The Third World War 1989

[Tanelorn]

The National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic:

Τheir Mpi's have darker red bakelite instead of wood grips and stocks. Diensteinheit IX (Service Unit 9) was a covert counter-terrorism unit. Task Group "S" (AGM/S) -later named Department 23 was a STASI special operations unit trained to operate behind enemy lines. The original NVA colourful camo (1956-1967) was known as Kartoffelmuster (potato camouflage). The last guy has an RPG 18, an M72 LAW knock-off. Will be doing Yugoslavs and post-yugo republics next.

 

[Tanelorn]

Socialist federal republic of Yugoslavia, JNA:

The M72 LAW copy is the Yugo M80. M48 is a Yugo made mauser G98, the M49 a Soviet ppsh-41/ Italian M38 hybrid, the M53 a Yugo MG42, the M56 a MP38 in 7.62mm Tokarev, the M59 an SKS. The M70 a rifle grenade launching AKM, the M72 an RPK, the M76 an RPK based sniper rifle in 8mm, the M84 a PK the M85 a krink in 5.56mm and a M92 in 7.62X39. They also used MP44s for their paras into the 70s.
In the 40s and 50s they briefly adopted the Italian M33 helmet before the M59.
The lizard camo adopted by special forces in 92 has a unique plain grey background.
Will expand to civil war factions next.

 

[Tanelorn]

Slovenian territorial defence forces 1991:

For more poses and weapons, use the JNA above. They also used a denser version of the Yugo oakleaf camo, after independence. Will do.
@Thorvald of Lym Thanks!

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

 

[Tanelorn]

Yugo wars Croats:

Τhe East German strichtarn pattern was worn in fairly large numbers by the ZNG during the early months of the war. It was replaced by US surplus and localy made woodland uniforms. Romanian AK, FN FAL and Singaporean SAR80 rifles were also used in some numbers.
NZ= Croatian People's Defence Force (1991-92)
ZNG= Croatian National Guard Corps
HOS= Croatian paramilitary organization
HVO= Croatian Army
SJP= Croatian Special Police Units

 

[Tanelorn]

Bosnian Muslim armies of the Yugoslav wars:

TO(R)BiH= Bosnian-Muslim Territorial Defence Force distinct blue uniforms
PL= Patriotic League, Bosnian-Muslim independent army, largely ex-TO
ABiH= Bosnian-Muslim Army.Around 1992 special units in black. Between 93-96 frogskin camo, esp. around Bihac, then woodland.
Mujahideen= foreign muslim volunteers
AFBiH= Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, formerly MHVO=Muslim-Croat Defence Council

 

[Tanelorn]

Serbian Krajina army, 1991-1995:

 

[Patine]

@Tanelorn I'm still waiting on tenderhooks for the Mongolian Army to jump out and surprise me...

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

@Tanelorn I'm still waiting on tenderhooks for the Mongolian Army to jump out and surprise me...

SURPRISE IT WAS THE TOMCAT!

 

[Patine]

SURPRISE IT WAS THE TOMCAT!

Queues a custom remix of the Danger Zone with back-up vocals of Mongolian throat-singers interlaced...

 

[Tanelorn]

Serbian militias of the Yugoslav wars:

The Srpska Garda royalists were the weakest faction and were not supported by the JNA. Do you think the AK is too much?

 

[Patine]

Serbian militias of the Yugoslav wars:

The Srpska Garda royalists were the weakest faction and were not supported by the JNA. Do you think the AK is too much?

Royalism across the board has been a waning global political movement since the turn of the 20th Century. Case and point, only Spain formally REGAINED it's monarchy as an institution since then. But, other than Kalashnikovs, I'm not sure what else there would really be "laying around" in abundance to use in 1990's Yugoslavia, to be honest.

 

[Tanelorn]

Army of the Republika Srpska:

The Russians were about 700 to 1000, in three volunteer units. The 2nd was called the "Tsarist wolves". The Cossacks were one company strong. The Greek volunteer guard included about 100 golden dawn (lets say extremists) and mercenaries.
@Patine: A Yugo SKS or Mauser.

 

[BC1871]

Any chance that some of the "Dogs of War" (last of the true blue mercenaries) who served with the Croatian Forces could be drawn up?

 

[Tanelorn]

@BC1871 Like so?:

3FC is freedom fighters for Croatia, a mercenary company. Dutch, Spanish, Irish, Polish, French, Swedish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Canadian and Finnish volunteers were organized into the Croatian 103rd (International) Infantry Brigade. British, French, Czech, Canadian served in the 108 Brigade of HVO.
Many extreme right (neo-Nazi) volunteers from Western Europe, mainly from Germany, joined the Croatian Defence forces (HOS).Although Russians mainly volunteered on the Serb side, the small neo-Nazi unit "Werewolf" fought on the Croat side.
I haven't found any evidence of the claimed French (named after a French fascist collaborator, probably unlikely) and Italian battalions (named after Garibaldi, unlikely).
The total number of all volunteers (minus the mercs?) may be as low as 481 persons. Or it may be that volunteers serving in regular units are not taken into account -not sure.
These were all far outnumbered by 2500-3000 Albanians who fought on the Croatian side since 1991.

 

[BC1871]

@BC1871 Like so?:

3FC is freedom fighters for Croatia, a mercenary company. Dutch, Spanish, Irish, Polish, French, Swedish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Canadian and Finnish volunteers were organized into the Croatian 103rd (International) Infantry Brigade. British, French, Czech, Canadian served in the 108 Brigade of HVO.
Many extreme right (neo-Nazi) volunteers from Western Europe, mainly from Germany, joined the Croatian Defence forces (HOS).Although Russians mainly volunteered on the Serb side, the small neo-Nazi unit "Werewolf" fought on the Croat side.
I haven't found any evidence of the claimed French (named after a French fascist collaborator, probably unlikely) and Italian battalions (named after Garibaldi, unlikely).

The units are impressive, and I'm especially impressed with the regimental crests.

 

[Tanelorn]

@BC1871 I am only certain of the 3FC crest actually used during the war. For the other two I used veteran association emblems of those units, to be honest.

 

[Tanelorn]

Albania, cold war and since.

Note- Prior to 1968 at least (official secession from the Warsaw pact), Albania used Soviet WW2 style (1943) uniforms. In the 1990s the border guard replaced their chinese pattern uniforms with East German surplus ones.
Note II- Uniquely to Albanian SKSs the handguard goes over the full length of the gas tube.

 

[Tanelorn]

Current Slovenia. Multicam and the rare FN2000 rifle.

 

[Tanelorn]

Current Croatia. The local VHS rifle is replacing the Zastava M70.