TL-191: Featherston's Finest - Uniforms, Weapons, and Vehicles of the CSA and Freedom Party

[Alterwright]

OH! I guess I could come up with something. BTW what was the Union's primary fighter called? I might as well do both.

http://turtledove.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:TL-191_fan_art <--- This is where I got my info from on the Confederate and Yankee aircraft. The Boeing 28 is the current Yankee fighter. Looks like a cross between a Wild/Hellcat and a P-40.

 

[cortz#9]

F38-B Hound Dog. Entered service in mid 1938. Speed 346 mph. Range 400 mls. Armament six 50 cal MG's, two in the cowling and two in each wing.
The F38-B became the standard fighter of CS Air Corps and went thru continuous upgrades thru out the war. The most numerous variant being the A38-E which entered service in the Autumn of 1943.

This pic started out as a Heinkel He-112, I then gave it the nose from a P-40 Warhawk and the tail from a Hawker Tempest. I think using an American engine made sense. We need to think up some alternate corporations, I was going to call this the Hughes F38 but I wasn't sure if Hughes was from the books or just something made up for fan art.
Gonna try to make a front view pic of this later but need to hunt up some more pics first.

 

[cortz#9]

Republic P3 Colt. Entered service in the spring of 1938. speed 330 mph. Range 456 mls. Armament three heavy MG's in each wings. Like the Hound dog, the Colt also went many upgrades and variants and served from first day of the war to the last.

This the Hawker Tempest I took the tail from for the Hound Dog (want not waste not ), I didn't do too much to this one but I did shortened the nose and replace the prop hub with one from a Fw-190 and added a tail from the same P40 I mentioned earlier, they were both good pics and easy to enlarge or shrink, which is very desirable in a line drawing,both pics were shortened from their original sizes and are now closer to the same size.

I picture the Colt being a cross between a Spitfire and a Focke Wulf Fw-190. The Hound Dog I imagine would have the performance similar to the Me-109 & Spitfire.

 

[Alterwright]

Republic H3 Colt. Entered service in the spring of 1938. peed 330 mph. Range 456 mls. Armament three heavy MG's in each wings. Like the Hound dog, the Colt also went many upgrades and variants and served from first day of the war to the last.

This the Hawker Tempest I took the tail from for the Hound Dog (want not waste not ), I didn't do too much to this one but I did shortened the nose and replace the prop hub with one from a Fw-190 and added a tail from the same P40 I mentioned earlier, they were both good pics and easy to enlarge or shrink, which is very desirable in a line drawing,both pics were shortened from their original sizes and are now closer to the same size.

I picture the Colt being a cross between a Spitfire and a Focke Wulf Fw-190. The Hound Dog I imagine would have the performance similar to the Me-109 & Spitfire.

Oh this looks really good at a closer view like this! And the roundel you used here with the star and crossed swords is a nice touch to emphasize its a Yankee plane.

You know to me it actually looked similar to a Ki-43 or even roughly similar to a P-47 Thunderbolt. I think its the bubble canopy. I like canopies like that. Either way, this is one sleek and even study looking looking design! I almost thought the landing gears there were non-retractable. This one looks like it can go toe-to-toe with the Hound Dog, but the range of its reach may be its weakness against it.

 

[Alterwright]

A38-B Hound Dog. Entered service in mid 1938. Speed 346 mph. Range 400 mls. Armament six 50 cal MG's, two in the cowling and two in each wing.
The A38-B became the standard fighter of CS Air Corps and went thru continuous upgrades thru out the war. The most numerous variant being the A38-E which entered service in the Autumn of 1943.

This pic started out as a Heinkel He-112, I then gave it the nose from a P-40 Warhawk and the tail from a Hawker Tempest. I think using an American engine made sense. We need to think up some alternate corporations, I was going to call this the Hughes A38 but I wasn't sure if Hughes was from the books or just something made up for fan art.

Gonna try to make a front view pic of this later but need to hunt up some more pics first.

Oh I love the pointed nose you gave this aircraft! The P-40 nose would allow for some nice decals reminiscent of a shark or even a dog! I think the Confederates would be more like the Americans in our timeline that decorate their planes with gaudy pin-ups and paint jobs to personalize planes.

This particular one matched with the Colt would make them pretty equal in terms of performance then, yes? The two planes seem evenly matched! The difference would be in pilots and numbers I feel.

 

[cortz#9]

Oh I love the pointed nose you gave this aircraft! The P-40 nose would allow for some nice decals reminiscent of a shark or even a dog! I think the Confederates would be more like the Americans in our timeline that decorate their planes with gaudy pin-ups and paint jobs to personalize planes.

This particular one matched with the Colt would make them pretty equal in terms of performance then, yes? The two planes seem evenly matched! The difference would be in pilots and numbers I feel.

Yes the Hound Dog and the Colt would be very similar in performance much the same way the Spitfire and the Me-109 were evenly matched and like IOTL each new model would surpass its opponent only to be overtaken eventually by the enemies new model and back and forth thru out the war.

 

[Alterwright]

Getting back to uniforms here for a bit: does anyone here have an opinion on the possible uniforms of the "National Assault Force" and militia? Basically the battalions of the Confederate version of the Volkssturm?

I imagine them to take on a haphazard, disheveled, and ragged appearance, not unlike their predecessors in the War of Secession. For this though - I'm think an appearance closer to that of civilian clothes from the Great Depression and Great War army surplus. Newsboy caps, civilian stenson hats, overalls, those donut looking tent rolls, bolt-action Tredegars, Brodie helmets, basically any look straight out of "Grapes of Wrath" or "O Brother Where Art Thou".

And here's what I'm talking about. For the "National Assault Force" Volkssturm style Confederate militia:

^^^ --- Overalls, newsboy caps, something like that. Basically a very rural American look from the 1930s/1940s civilian attire.

^^^ --- O Brother has some good examples in terms of the possible look and feel the Militia - dirty, rural looking, disheveled, as if they came out of the Depression.

^^^ --- Here's some women's clothing as well.

For equipment - if they were to get their hands on any current equipment it would be rare. I'm thinking TARs at best if they can manage, but more likely submachine guns, shotguns, pistols or bolt-actions.

^^^ --- a few may be issued with an old Brodie helmet for protection

^^^ --- And of course various models of the vaunted Tredegar Bolt-Action or Lee-Enfields

 

[cortz#9]

The above makes sense. ^

 

[cortz#9]

BK39 A3 Armadillo Up-gunned with a long barreled 75 mm gun plus a G6 MG and other improvements the Mk.III Dillo had a new and simpler commander's cupola and a rear mounted smoke grenade launcher. The Mk.III omitted the spare road-wheel rack and some other components to save on materials as they became harder to acquire as the war progressed. The Mk.III below is equipped with a new and simpler type of wrought iron skirt for deflecting Stove-pipe heat rounds and hollow shaped charges. The new skirt design was conceived by construction mogul Gregory Allman who suggested to the Army that they bolt on section of wrought iron gates manufactured by his company for fencing.

 

[Alterwright]

The above makes sense. ^

I was thinking patches too of some kind? Maybe an armband or something? I'd have to look into Interwar uniforms for this or something.

 

[Alterwright]

BK39 Armadillo Mk.III. Up-gunned with a long barreled 75 mm gun plus a G6 MG and other improvements the Mk.III Dillo had a new and simpler commander's cupola and a rear mounted smoke grenade launcher. The Mk.III omitted the spare road-wheel rack and some other components to save on materials as they became harder to acquire as the war progressed. The Mk.III below is equipped with a new and simpler type of wrought iron skirt for deflecting Stove-pipe heat rounds and hollow shaped charges. The new skirt design was conceived by construction mogul Gregory Allman who suggested to the Army that they bolt on section of wrought iron gates manufactured by his company for fencing.

These late-war tanks get more beefier as time goes on. I think this is probably one of my favorite designs in terms of the barrel killers. Its still squat, but the bigger gun and thicker looking armor make it a tank ideal for ambushes and defense.

Need to get some of these tanks colored

 

[cortz#9]

These late-war tanks get more beefier as time goes on. I think this is probably one of my favorite designs in terms of the barrel killers. Its still squat, but the bigger gun and thicker looking armor make it a tank ideal for ambushes and defense.

Need to get some of these tanks colored

Some of them with ambush schemes would be cool.

 

[Alterwright]

The above makes sense. ^

As for surplus webbing, I can see the Pattern 1908 British style being used by the National Assault Force too.

 

[Alterwright]

Some of them with ambush schemes would be cool.

Lots of tree branches and brush stroke patterns probably too. Given the defensive nature of the Confederates by 1943 they'd have to conceal their barrels well - US air cover would no doubt bring its superior numbers to bear in the meantime.

 

[Alterwright]

So I know the question was posed before by a another user here. It something like "Would the Confederates have developed the equivalent of the Ratte or the Maus".

While still believe the Confederates would not have had the resources to built their ow version of the Ratte and would not have produced more than three prototypes of their own Maus, I still do think they would have had some other crazy looking designs that would either have never gotten off the drawing board or never would have been produced en masse.

One design feature that I'm a little interested in the idea of two main gun barrels in one turret on a tank. Or, if not in a turret, then in a design like a self-propelled gun or tank destroyer - just with two guns on it! I believe that, while, the Confederates would not have been able to even make more than just prototypes at their very optimistic best, these designs features would be wild.

This is a tank from the Japanese 0079 era for Gundam. The M61A5 MBT. Just look at those guns! This thing, in WWII vintage style, would qualify as a prototype/secret weapon in the Confederate arsenal I believe. Like the Maus perhaps they would have never been able to produce this thing in high numbers, much less get it off the drawing board! But a Confederate double barreled tank would have been something to see!

^^^ --- There is also this layout as well - the German VT 1-1. Again, in the context of TL-191's WWII, I don't believe the Confederates would have the resources to produce this thing in numbers. Its essentially a barrel-killer with two guns. Gives the impression that its a naval turret from a destroyer.

 

[cortz#9]

So I know the question was posed before by a another user here. It something like "Would the Confederates have developed the equivalent of the Ratte or the Maus".

While still believe the Confederates would not have had the resources to built their ow version of the Ratte and would not have produced more than three prototypes of their own Maus, I still do think they would have had some other crazy looking designs that would either have never gotten off the drawing board or never would have been produced en masse.

One design feature that I'm a little interested in the idea of two main gun barrels in one turret on a tank. Or, if not in a turret, then in a design like a self-propelled gun or tank destroyer - just with two guns on it! I believe that, while, the Confederates would not have been able to even make more than just prototypes at their very optimistic best, these designs features would be wild.

View attachment 409332

This is a tank from the Japanese 0079 era for Gundam. The M61A5 MBT. Just look at those guns! This thing, in WWII vintage style, would qualify as a prototype/secret weapon in the Confederate arsenal I believe. Like the Maus perhaps they would have never been able to produce this thing in high numbers, much less get it off the drawing board! But a Confederate double barreled tank would have been something to see!

View attachment 409333 View attachment 409334

^^^ --- There is also this layout as well - the German VT 1-1. Again, in the context of TL-191's WWII, I don't believe the Confederates would have the resources to produce this thing in numbers. Its essentially a barrel-killer with two guns. Gives the impression that its a naval turret from a destroyer.

I've done a few double barrel tanks in the past, one was a request for a TL that was never written.
Below is the first one I ever did, its a Jagdpanther with two Kw.K 42 L/70 7.5 cm cannons (same gun the Panther used) instead of the Pak.43 L/70.

I called it "Der Mammüt".

 

[cortz#9]

BK39 Armadillo A4 The A4 entered service in Mid 1944 armed with the same 20 pdr gun used on the FV44H. Confederate crews eschewed the Armadillo title and nicknamed Wile E. after the popular Warner Bros cartoon character. Union barrel crews dubbed the BK43 the Stalking Coyote or Stalker for short and had a professional respect for the BK.
The Wile E was the end of the road for the FV38 chassis, it was well armed but slow and over loaded weight wise, still the BK performed well on the battlefield thanks to the fact the enemy usually came to it and the Wile E's simply had to wait in ambush.

It occurred to me that Featherston being a former artillery man would probably favor BK's over barrels, due to the fact that the BK's started out as self propelled artillery. So I imagine Featherston allocating a good amount of support and funds for BK's and there would be more types and variants of BK's than barrels.

 

[cortz#9]

FV38M A4. Entering service in early 1944 and dubbed the Kyote (pronounced Ky-oat), the A4 sported a new turret designed with help from the CSA's Russian ally and carried the same gun as the Timber wolf.
The Kyote was well liked by its crew even though they would have preferred the Timber Wolf or the Dire Wolf. In retrospect, the CSA would have been better served to have focused all production on the Timber Wolf, FV38M-A2 and Armadillo A3 but hindsight is always 20-20.

 

[cortz#9]

Self Propelled Assault Mortar or SPAM. Originally planed as a railway gun but then converted into a tracked self propelled siege artillery gun, armed with a naval eight inch gun used on cruisers. The SPAM wasn't taken seriously by the CS department of artillery when first presented but one of the designer took a copy of the blue prints to Featherston. Featherston an old artilleryman took a strong liking to the design and ordered four of the SPAMs prior to the AFV even being tested.

The order for the SPAM went out in 1937 but problems kept popping up and once the war began the SPAM was put on the back burner despite the constant demands for updates on the progress of the SPAM by Featherston. By war's end only the chassis and hull had been completed but the engine that came from a diesel locomotive was never mounted and the Navy never delivered any guns.

At war's end the partially built SPAM was captured and taken apart by Union engineers to send back to the US but years later only one of the tracks could be located. Even the blue prints of the SPAM disappeared, if not for one fuzzy picture of Featherston examining a scale model of the SPAM, historians would have concluded the SPAM was a myth.

OK you guys wanted something along the lines of the Maus, something crazy that was dreamed up and drawn up but never went into production, well here you go.
This was originally a self propelled siege gun built by the Germans in WWII called the Möser Gerat and dubbed "Karl". The Kar fired a 60 cm (24 in) diameter, 2,170 kg (4,780 lb) shell with a range just over 10 km (6.2 mi). Seven Karl's were built and were used during the siege of Brest-Litovsk and Sevastopol.

You can read and see photos of Karl here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl-Gerät

The SPAM is actually a lot closer to the Ratte than the Mause.

 

[Alterwright]

^^^ --- F44 Raptor, "Yellow Rose of Texas" - Introduced in 1944, the A44 Raptor was intended to deal with the latest models of Yankee fighters and heavy bombers. It had an innovative design, with counter-rotating props, a tricycle landing gear, and the most firepower to be mounted in a single engine fighter, with 3x 20mm cannons and 4x .50 cal. MGs. Its top speed was 460 MPH. With the tide of the war turning against the Confederacy it was hoped the Raptor could win air supremacy, but the new plane had many teething problems. Later models would improve the fuel injection system and fix other minor issues that plagued the aircraft. By the time most of these issues were dealt with, the war was over and the Confederacy had lost.

@cortz#9 <--- credit for design, line-work, and plane biography, thank you for your permission and work!

https://www.deviantart.com/jimbowyrick1 <--- credit for coloring, shading, and additional decals, thank you for your work!

Thank you guys! This is a beautiful plane that got even prettier! Featherston would be proud!