Captured Vehicles & Battlefield Recognition Symbols

[James Langham2]

Real world examples:

* The Soviets painted white bands on the turrets of tanks in Czechoslovakia in 1968 - Suvarov in "The Liberators" mentions at least one near red on red after a unit did not do this

* India-Pakistan War, the Indians(?) added extra welded sections on their T55s/T62s to look like a more Western shape (dummy fume extractors and turret extenstions)- Osprey Modern Soviet Tanks

(sorry but can't be exact as away training all week with no access to books)

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by James Langham2

* The Soviets painted white bands on the turrets of tanks in Czechoslovakia in 1968 - Suvarov in "The Liberators" mentions at least one near red on red after a unit did not do this

Huh. I had a Russian unit doing something like this in the 2013 CZ sourcebook, but in their case it was adoption of the Bundeswehr custom of marking kills on the gun tube.

- C.

[Brother in Arms]

at least what I have seen from Serbia, Bosnia,Croatian and Kosovo photos

Colored cloth arm bands where used to identify units. Also head bands particularly with Muslim troops. ( also don't forget colored neck scarves used by ARVN troops in Vietnam and Khymer Rouge in Cambodia)

And of course symbols national and historic

Fluer di lis was common on anything Bosnian especially packs, pouches and carved into rifle stocks by the thousands. Also Half moons, and stars which are Islamic.

Serbian Cross in various iterations, the infamous 4 C's symbol, plain cross, shield with two headed eagle, cross with bulbs on the ends, 4 c's in sheild ect.
was put on eveyrthing and anything especially carved in rifle stocks.

A Checkered shield was common on Croatian items

These are just a few things I could think up at 4 AM.

Brother In Arms

[RN7]

I don't think this would be much of an issue outside of the CONUS, as most US forces outside of America are Milgov and the only large Civgov force is in the Balkans, or maybe Panama but if I don't think the Panama forces are canon.

[Olefin]

At this point you may be seeing a lot of issues with the two sides like happened early in the US Civil War where the Confederates were wearing US Army uniforms (taken in many cases from US Govt storehouses) - i.e. as in what happened at First Bull Run where a battery firing at the Confederates assumed the infantry unit coming up to them was supporting them - until they opened fired.

You could see the same thing here - a CivGov unit pulls into a town and sees troops there who welcome them with open arms - and then surround them and take them prisoner when they notice the unit insignia on the CivGov units and realize they are the "enemy" or vice versa - especially in places where both sides are in close proximity

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by RN7

I don't think this would be much of an issue outside of the CONUS, as most US forces outside of America are Milgov and the only large Civgov force is in the Balkans, or maybe Panama but if I don't think the Panama forces are canon.

probably depends on if Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Samoa and places like that had any kind of split or went one way or the other - could easily see a mixing of CivGov an MilGov happening in Puerto Rico for instance - especially if one side or the other said they would side with making them independent for their support