uniform, which comes with one of five camouflage patterns. These are: Type A, or Urban, Shipborne and Moon Camouflage, in various shades of grey, the most common camo issued, having been issued to essentially all units except for those headed for Eath, Venus and Mars; Type B, or Temperate, Forest and Jungle Camouflage, in green and brown shades, issued for the invasion of Earth Venus and Mars; Type C, or Polar/Ice Camouflage, issued for Earth, Venus, Mars and the Galilean Moons (yeah, shame about Io being mostly Sulphur yellow with no camouflage for it); Type D, or Primary Desert Camouflage, in tan and brown colours, issued mainly for Earth and finally Type E, or Secondary Desert Camouflage, in reddish and orange colours, issued mainly for Mars, also issued for Titan. Field Uniforms both come in actual battle dress to use in places with breathable athmosphere and an armoured pressure suits/space suits.
This shows various unit colours. To make a list:
The Reserves:
Finally, the rank insignia:
Regular insignia at top (given in ground forces colours, the Navy and Reserves have the same ranks and insignia, thought the colouring would be different), Auxilia insignia at the bottom.
The ranks being, left to right:
Legionary, Senior Legionary, Decanus, Decurion, Tesserarius, Optio, Signifer, Centurion, Senior Centurion, Prefect, Tribune, Legate, Praetor, Imperator for the Legions proper.
Auxiliary Recruit, Auxiliary First Class, Decanus, Decurion, Tesserarius, Optio, Signifer, Centurion, Prefect and Tribune for the Auxilia.
Now you'll notice the Auxilia rank table has three holes in it. Firstly, an Auxiliary Recruit has no rank insignia (as with privates in many armies OTL), secondly the Auxilia has no Senior Centurion rank. Auxiliary Cohorts tend to be commanded by the Centurions of their first Centuries (as with the Legions, except there these officers are ranked Senior Centurion) or by Prefects. As for the holes at the top ranks, Tribune is the highest Auxilia rank and is more of an appointment than rank anyway. As an Auxiliary Tribune is the commander of an Auxilia Legion, which is a relatively rare and ad-hoc formation (Auxilia Cohorts are mostly attached to Hermetic Legions).
(Highest ranked Reserve officer would be the Legate of the Reserves, as the professional head of the entire Reserve, while there would also be a single Tribune of the Reserves in command of the 1st Reserves, while there would also be 7 Prefects, two of which would be in command of the 2nd and 3rd Reserves. Otherwise they would follow the Legionary ranks.)
(In contrast the Navy would be a rather top heavy organisation. With there being more of the Naval top rankers than ground forces, what with operating spaceships being rather complex. Probably more NCOs than soldiers ranked Legionary and Senior Legionary on board actual ships.)
Regarding the rank insignia, I was originally planning to replicate the US Army Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class and Master Sergeant for Legionary Decurion, Tesserarius and Optio. However I had difficulty trying to make that arc properly in MS Paint and ended up really liking the current Decurion insignia when I made it. Then the Tesserarius and Optio insignia followed naturally from it both by US inspiration and the already made insignia for the Auxilia. For the officer insignia the with junior officers I followed British style pips and the for the senior officers I followed the US general insignia.
Now to give explanation for the ranks themselves. Legionary/Auxiliary Recruit corresponds to NATO OR 1 and 2. Senior Legionary/Auxiliary First Class being an OR-3. Decanus was the rank squad/contubernium leaders in the Roman Legions had, and is equilavent to a modern Corporal. Decurion here is equilavent to a sergeant (OR-5/6), in Rome they commanded 30 man cavalry units named Turma. I am using that unit name for platoons in the Hermetic Legions. There was one Tesserarius per Century, and the rank translated as the officer of the Watch. I am using it for OR-7/8. Optio is the highest rank of NCO. There is one per Century, where they are the senior NCO and main advisor to the Centurion.
For the officer ranks Signifer was actually the the title for the soldiers carrying the standard of the Century. The Aquilifer carrying the Legion's Aquila was therefore a type of Signifer. Considering that carrying the regimental standard is commonly the duty of junior officers in modern militaries (as it is where the rank of Ensign/Cornet originated from, which later became Second Lieutenant) I felt that it was a decent choice for a Lieutenant (OF-1) rank. In the State of Hermes, they command Turmae/Turmas (Platoons). One rank above is that of Centurion aka Captain/Company Commander. Next is the Senior Centurion (historical Primus Pilus/Pilus Prior), which is the rank for most Cohort commanders (who also command the 1st Century of their Cohorts). In the Navy commanders of auxiliary ships (ammunition ships, fuel tankers, troop carriers etc.) are often of this rank. Prefect is the above it, who mostly serve as administrative/staff officers. Thought they also often serve as commanders of Reserve and Auxilia Cohorts. In the Navy Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes are often commanded by them (thought some Corvette commanders might be Senior Centurions instead). Thought I used Prefect this rank is more similar to narrow band/lower ranked Tribunes (other than the command of Auxilia Cohorts thing, that is a Prefect thing). The rank above this is Tribune, the second in command of a Legion. Here I also used it for the commanders of Legions of lesser prestige/station compared proper ones (1st Reserve and the Auxilia Legions). Naval officers with this rank command Destroyer/Frigate Squadrons as well as warships cruiser or larger. Then there is the highest regular rank, which is Legate (equilavent to OF-6). Who are commanders of Legions and Cruiser Squadrons (Hermetic Battleships and Carriers did not usually operate in squadrons). Thought you'll notice there is a rank between this and the Imperator. And that is the rank of Praetor (covering OF 7, 8 and 9). This is more of an appointment than a rank. It is specifically granted to the Legate of one of several legions operating together. Giving them clear authority over other Legates. In the Navy Praetors commanded several Taskforces and Taskgroups under the Expeditionary Forces, as well as the Home Fleet. While it was officially a single rank for the Praetors expected to operate together (such as Army and Navy Praetors or multiple Naval Praetors in a single fleet) the orders giving them their mission and appointment as Praetor would also include a list of which Praetor is considered superior to which. Thought as the Hermetic War progressed and higher officers had many losses the uncertainties in the chain of command between multiple legions expected to work together or between the Legions and Fleet did indeed cause many issues.
Uniforms and Rank Insignia of the Legions of Hermes, the military of the State of Hermes, which ruled over Mercury from 2681 (taking over the Republic of Mercury via self-coup of the President against the the legislature and the other parties with military force) to 2841 (Venusian conquest of Mercury). The Legions/State of Hermes was not the only example of "planetary legions" through history, but it was one which was the most Roman. The earlier "Legions" had stopped with the use of that title as a political party and not much else, having governments and militaries not much different from other contemporary states. Similarly the later Legions of Zeus and Chronos were simply among the largest of Jovian and Saturnian independence organisations against Venusian Empire, and were not connected to "Legionary Ideologies".
The State of Hermes was an exception, as it's military was highly based on the Roman one. Said military was built for and saw action in the Hermetic War, 2687-2707. Where they saw combat all across the Solar System, from Venus to Saturn. They were defeated in the attempt but did great damage to the Solar System, causing the start of the one and a half century time period known as the Interregnum, until humanity was united by the Venusian Empire and the Pax Venusia started
Firstly the dress uniforms for enlisted personnel. Of the Legions proper/ground forces, of the Reserves, of the Auxilia and of the Navy (space warfare branch) respectively. Uniforms are presented without unit or rank insignia, as well as the pugio daggers that are officially a part of the dress uniform. However the colouring of the collars and the pillbox hat does show that the Ground Forces Legionary is of the elite Legio XIII "Imperator's Own", the Reserve Legionary is of the 1st Reserves stationed on Mercury itself, the Auxiliary is from Earth, an orbital habitat in it's orbit or Luna, while the Fleet Legionary is in the Home Fleet.
The rank insignia would be on their upper right arm, while Unit (Legion, Reserve Regiment, Auxilia Cohort or Navy Ship/Squadron) insignia would be on the upper left arm. Moreover the number of the Cohort (in Roman numerals) and the number of the Century (in Arabic numerals) would be on the collars of all but the Navy soldier, for them it would show their department on the ship (Weapons, Engineering etc.) they belonged to.
An officer's dress uniform would have the following differences: instead of the pugio dagger they would have a gladius sword (with the exception of Auxilia officers, who would be issued with longer spatha swords), officers wore helmets based on that of the Roman Empire with coloured crests (same colours as with the enlisted pillbox hats). On some ceremonial occasions and parades the officers were also issued lorica segmentata armour.
The service uniform for all services but the Navy is the same as the dress uniform, minus the dagger/sword and any armour. In this uniform enlisted wear berets of the same colour as their dress uniform pillbox hat while the officers wear peaked caps (much like how the Imperator is depicted below, with the colouring of the band matching the colur of the officer's helmet crest. The Navy service dress on the other hand is a single piece gloved flightsuit, able to be sealed airtight with a helmet. The flightsuit is colured blue, with some piping in grey/purple/black according to the which part of the fleet they are under.
There is also the field/combat uniform, which comes with one of five camouflage patterns. These are: Type A, or Urban, Shipborne and Moon Camouflage, in various shades of grey, the most common camo issued, having been issued to essentially all units except for those headed for Eath, Venus and Mars; Type B, or Temperate, Forest and Jungle Camouflage, in green and brown shades, issued for the invasion of Earth Venus and Mars; Type C, or Polar/Ice Camouflage, issued for Earth, Venus, Mars and the Galilean Moons (yeah, shame about Io being mostly Sulphur yellow with no camouflage for it); Type D, or Primary Desert Camouflage, in tan and brown colours, issued mainly for Earth and finally Type E, or Secondary Desert Camouflage, in reddish and orange colours, issued mainly for Mars, also issued for Titan. Field Uniforms both come in actual battle dress to use in places with breathable athmosphere and an armoured pressure suits/space suits.
This shows various unit colours. To make a list:
The Reserves:
1st Reserves - Purple (I to X Cohort of the Reserves, stationed on Mercury, as a side note, Mercury was originally colonised by the United States of America)
2nd Reserves - Red hat, Blue collar (XI Cohort of the Reserves, garrisoning space habitats on Sun-Mercury L4, originally colonised by the Unified Commonwealth, which the colours honour)
3rd Reserves - Light Blue (XII Cohort of the Reserves, garrisoning space habitats on Sun-Mercury L5, originally colonised by the UN, which the colour references)
The Navy:Orbital Defence Command - Grey (orbital defense ships and stations orbiting Mercury and the lagrange point colonies, when the Home Fleet was deployed as reinforcements to Venus the crew of the Corvettes, which were left behind as they lacked the Delta-V, switched from their Home Fleet uniforms to Orbital Defence uniforms)
Home Fleet - Purple (kept these uniforms, even as the Fleet was deployed to Venus)
Expeditionary Forces - Black (majority of the Navy, referring to the Black of Space)
The Auxilia:Aphroditian Auxilia - Copper (due to the planet's association with the metal)
Gaian Auxilia - Light Blue (referencing the UN colour, covers Luna, traditionally considered a separate Legionary "Nation" as the State of Artemis)
Aresian Auxilia - Red (Mars is the Red Planet, obviously)
Belt Auxilia - Gren hat and grey collars (the collar references the Asteroid Belt in general, while the hat references Demeter, symbolising Ceres, the most important asteroid)
Zeusian Auxilia - Purple (in reference to Jupiter/Zeus as King of the Gods)
Chronosian Auxilia - Orange (referencing the colour of Saturn and Titan)
Uranian Auxilia - Blue (never worn as Hermetic forces never made it to Uranus, colur chosen due to the colour of Uranus and the association with the Sky)
Poseidonian Auxilia - Sea Green (never worn as Hermetic forces never made it to Neptune, colour chosen due to Neptune's association with the Sea)
Hadesian Auxilia - Black (never worn as Hermetic forces never made it to Pluto, intended to cover Auxilia from all Trans-Neptunian objects)
The Legions:Legio I - Maroon (1st Legion was an elite formation, it used these colours in reference to airborne forces)
Legio II - Grey (considered the colour of Mercury/Hermes)
Legio III - Olive (general military colours)
Legio IV - Light Blue (4th Legion was assigned to invade Earth)
Legio V - Silver (5th Legion was assigned to invade Luna)
Legio VI - Copper (6th Legion was assigned to invade Venus)
Legio VII - Rifle Green (titled "Lucky" it was an elite formation, thougt said title was not the result of any experience)
Legio VIII - Blue (the "Amphibious" Legion, another relatively elite formation)
Legio IX - Red (9th Legion was assigned to invade Mars)
Legio X - Black (the "Cavalry" Legion, the 10th had more armoured vehicles than the usual Legion, following British armoured tradition)
Legio XI - Brown
Legio XII - Dark Green ("Fulminata", the Thunderbolt Legion was another elite formation, referencing commando colours)
Legio XIII - Purple ("Imperator's Own", relatively obvious)
Legio XIV - Green hat, grey collar (14th Legion was assigned to take over the Belt, the grey referring to the Asteroids in general, the green referring to Ceres in specific)
Legio XV - White (assigned to invade the Jovian system, referencing the Icy Galilean Moons)
Legio XVI - Yellow hat, purple collar (the hat references the Galilean moon of Io, the collar tabs Jupiter)
Legio XVII - Orange (intended to invade the Saturnian system)
Legio XVIII - Tan (intended to invade Uranus, the colour is general military tradition, some OTL units have tan berets)
Legio XIX - Sea Green (intended to invade Neptune, and then send detachments to invade the Trans-Neptunian bodies)
The Imperator:The purple tunic with the peaked cap depicts the service uniform of the Imperator, the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, thought without the rank insignia. Red and Blue collar tabs show his command of the ground forces and the fleet.
Finally, the rank insignia:
Regular insignia at top (given in ground forces colours, the Navy and Reserves have the same ranks and insignia, thought the colouring would be different), Auxilia insignia at the bottom.
The ranks being, left to right:
Legionary, Senior Legionary, Decanus, Decurion, Tesserarius, Optio, Signifer, Centurion, Senior Centurion, Prefect, Tribune, Legate, Praetor, Imperator for the Legions proper.
Auxiliary Recruit, Auxiliary First Class, Decanus, Decurion, Tesserarius, Optio, Signifer, Centurion, Prefect and Tribune for the Auxilia.
Now you'll notice the Auxilia rank table has three holes in it. Firstly, an Auxiliary Recruit has no rank insignia (as with privates in many armies OTL), secondly the Auxilia has no Senior Centurion rank. Auxiliary Cohorts tend to be commanded by the Centurions of their first Centuries (as with the Legions, except there these officers are ranked Senior Centurion) or by Prefects. As for the holes at the top ranks, Tribune is the highest Auxilia rank and is more of an appointment than rank anyway. As an Auxiliary Tribune is the commander of an Auxilia Legion, which is a relatively rare and ad-hoc formation (Auxilia Cohorts are mostly attached to Hermetic Legions).
(Highest ranked Reserve officer would be the Legate of the Reserves, as the professional head of the entire Reserve, while there would also be a single Tribune of the Reserves in command of the 1st Reserves, while there would also be 7 Prefects, two of which would be in command of the 2nd and 3rd Reserves. Otherwise they would follow the Legionary ranks.)
(In contrast the Navy would be a rather top heavy organisation. With there being more of the Naval top rankers than ground forces, what with operating spaceships being rather complex. Probably more NCOs than soldiers ranked Legionary and Senior Legionary on board actual ships.)
Regarding the rank insignia, I was originally planning to replicate the US Army Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class and Master Sergeant for Legionary Decurion, Tesserarius and Optio. However I had difficulty trying to make that arc properly in MS Paint and ended up really liking the current Decurion insignia when I made it. Then the Tesserarius and Optio insignia followed naturally from it both by US inspiration and the already made insignia for the Auxilia. For the officer insignia the with junior officers I followed British style pips and the for the senior officers I followed the US general insignia.
Now to give explanation for the ranks themselves. Legionary/Auxiliary Recruit corresponds to NATO OR 1 and 2. Senior Legionary/Auxiliary First Class being an OR-3. Decanus was the rank squad/contubernium leaders in the Roman Legions had, and is equilavent to a modern Corporal. Decurion here is equilavent to a sergeant (OR-5/6), in Rome they commanded 30 man cavalry units named Turma. I am using that unit name for platoons in the Hermetic Legions. There was one Tesserarius per Century, and the rank translated as the officer of the Watch. I am using it for OR-7/8. Optio is the highest rank of NCO. There is one per Century, where they are the senior NCO and main advisor to the Centurion.
For the officer ranks Signifer was actually the the title for the soldiers carrying the standard of the Century. The Aquilifer carrying the Legion's Aquila was therefore a type of Signifer. Considering that carrying the regimental standard is commonly the duty of junior officers in modern militaries (as it is where the rank of Ensign/Cornet originated from, which later became Second Lieutenant) I felt that it was a decent choice for a Lieutenant (OF-1) rank. In the State of Hermes, they command Turmae/Turmas (Platoons). One rank above is that of Centurion aka Captain/Company Commander. Next is the Senior Centurion (historical Primus Pilus/Pilus Prior), which is the rank for most Cohort commanders (who also command the 1st Century of their Cohorts). In the Navy commanders of auxiliary ships (ammunition ships, fuel tankers, troop carriers etc.) are often of this rank. Prefect is the above it, who mostly serve as administrative/staff officers. Thought they also often serve as commanders of Reserve and Auxilia Cohorts. In the Navy Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes are often commanded by them (thought some Corvette commanders might be Senior Centurions instead). Thought I used Prefect this rank is more similar to narrow band/lower ranked Tribunes (other than the command of Auxilia Cohorts thing, that is a Prefect thing). The rank above this is Tribune, the second in command of a Legion. Here I also used it for the commanders of Legions of lesser prestige/station compared proper ones (1st Reserve and the Auxilia Legions). Naval officers with this rank command Destroyer/Frigate Squadrons as well as warships cruiser or larger. Then there is the highest regular rank, which is Legate (equilavent to OF-6). Who are commanders of Legions and Cruiser Squadrons (Hermetic Battleships and Carriers did not usually operate in squadrons). Thought you'll notice there is a rank between this and the Imperator. And that is the rank of Praetor (covering OF 7, 8 and 9). This is more of an appointment than a rank. It is specifically granted to the Legate of one of several legions operating together. Giving them clear authority over other Legates. In the Navy Praetors commanded several Taskforces and Taskgroups under the Expeditionary Forces, as well as the Home Fleet. While it was officially a single rank for the Praetors expected to operate together (such as Army and Navy Praetors or multiple Naval Praetors in a single fleet) the orders giving them their mission and appointment as Praetor would also include a list of which Praetor is considered superior to which. Thought as the Hermetic War progressed and higher officers had many losses the uncertainties in the chain of command between multiple legions expected to work together or between the Legions and Fleet did indeed cause many issues.
Last edited:
I did. Don't have access to my computer right now but for officers, I had used a similar progression than the OTL British one but replacing the Order of Garter star with a plain five -pointed star, the royal crown with a mural/civic crown and the crossed saber-and-baton of the generals with crosses rifles. The General in Chief (OTL a Field Marshal) used as an insignia crossed rifles within a wreath below a mural crown.
NCOs were a bit different and were based on trade badges introduced in the late Victorian and early 20th century:
- private : branch/specialty insignia
- lance corporal : branch/specialty insignia above a horizontal bar
- corporal : branch/specialty insignia within a circle
- sergeant : branch/specialty insignia within a half wreath
- senior sergeant : branch/specialty insignia within a half wreath below a five pointed star
- warrant officer : branch/specialty insignia within a full wreath below a five pointed star
- senior warrant officer : branch/specialty insignia within a full wreath above a horizontal bar and below a five pointed star
- chief warrant officer : branch/specialty insignia within a full wreath above a horizontal bar and below a mural crown
Last edited:
Hapsburg
Banned
A few examples of uniforms of the Terran Imperial Army, circa 2635, near the end of the Cruxite War. The war was predominantly fought as a naval conflict between the Terran-backed Kingdom of Crux and the Soviet-backed People's Republic of Centaurus, but it did see some ground engagement. The Terran Army deployed as advisors, but gradually stepped up troop numbers to support the Royal Crux Army in repulsing ground invasions and suppressing pro-Soviet rebellions. This set of uniforms were issued in 2630, at the outset of the war, and the bicentennial of the Empire.
The No 1 Ceremonial Dress and No 2 Service Dress both reflect the old European military roots of the Terran armed forces. The Ceremonial Dress, used for parades and other formal events, comprises a mid-length blue frock coat paired with green trousers, collars, and cuffs, and branch insignia on the coat collar. Service Dress is designed for walking-out and office wear, trading branch insignia for silver collar litzen in the Prussian style. Otherwise, both have the same color scheme, use of rank shoulder patches, divisional shoulder patches (where applicable), and brightly colored piping to further indicate branch of service.
The No 3 Field Dress is the simplified, rugged and practical uniform for soldiers in forward areas or on base, developed out of the Service Dress. The Army has gone through phases of telescoping field dress into either the era's service uniform or combat uniform, punctuated by periods of time as its own separate uniform. The 2630s is one of those awkward phases of history where it was its own, a grey-brown pair of tunic and breeches with low-visibility rank and divisional insignia, and dull but still colored piping for branch.
The No 4 Combat Uniform retains more or less the same design as Terran combat dress from the preceding century, and would be retained through the end of the Empire in 2675 and the formation of the later Central Galactic Union. It is a one-piece field-grey jumpsuit with leg cargo pockets, meant to be worn with varying interchangeable components ranging from armored suits to combat jackets. The most popular would be the M1 Combat Jacket, often coated with polycamo, a kind of smart fabric paint that can be programmed to exhibit any of a variety of pre-set camouflage patterns (a significantly cheaper option than active thermoptic camouflage).
The No 1 Ceremonial Dress and No 2 Service Dress both reflect the old European military roots of the Terran armed forces. The Ceremonial Dress, used for parades and other formal events, comprises a mid-length blue frock coat paired with green trousers, collars, and cuffs, and branch insignia on the coat collar. Service Dress is designed for walking-out and office wear, trading branch insignia for silver collar litzen in the Prussian style. Otherwise, both have the same color scheme, use of rank shoulder patches, divisional shoulder patches (where applicable), and brightly colored piping to further indicate branch of service.
The No 3 Field Dress is the simplified, rugged and practical uniform for soldiers in forward areas or on base, developed out of the Service Dress. The Army has gone through phases of telescoping field dress into either the era's service uniform or combat uniform, punctuated by periods of time as its own separate uniform. The 2630s is one of those awkward phases of history where it was its own, a grey-brown pair of tunic and breeches with low-visibility rank and divisional insignia, and dull but still colored piping for branch.
The No 4 Combat Uniform retains more or less the same design as Terran combat dress from the preceding century, and would be retained through the end of the Empire in 2675 and the formation of the later Central Galactic Union. It is a one-piece field-grey jumpsuit with leg cargo pockets, meant to be worn with varying interchangeable components ranging from armored suits to combat jackets. The most popular would be the M1 Combat Jacket, often coated with polycamo, a kind of smart fabric paint that can be programmed to exhibit any of a variety of pre-set camouflage patterns (a significantly cheaper option than active thermoptic camouflage).
Now this sounds intriguing: I wonder if the 'Corona Navalis' would be a more 'British' motif than the mural crown? ("Britannia rules the waves" et cetera).
Depending on the specific sort of Republic we're discussing, I can also imagine crossed rifles being replaced with something even more 'citizen soldier' than those crossed rifles (perhaps a crossed rifle and spade?): it's also amusing to wonder if a British Republic would deliberately use a six-pointed star purely so these British Republicans can save a bit of pride by pretending they're not emulating the United States of America!
To me, a naval crown would make more sense for the navy.Now this sounds intriguing: I wonder if the 'Corona Navalis' would be a more 'British' motif than the mural crown? ("Britannia rules the waves" et cetera).
Depending on the specific sort of Republic we're discussing, I can also imagine crossed rifles being replaced with something even more 'citizen soldier' than those crossed rifles (perhaps a crossed rifle and spade?): it's also amusing to wonder if a British Republic would deliberately use a six-pointed star purely so these British Republicans can save a bit of pride by pretending they're not emulating the United States of America!
An heraldic star was 6-pointed so for a republican one you could go with either 5 or 8 points.
A spade feels less martial than, maybe, a pitchfork in terms of "instrument of farm work which can be used as a weapon" feels more likely assuming peasants revolts.
Last edited:
All fair points - I have to admit that the Corona Navalis was suggested in pure mischief (though it might make sense as a sort of “Don’t push your luck/don’t talk down to us” gesture from Republican politicians to army officers getting a little TOO nostalgic for the days of Household cavalry and royal regiments).
Also, am I correct in recalling that the Eureka star has eight points? (Looking it up, YES: I’m therefore mightily tempted to suggest a Republican GB use that particular option, if only to avoid looking TOO American).
Thank You very much once again for offering your suggestions, M’sieu Pasquin!
Also, am I correct in recalling that the Eureka star has eight points? (Looking it up, YES: I’m therefore mightily tempted to suggest a Republican GB use that particular option, if only to avoid looking TOO American).
Thank You very much once again for offering your suggestions, M’sieu Pasquin!
Still got to work on the insignia of the rest of the branches but here is the rank insignia of the Imperial Venusian Ground Force.
From the same universe as the State/Legions of Hermes in my last post.
It was established mainly out of the unification of Turkish/Turkic and Japanese colonies on Venus, which later went on to conquer first all of Venus then rest of the Solar System. The rank structure mostly follows the Turkish military (with three grades of lieutenant being an example), thought the insignia is a bit more equal on both sides. While the rank titles are directly taken from the Turkish Armed Forces in Turkish, and most of the Japanese ranks are taken from the JGSF and IJA as well, with new ranks added to fill out the more robust/diverse NCO rank titles of the Turkish military (on top of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class sergeant there is a senior sergeant above them and three grades of sergeant major above that before moving into lieutenants and in the lieuteants, before moving into the Japanese company grade officers in three grade with captain and two grades of lieutenant there is another rank of lieutenant as well (using, essentially the warrant officer title from Japanese forces). As official languages of the Empire the ranks come in English, Spanish, French and Arabic as well (thought majority of the military would only use the English variants, with only some units using the Spanish, French and Arabic ones. Turkish and Japanese would also be limited to certain units but those would be very large units in certain cases (like full armies)). These ranks are based on the actual traditional ranks from militaries who use those languages, rather than simply being translations of the Turkish or Japanese ranks. English structure is mostly based on the Commonwealth one (East Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh and India were important colonizers in Venus, with some American influence especially in the Sergeant grades (coming mostly from Philippenes)), while the Spanish one mostly follows the Argentinian one (Argentina and Mexico being the main Spanish speaking colonizers of Venus, Mexico was honestly more major but I leaned towards Argentina due to it having more unique and more overall ranks compared to Mexico, with some ranks inspired by other Spanish speaking countries as well), the French ranks mostly from France itself and there wasn't much of a French colonization of Venus tbh. It is more a result of UN colonized, a lot of people coming from Françafrique (also the NCO ranks needed a little bit of addition and change). And finally Arabic comes from UN colonies as well and as for the ranks, well most Arab countries have pretty similar ranks, so it wasn't explicitly based on a single one.
From the OF-10 Mareşal/Rikugun-gensui-taishō/Field Marshal/Mariscal/Maréchal/Mushir on the left to no insignia OR-1/2 Er/Rikushi/Private/Soldado/Soldat/Jundiun on the right. (A comprehensive list of ranks will proably accompany the full post with all the branches)
(I was originally planning to stick closer to Turkish NCO insignia but realized that I was horrible with curves so replaced my original "Turkish insignia but replace star and crescent with cherry blossom" plan with first sticking pretty close to Japanese insignia and then going in a somewhat more American direction. Thought I think I might replace the bars on the bottom with removing the cherry blossom from the junior rank in the top four NCO ranks later)
(National Seal of the Venusian Empire is the golden Imperial Japanese Chrysanthemum within the white Turkish Star-and-Crescent on red, the insignia on the Marshal and the General ranks is not that but instead my replacement for the oak leaf wreath with the star and crescent and crossed swords Turkish senior officer insignia has.)
From the same universe as the State/Legions of Hermes in my last post.
It was established mainly out of the unification of Turkish/Turkic and Japanese colonies on Venus, which later went on to conquer first all of Venus then rest of the Solar System. The rank structure mostly follows the Turkish military (with three grades of lieutenant being an example), thought the insignia is a bit more equal on both sides. While the rank titles are directly taken from the Turkish Armed Forces in Turkish, and most of the Japanese ranks are taken from the JGSF and IJA as well, with new ranks added to fill out the more robust/diverse NCO rank titles of the Turkish military (on top of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class sergeant there is a senior sergeant above them and three grades of sergeant major above that before moving into lieutenants and in the lieuteants, before moving into the Japanese company grade officers in three grade with captain and two grades of lieutenant there is another rank of lieutenant as well (using, essentially the warrant officer title from Japanese forces). As official languages of the Empire the ranks come in English, Spanish, French and Arabic as well (thought majority of the military would only use the English variants, with only some units using the Spanish, French and Arabic ones. Turkish and Japanese would also be limited to certain units but those would be very large units in certain cases (like full armies)). These ranks are based on the actual traditional ranks from militaries who use those languages, rather than simply being translations of the Turkish or Japanese ranks. English structure is mostly based on the Commonwealth one (East Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh and India were important colonizers in Venus, with some American influence especially in the Sergeant grades (coming mostly from Philippenes)), while the Spanish one mostly follows the Argentinian one (Argentina and Mexico being the main Spanish speaking colonizers of Venus, Mexico was honestly more major but I leaned towards Argentina due to it having more unique and more overall ranks compared to Mexico, with some ranks inspired by other Spanish speaking countries as well), the French ranks mostly from France itself and there wasn't much of a French colonization of Venus tbh. It is more a result of UN colonized, a lot of people coming from Françafrique (also the NCO ranks needed a little bit of addition and change). And finally Arabic comes from UN colonies as well and as for the ranks, well most Arab countries have pretty similar ranks, so it wasn't explicitly based on a single one.
From the OF-10 Mareşal/Rikugun-gensui-taishō/Field Marshal/Mariscal/Maréchal/Mushir on the left to no insignia OR-1/2 Er/Rikushi/Private/Soldado/Soldat/Jundiun on the right. (A comprehensive list of ranks will proably accompany the full post with all the branches)
(I was originally planning to stick closer to Turkish NCO insignia but realized that I was horrible with curves so replaced my original "Turkish insignia but replace star and crescent with cherry blossom" plan with first sticking pretty close to Japanese insignia and then going in a somewhat more American direction. Thought I think I might replace the bars on the bottom with removing the cherry blossom from the junior rank in the top four NCO ranks later)
(National Seal of the Venusian Empire is the golden Imperial Japanese Chrysanthemum within the white Turkish Star-and-Crescent on red, the insignia on the Marshal and the General ranks is not that but instead my replacement for the oak leaf wreath with the star and crescent and crossed swords Turkish senior officer insignia has.)
Last edited:
I did it, but the filesize is too large. So I'll be posting it in two images.
These are the insignia of, from top to bottom, the Air Force, the Orbital Drop Assault Force and the Gendarmerie. With higher ranks on the left. The black tiles are cases where the rank does not exist in that service. All of them wearing uniforms of similar cuts to the Ground Force, where each have different ceremonial swords and their colouring (in which the use of the same colours tied the ODAF to the Space Force, where the Army-Navy style of insignia and uniform made them distinguishable) help set the services apart (Gendarmerie could be seen in both Ground Force green and Police blue, depending on the occasion).
And these are the insignia of the two "Naval" branches. The Space Force rank insignia on top, then Space Force sleeve insignia (though technically the NCO and Enlisted insignia are also worn on the sleeve), then the rank insignia of the Maritime Force and then sleeve insignia of the same. The oak leaves seen on the NCO insignia are from the Turkish naval insignia. You'll notice the rank insignia of Space and Maritime Forces are effectively identical (with the exception of the Admiral ranks, where the former uses stars and the latter cherry blossoms). They are distinguished via their uniforms. Black jumpsuits vs white sailor suits for enlisted dress uniforms, and similar single breasted high collared tunics for the officers where the sam browne belts, high riding boots, sleeve insignia and dark colouring of the Space Force officers (as well as their different ceremonial sword) separated them from the Maritime officers in white (and for the dark coloured maritime dress uniforms with sleeve insignia, their cut was rather different (double breasted coats for one thing) from the Space Force uniform, allowing one to easily determine which service a given "Naval" officer was from).
The Japanese ranks here are different from the ranks in other services as they are more police based than military based, specifically based on those of the historical National Police Reserve of Japan. Thought only in the officer and enlisted ranks. The NCO ranks are military style but with the police "Kei" as the branch indicator like the Navy's "Kai". Thought looking at it again I might change it closer to the NPR ranks.
As for the ceremonial swords mentioned above, I am still debating on which type of sword to give to which service. European style saber, Katana/Shin-gunto, Kyu-gunto and Kılıj/Scimatar/Mameluke saber are the ones I am considering, but since there are six services total I might need two more sword types (or well, I think I can go with at least two types of saber, with different guards or straight or slightly curved blade differences). I am definitly thinking of using a Japanese style sword for at least one of the "naval" services, most likely the kyu-gunto for the Maritime force and then either the Kılıj or Katana for the Space Force, with the Orbital Drop Assault Force getting the sword I didn't give to the Space Force. Probably a European sword for the Ground Force, Gendarmerie might just share their sword as well.
Edit: I think I have mostly come to a decision. For Ground Forces and Gendarmerie a slightly curved saber, with a some side bars alongside the knuckle-bow guard; a straight sword with a simple knuckle guard for the Air Force; a Kyu-Gunto for the Maritime Force (so a Japanese Katana style blade on a more Western saber style grip); a Katana for the Space Force and a British General/USMC Officer style "Mameluke sword" for the ODAF.
These are the insignia of, from top to bottom, the Air Force, the Orbital Drop Assault Force and the Gendarmerie. With higher ranks on the left. The black tiles are cases where the rank does not exist in that service. All of them wearing uniforms of similar cuts to the Ground Force, where each have different ceremonial swords and their colouring (in which the use of the same colours tied the ODAF to the Space Force, where the Army-Navy style of insignia and uniform made them distinguishable) help set the services apart (Gendarmerie could be seen in both Ground Force green and Police blue, depending on the occasion).
And these are the insignia of the two "Naval" branches. The Space Force rank insignia on top, then Space Force sleeve insignia (though technically the NCO and Enlisted insignia are also worn on the sleeve), then the rank insignia of the Maritime Force and then sleeve insignia of the same. The oak leaves seen on the NCO insignia are from the Turkish naval insignia. You'll notice the rank insignia of Space and Maritime Forces are effectively identical (with the exception of the Admiral ranks, where the former uses stars and the latter cherry blossoms). They are distinguished via their uniforms. Black jumpsuits vs white sailor suits for enlisted dress uniforms, and similar single breasted high collared tunics for the officers where the sam browne belts, high riding boots, sleeve insignia and dark colouring of the Space Force officers (as well as their different ceremonial sword) separated them from the Maritime officers in white (and for the dark coloured maritime dress uniforms with sleeve insignia, their cut was rather different (double breasted coats for one thing) from the Space Force uniform, allowing one to easily determine which service a given "Naval" officer was from).
| NATO code | Turkish | Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Arabic |
| OF 10 | Mareşal | Rikugun-gensui-taishō | Field marshal | Mariscal | Maréchal | Mushir |
| OF 9 | Orgeneral | Rikugun-taishō | General | General de ejército | Général d'armée | Fariq |
| OF 8 | Korgeneral | Rikugun-chūjō | Lieutenant general | Teniente general | Général de corps d'armée | Eimad |
| OF 7 | Tümgeneral | Rikugun-shōshō | Major general | General de división | Général de division | Liwa |
| OF 6 | Tuğgeneral | Rikugun-junshō | Brigadier general | General de brigada | Général de brigade | Amid |
| OF 5 | Albay | Rikugun-taisa | Colonel | Coronel | Colonel | Aqid |
| OF 4 | Yarbay | Rikugun-chūsa | Lieutenant colonel | Teniente coronel | Lieutenant colonel | Muqaddam |
| OF 3 | Binbaşı | Rikugun-shōsa | Major | Mayor | Commandant | Ra'id |
| OF 2 | Yüzbaşı | Rikugun-taii | Captain | Capitán | Capitaine | Naqib |
| OF 1 | Üsteğmen | Rikugun-chūi | Senior lieutenant | Teniente primero | Lieutenant | Mulazim awwal |
| Teğmen | Rikugun-shōi | Lieutenant | Teniente | Sous-lieutenant | Mulazim thani | |
| Asteğmen | Rikugun-juni | Ensign | Subteniente | Aspirant | Mulazim | |
| OR 9 | Astsubay kıdemli başçavuş | Ittō rikusōchō | Warrant officer | Subofficial mayor | Adjudant-major chef | Wakil awwal |
| OR 8 | Astsubay başçavuş | Nitō rikusōchō | Sergeant major | Subofficial principal | Adjudant-major | Wakil |
| OR 7 | Astsubay kıdemli üstçavuş | Santō rikusōchō | Master sergeant | Subofficial primero | Adjudant-chef | Musaid awwal |
| OR 6 | Astsubay üstçavuş | Jōtō rikusō | Sergeant first class | Subofficial segundo | Adjudant sous-officier | Musaid thani |
| OR 5 | Astsubay kıdemli çavuş | Ittō rikusō | Senior staff sergeant | Sargento ayudante | Adjudant | Musaid |
| Astsubay çavuş | Nitō rikusō | Staff sergeant | Sargento primero | Sergent-major chef | Raqib awwal | |
| Astsubay astçavuş | Santō rikusō | Junior staff sergeant | Sargento | Sergent-major | Raqib thani | |
| OR 4 | Uzman çavuş | Jōtō rikushichō | Senior sergeant | Sargento segundo | Sergent-chef | Raqib |
| Çavuş | Ittō rikushichō | Sergeant | Cabo principal | Sergent | Wakil raqib | |
| OR 3 | Uzman onbaşı | Nitō rikushichō | Corporal | Cabo primero | Caporal-chef | Earif awwal |
| Onbaşı | Santō rikushichō | Lance corporal | Cabo | Caporal | Earif | |
| OR 2 | Er | Rikushi | Private | Soldado | Soldat | Jundiun |
| OR 1 | Er | Rikushi | Private | Soldado | Soldat | Jundiun |
| NATO code | Turkish | Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Arabic |
| OF 10 | Mareşal | Kūgun-gensui-taishō | Marshal of the air force | Mariscal del aire | Maréchal aérienne | Mushir |
| OF 9 | Orgeneral | Kūgun-taishō | Air chief marshal | Brigadier general del aire | Général d'armée | Fariq |
| OF 8 | Korgeneral | Kūgun-chūjō | Air marshal | Brigadier mayor del aire | Général de corps d'armée | Eimad |
| OF 7 | Tümgeneral | Kūgun-shōshō | Air vice marshal | Brigadier del aire | Général de division | Liwa |
| OF 6 | Tuğgeneral | Kūgun-junshō | Air commodore | Coronel mayor | Général de brigade | Amid |
| OF 5 | Albay | Kūgun-taisa | Group captain | Coronel | Colonel | Aqid |
| OF 4 | Yarbay | Kūgun-chūsa | Wing commander | Teniente coronel | Lieutenant colonel | Muqaddam |
| OF 3 | Binbaşı | Kūgun-shōsa | Squadron leader | Mayor | Commandant | Ra'id |
| OF 2 | Yüzbaşı | Kūgun-taii | Flight lieutenant | Capitán | Capitaine | Naqib |
| OF 1 | Üsteğmen | Kūgun-chūi | Air lieutenant | Teniente primero | Lieutenant | Mulazim awwal |
| Teğmen | Kūgun-shōi | Flying officer | Teniente | Sous-lieutenant | Mulazim thani | |
| Asteğmen | Kūgun-juni | Pilot officer | Alférez | Aspirant | Mulazim | |
| OR 9 | Astsubay kıdemli başçavuş | Ittō kūsōchō | Air warrant officer | Subofficial mayor | Adjudant-major chef | Wakil awwal |
| OR 8 | Astsubay başçavuş | Nitō kūsōchō | Flight sergeant | Subofficial principal | Adjudant-major | Wakil |
| OR 7 | Astsubay kıdemli üstçavuş | Santō kūsōchō | Master sergeant | Subofficial primero | Adjudant-chef | Musaid awwal |
| OR 6 | Astsubay üstçavuş | Jōtō kūsō | Technical sergeant | Subofficial segundo | Adjudant sous-officier | Musaid thani |
| OR 5 | Astsubay kıdemli çavuş | Ittō kūsō | Senior staff sergeant | Sargento ayudante | Adjudant | Musaid |
| Astsubay çavuş | Nitō kūsō | Staff sergeant | Sargento primero | Sergent-major chef | Raqib awwal | |
| Astsubay astçavuş | Santō kūsō | Junior staff sergeant | Sargento | Sergent-major | Raqib thani | |
| OR 4 | Uzman çavuş | Jōtō kūshichō | Senior sergeant | Sargento segundo | Sergent-chef | Raqib |
| Çavuş | Ittō kūshichō | Sergeant | Cabo principal | Sergent | Wakil raqib | |
| OR 3 | Uzman onbaşı | Nitō kūshichō | Corporal | Cabo primero | Caporal-chef | Earif awwal |
| Onbaşı | Santō kūshichō | Lance corporal | Cabo | Caporal | Earif | |
| OR 2 | Er | Kūshi | Aircraftman | Soldado | Soldat | Jundiun |
| OR 1 | Er | Kūshi | Aircraftman | Soldado | Soldat | Jundiun |
| NATO code | Turkish | Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Arabic |
| OF 9 | Orgeneral | Kōkagun-taishō | General | General de ejército | Général d'armée | Fariq |
| OF 8 | Korgeneral | Kōkagun-chūjō | Lieutenant general | Teniente general | Général de corps d'armée | Eimad |
| OF 7 | Tümgeneral | Kōkagun-shōshō | Major general | General de división | Général de division | Liwa |
| OF 6 | Tuğgeneral | Kōkagun-junshō | Brigadier general | General de brigada | Général de brigade | Amid |
| OF 5 | Albay | Kōkagun-taisa | Colonel | Coronel | Colonel | Aqid |
| OF 4 | Yarbay | Kōkagun-chūsa | Lieutenant colonel | Teniente coronel | Lieutenant colonel | Muqaddam |
| OF 3 | Binbaşı | Kōkagun-shōsa | Major | Mayor | Commandant | Ra'id |
| OF 2 | Yüzbaşı | Kōkagun-taii | Captain | Capitán | Capitaine | Naqib |
| OF 1 | Üsteğmen | Kōkagun-chūi | Senior lieutenant | Teniente primero | Lieutenant | Mulazim awwal |
| Teğmen | Kōkagun-shōi | Lieutenant | Teniente | Sous-lieutenant | Mulazim thani | |
| Asteğmen | Kōkagun-juni | Ensign | Subteniente | Aspirant | Mulazim | |
| OR 9 | Astsubay kıdemli başçavuş | Ittō kōkasōchō | Warrant officer | Subofficial mayor | Adjudant-major chef | Wakil awwal |
| OR 8 | Astsubay başçavuş | Nitō kōkasōchō | Sergeant major | Subofficial principal | Adjudant-major | Wakil |
| OR 7 | Astsubay kıdemli üstçavuş | Santō kōkasōchō | Master sergeant | Subofficial primero | Adjudant-chef | Musaid awwal |
| OR 6 | Astsubay üstçavuş | Jōtō kōkasō | Sergeant first class | Subofficial segundo | Adjudant sous-officier | Musaid thani |
| OR 5 | Astsubay kıdemli çavuş | Ittō kōkasō | Senior staff sergeant | Sargento ayudante | Adjudant | Musaid |
| Astsubay çavuş | Nitō kōkasō | Staff sergeant | Sargento primero | Sergent-major chef | Raqib awwal | |
| Astsubay astçavuş | Santō kōkasō | Junior staff sergeant | Sargento | Sergent-major | Raqib thani | |
| OR 4 | Uzman çavuş | Jōtō kōkashichō | Senior sergeant | Sargento segundo | Sergent-chef | Raqib |
| Çavuş | Ittō kōkashichō | Sergeant | Cabo principal | Sergent | Wakil raqib | |
| OR 3 | Uzman onbaşı | Nitō kōkashichō | Corporal | Cabo primero | Caporal-chef | Earif awwal |
| Onbaşı | Santō kōkashichō | Lance corporal | Cabo | Caporal | Earif | |
| OR 2 | Er | Kōkashi | Private | Soldado | Soldat | Jundiun |
| OR 1 | Er | Kōkashi | Private | Soldado | Soldat | Jundiun |
| NATO code | Turkish | Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Arabic |
| OF 9 | Orgeneral | Ittō Keisatsukan | General | General de ejército | Général d'armée | Fariq |
| OF 8 | Korgeneral | Nitō Keisatsukan | Lieutenant general | Teniente general | Général de corps d'armée | Eimad |
| OF 7 | Tümgeneral | Ittō Keisatsukanho | Major general | General de división | Général de division | Liwa |
| OF 6 | Tuğgeneral | Nitō Keisatsukanho | Brigadier general | General de brigada | Général de brigade | Amid |
| OF 5 | Albay | Ittō keisatsusei | Colonel | Coronel | Colonel | Aqid |
| OF 4 | Yarbay | Nitō keisatsusei | Lieutenant colonel | Teniente coronel | Lieutenant colonel | Muqaddam |
| OF 3 | Binbaşı | Ittō keisatsushicyō | Major | Comandante | Chef d'escadron | Ra'id |
| OF 2 | Yüzbaşı | Nitō keisatsushicyō | Captain | Capitán | Capitaine | Naqib |
| OF 1 | Üsteğmen | Ittō keisatsushi | Senior lieutenant | Teniente primero | Lieutenant | Mulazim awwal |
| Teğmen | Nitō keisatsushi | Lieutenant | Teniente | Sous-lieutenant | Mulazim thani | |
| Asteğmen | Santō keisatsushi | Ensign | Alférez | Aspirant | Mulazim | |
| OR 9 | Astsubay kıdemli başçavuş | Ittō keisōchō | Warrant officer | Subofficial mayor | Adjudant-major chef | Wakil awwal |
| OR 8 | Astsubay başçavuş | Nitō keisōchō | Sergeant major | Subofficial principal | Adjudant-major | Wakil |
| OR 7 | Astsubay kıdemli üstçavuş | Santō keisōchō | Master sergeant | Subofficial primero | Adjudant-chef | Musaid awwal |
| OR 6 | Astsubay üstçavuş | Jōtō keisō | Sergeant first class | Subofficial segundo | Maréchal des logis-chef | Musaid thani |
| OR 5 | Astsubay kıdemli çavuş | Ittō keisō | Senior staff sergeant | Sargento ayudante | Maréchal des logis | Musaid |
| Astsubay çavuş | Nitō keisō | Staff sergeant | Sargento primero | Sergent-major chef | Raqib awwal | |
| Astsubay astçavuş | Santō keisō | Junior staff sergeant | Sargento | Sergent-major | Raqib thani | |
| OR 4 | Uzman çavuş | Jōtō keishichō | Senior sergeant | Sargento segundo | Sergent-chef | Raqib |
| OR 3 | Uzman onbaşı | Keishichō | Corporal | Cabo primero | Caporal-chef | Wakil raqib |
| OR 2 | Er | Keisa | Constable | Gendarme | Gendarme | Earif awwal |
| OR 1 | Er | Keisa | Constable | Gendarme | Gendarme | Earif |
| NATO code | Turkish | Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Arabic |
| OF 10 | Büyük Amiral | Uchūgun-gensui-taishō | Admiral of the fleet | Gran almirante | Grand-amiral | Mushir |
| OF 9 | Oramiral | Uchūgun-taishō | Admiral | Almirante | Amiral | Fariq |
| OF 8 | Koramiral | Uchūgun-chūjō | Vice admiral | Vicealmirante | Vice-amiral d'escadre | Eimad |
| OF 7 | Tümamiral | Uchūgun-shōshō | Rear admiral | Contralalmirante | Vice-amiral | Liwa |
| OF 6 | Tuğamiral | Uchūgun-junshō | Commodore | Comodoro | Contre-amiral | Amid |
| OF 5 | Albay | Uchūgun-taisa | Captain | Capitán de navío | Capitaine de vaisseau | Aqid |
| OF 4 | Yarbay | Uchūgun-chūsa | Commander | Capitán de fregata | Capitaine de frégate | Muqaddam |
| OF 3 | Binbaşı | Uchūgun-shōsa | Lieutenant Commander | Capitán de aviso | Capitaine de aviso | Ra'id |
| OF 2 | Yüzbaşı | Uchūgun-taii | Lieutenant | Teniente de navío | Lieutenant de vaisseau | Naqib |
| OF 1 | Üsteğmen | Uchūgun-chūi | Sub-lieutenant | Teniente de fregata | Enseigne de vaisseau de 1re classe | Mulazim awwal |
| Teğmen | Uchūgun-shōi | Ensign | Teniente de aviso | Enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe | Mulazim thani | |
| Asteğmen | Uchūgun-juni | Midshipman | Alférez | Aspirant | Mulazim | |
| OR 9 | Astsubay kıdemli başçavuş | Ittō uchūsōchō | Warrant officer first class | Subofficial mayor | Adjudant | Wakil awwal |
| OR 8 | Astsubay başçavuş | Nitō uchūsōchō | Warrant officer second class | Subofficial principal | Maître principal-chef | Wakil |
| OR 7 | Astsubay kıdemli üstçavuş | Santō uchūsōchō | Master chief petty officer | Subofficial primero | Maître principal | Musaid awwal |
| OR 6 | Astsubay üstçavuş | Jōtō uchūsō | Senior chief petty officer | Subofficial segundo | Premier-maître chef | Musaid thani |
| OR 5 | Astsubay kıdemli çavuş | Ittō uchūsō | Chief petty officer | Maestre mayor | Premier-maître de 1re classe | Musaid |
| Astsubay çavuş | Nitō uchūsō | Senior petty officer | Maestre primero | Premier-maître de 2e classe | Raqib awwal | |
| Astsubay astçavuş | Santō uchūsō | Petty officer first class | Maestre segundo | Maître-chef | Raqib thani | |
| OR 4 | Uzman çavuş | Jōtō uchūshichō | Petty officer second class | Maestre tercera | Maître | Raqib |
| Çavuş | Ittō uchūshichō | Petty officer third class | Cabo principal | Second maître | Wakil raqib | |
| OR 3 | Uzman onbaşı | Nitō uchūshichō | Leading crewman | Cabo primero | Quartier-maître de 1ère classe | Earif awwal |
| Onbaşı | Santō uchūshichō | Able crewman | Cabo | Quartier-maître de 2ème classe | Earif | |
| OR 2 | Er | Uchūshi | Crewman | Soldado espacial | Spationaute | Jundiun |
| OR 1 | Er | Uchūshi | Crewman | Soldado espacial | Spationaute | Jundiun |
| NATO code | Turkish | Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Arabic |
| OF 10 | Büyük Amiral | Kaigun-gensui-taishō | Admiral of the fleet | Gran almirante | Grand-amiral | Mushir |
| OF 9 | Oramiral | Kaigun-taishō | Admiral | Almirante | Amiral | Fariq |
| OF 8 | Koramiral | Kaigun-chūjō | Vice admiral | Vicealmirante | Vice-amiral d'escadre | Eimad |
| OF 7 | Tümamiral | Kaigun-shōshō | Rear admiral | Contralalmirante | Vice-amiral | Liwa |
| OF 6 | Tuğamiral | Kaigun-junshō | Commodore | Comodoro | Contre-amiral | Amid |
| OF 5 | Albay | Kaigun-taisa | Captain | Capitán de navío | Capitaine de vaisseau | Aqid |
| OF 4 | Yarbay | Kaigun-chūsa | Commander | Capitán de fregata | Capitaine de frégate | Muqaddam |
| OF 3 | Binbaşı | Kaigun-shōsa | Lieutenant Commander | Capitán de corbeta | Capitaine de corvettte | Ra'id |
| OF 2 | Yüzbaşı | Kaigun-taii | Lieutenant | Teniente de navío | Lieutenant de vaisseau | Naqib |
| OF 1 | Üsteğmen | Kaigun-chūi | Sub-lieutenant | Teniente de fregata | Enseigne de vaisseau de 1re classe | Mulazim awwal |
| Teğmen | Kaigun-shōi | Ensign | Teniente de corbeta | Enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe | Mulazim thani | |
| Asteğmen | Kaigun-juni | Midshipman | Alférez | Aspirant | Mulazim | |
| OR 9 | Astsubay kıdemli başçavuş | Ittō kaisōchō | Warrant officer first class | Subofficial mayor | Adjudant | Wakil awwal |
| OR 8 | Astsubay başçavuş | Nitō kaisōchō | Warrant officer second class | Subofficial principal | Maître principal-chef | Wakil |
| OR 7 | Astsubay kıdemli üstçavuş | Santō kaisōchō | Master chief petty officer | Subofficial primero | Maître principal | Musaid awwal |
| OR 6 | Astsubay üstçavuş | Jōtō kaisō | Senior chief petty officer | Subofficial segundo | Premier-maître chef | Musaid thani |
| OR 5 | Astsubay kıdemli çavuş | Ittō kaisō | Chief petty officer | Maestre mayor | Premier-maître de 1re classe | Musaid |
| Astsubay çavuş | Nitō kaisō | Senior petty officer | Maestre primero | Premier-maître de 2e classe | Raqib awwal | |
| Astsubay astçavuş | Santō kaisō | Petty officer first class | Maestre segundo | Maître-chef | Raqib thani | |
| OR 4 | Uzman çavuş | Jōtō kaishichō | Petty officer second class | Maestre tercera | Maître | Raqib |
| Çavuş | Ittō kaishichō | Petty officer third class | Cabo principal | Second maître | Wakil raqib | |
| OR 3 | Uzman onbaşı | Nitō kaishichō | Leading seaman | Cabo primero | Quartier-maître de 1ère classe | Earif awwal |
| Onbaşı | Santō kaishichō | Able Seaman | Cabo | Quartier-maître de 2ème classe | Earif | |
| OR 2 | Er | Kaishi | Seaman | Marinero | Matelot | Jundiun |
| OR 1 | Er | Kaishi | Seaman | Marinero | Matelot | Jundiun |
As for the ceremonial swords mentioned above, I am still debating on which type of sword to give to which service. European style saber, Katana/Shin-gunto, Kyu-gunto and Kılıj/Scimatar/Mameluke saber are the ones I am considering, but since there are six services total I might need two more sword types (or well, I think I can go with at least two types of saber, with different guards or straight or slightly curved blade differences). I am definitly thinking of using a Japanese style sword for at least one of the "naval" services, most likely the kyu-gunto for the Maritime force and then either the Kılıj or Katana for the Space Force, with the Orbital Drop Assault Force getting the sword I didn't give to the Space Force. Probably a European sword for the Ground Force, Gendarmerie might just share their sword as well.
Edit: I think I have mostly come to a decision. For Ground Forces and Gendarmerie a slightly curved saber, with a some side bars alongside the knuckle-bow guard; a straight sword with a simple knuckle guard for the Air Force; a Kyu-Gunto for the Maritime Force (so a Japanese Katana style blade on a more Western saber style grip); a Katana for the Space Force and a British General/USMC Officer style "Mameluke sword" for the ODAF.
Last edited:
Unrealized Stalin project - uniform for the territorial defense forces of the Union Republics (1944).
1. Left - General of the Ukrainian SSR TDF. Right - General of the Belorussian SSR TDF.
2. Uniforms for the TDF of the Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs
(up - Generals, down - officers)
1. Left - General of the Ukrainian SSR TDF. Right - General of the Belorussian SSR TDF.
2. Uniforms for the TDF of the Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs
(up - Generals, down - officers)
Last edited:
Here’s a question: assuming a Republic of Quebec were to adopt rank insignia based on that of the US Army (Presumably with the fleur-de-lys replacing the US oak leaves) then what properly Quebecois symbol should replace the eponymous ‘bird colonel’ eagle?
The beaver occurs to me, but I’m not sure that has quite the right martial character.
The beaver occurs to me, but I’m not sure that has quite the right martial character.
The snowy owl ("Harfang") is the avian emblem of quebec so that could be a good replacement for a Colonel. Below is a wine label using it
I would use the fleur-de-lys instead to replace the generals' stars as upper police officers OTL in Quebec uses them. Below, the rank insignia of a "Directeur" ("Police Chief") of the City of Montreal Police Service.
For the oak leaves replacement, I would use a coniferous tree branch instead. Below a stylized Fir twig.
And if you want something different for the company officers too (2nd LT - 1st LT - Captain), you could replace the bars with crosses taken from Quebec's flag:
Last edited: