WW2 Unit Graphics

[Fairline]

Updated Humber and Daimler armored cars

 

[Fairline]

Chinese 1937-49 compilation:

EDIT: see below

 

[CurtSibling]

Excellent work - And a nice unit icon for Mao, one barbarian leader worth destroying.

 

[Fairline]

China and minor Allies WW2. I'll add in Yugoslavia and Greece soon.

EDIT: see below

 

[CurtSibling]

Splendid job, mate!

 

[Tanelorn]

Jaw-dropping quality!

 

[Fairline]

Thanks . Btw Tanelorn, do you know anything of Greek AA and AT guns in WW2? I couldn't find anything other than Hotchkiss MGs as AA. EDIT: Thanks for the info - Greek AA and AT added!

Here's the complete compilation of minor Allied nations in WW2:

 

[CurtSibling]

Nice work - ! Cool addition of Yugo partisan girl too.

 

[Tanelorn]

Great job Gazza, as always.
Quick search, Google translated, quick fixes.
Large number of St Etienne m1907 7.7mm? machineguns in AA role supplied during World War I.
32 heavy Hochkiss machine guns of 13.2 mm. intended for anti-aircraft use during the Pangalos regime.
Artillery equipment that were ordered and acquired during the Metaxas regime included:
24 anti-aircraft guns of Flak 18 88 mm with their complete accessories, 18 headlights with their special vehicles and 6 hearing aids with their special vehicles.
54 Flak 36 37 mm anti-aircraft guns with complete accessories.
56 Flak 30 anti-aircraft guns of 20mm. on heavy duty trailers and 52 of the same type on lightweight trailers with complete spare parts and accessories.
14 tanks of 6-7 tons (British) were not delivered before the war. However, approx 24 37mm anti-tank guns (German? Czech?) were received, distributed and organized in 6 artillery units. As for anti-tank rifles, the order of 1786 14 mm rifles. was not satisfied and only 22 of them arrived.
Also captured Italian Solothurn AT rifles.
Distribution
From 1935 till 1940 we bought and received from Germany, including previous completed orders under the Papagos regime:
39 Flak 18 88mm A/A guns. 24 for the Army, 15 for the Navy.
77 Flak 36 37mm A/A guns. 74 for the Army, 3 for the Navy. This was an export type of the german flak 36-37 37mm.
52 light weight A/A guns 20mm ST-5 Solothurn. From Switzerland through Rheimetall.
56 german A/A guns 20mm Flak 30

 

[Fairline]

Thanks for the info Tim - I've added a Flak 18 and Flak 36 and 37mm AT gun into the compilation above. It's interesting how much of their own best equipment the Germans faced in the campaigns in the Balkans - 88's in the Greek forces and Bf 109s and Do-17s in Yugoslavia...

I think the British tanks sent to Greece were Vickers LT III's of which a handful apparently arrived and were put into action along with 100 or so Universal Carriers.

 

[Tanelorn]

Yes to both. In the 19th division. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_Mechanized_Division_(Greece)

Also, the Hellenic Air Force in its campaigns against Italy and Germany in 1940 and 1941, operated 12 Mk IVs (delivered before WWII without sights, bomb racks, wireless radios and intercoms) and 6 Mk Is (ex-RAF aid, delivered in February 1941). In the Middle East, the Hellenic Air Force operated 19 Mk IVs (from January 1942 till January 1943) and 31 Mk Vs (Bisleys- from January 1943 till September 1943).
Futhermore, a single SM79 and a pair of Ro37 were captured from the retreating Italians, but I think only the SM79 was definitely put into use.

 

[Fairline]

I've added a Blenheim IV into the compilation above. Before I make any changes or additions to the Hellenic Air Force units in North Africa I just wanted to check something with you: I can't find any references to aircraft using Greek roundels post-41 (eg this site which shows/refers to RAF roundels being used by Greek squadrons https://www.haf.gr/en/history/historical-aircraft/). Should I change the roundels on the compilation for the desert aircraft to RAF ones?

 

[Tanelorn]

@Fairline
As for two RAF Greek Spitrire squadrons in N.Africa: On the upper surfaces of the wings they wore British roundels and in fact the so-called "roundel B". In other words, it was blue and red. All the other signs and the roundels, circular or rectangular, were Greek. They had done this very easily by replacing red with blue. So on the fuselage there was the Greek version of the "roundel C1" on the lower surfaces as well the corresponding "roundel C". Come September 1944 they would lose their «Μiddle East Camouflage» for «Τemperate land scheme camouflage» and would be stationed in Nuova, Italy as part of the «Βalkan Air Force»
Source article: http://library.techlink.gr/ptisi/article.asp?mag=2&issue=164&article=4163
Same for the Hurrianes: The planes were painted in the Desert variant and carried Greek markings in all positions except the upper wings, where the RAF roundels were retained. The "FG" codes before the roundel were painted white on the sides of the fuselage, while the distinctive letter of the aircraft followed after the roundel, in some cases in the Greek alphabet.
Source article: https://www.haf.gr/history/historical-aircraft/hawker-hurricane-mki/ (official HAF site)
However according to this article, http://www.360aviationworld.com/haf_hurricanes.html and this article https://morisgeorge.com/portfolio-item/hurricane_leoni/ only some Hurricanes carried Greek markings on the fuselage, under the wings and on the fin whereas most carried only RAF markings, based on the photos and the pilots testimonies.
Blenheims, Bisleys and Baltimores carried RAF markings only. Some Baltimores carried a small Greek flag (the cross) by the side of the copkit.
https://www.haf.gr/history/historical-aircraft/bristol-blenheim-mkiv-2/
https://www.haf.gr/history/historical-aircraft/bristol-blenheim-mkv/
https://www.haf.gr/history/historical-aircraft/martin-a-30-baltimore/
Wellingtons were used briefly as transports, only after WW2.
https://www.haf.gr/history/historical-aircraft/vickers-wellington-mkxiii/

 

[Fairline]

Thanks for the info T Compilation updated with a Bisley.

 

[Tanelorn]

I seem to remember that some of the Hurricanes got the Greek markings for a publicity stunt when George II (Philip΄s cousin) came to visit after operation Thetis and they stayed. I mean, Polish and Czech RAF squadrons only carried their national flag under the copkit, right?

 

[Fairline]

Yeah as you say Polish, Czech, French and other Allied squadrons used RAF markings, usually with a small national flag by the cockpit or on the nose.

 

[Tanelorn]

Soviet S- Class΄Stalinets΄ fleet submarine (officialy just named ΄medium΄).
After its defeat in WW I, the German Weimar Republic was forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles to have submarines or build them in its own yards .So, proxies like the Netherlands-based NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw (IvS), a subsidiary of Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG-AG Weser (Deschimag), was developing such a submarine for Spain during General Primo de Rivera's dictatorship. The Soviets watched the boats development and the prototype΄s trials in Spain closely, but as Spain lost interest (...) that prototype was sold to Turkey in 1935, serving until 1947 as the Gür.
The design was considered satisfactory and the Soviets bought it, with the condition Deschimag to make improvements and assist with the building of prototypes, which it did. Construction commenced in December 1934, first in Leningrad and then Nikolayev and Gorky, using partially German equipment. After the 3rd prototype (IX series), German made machinery was replaced with domestic equipment (IX bis series). 56 were completed when Barbarossa struck. In all, they sank 82,770 tons of merchant shipping and seven warships, which accounts for about one-third of all tonnage sunk by Soviet submarines during the war. One, the S-13, sank 5 ships and damaged one ship, including two large transports, "Wilhelm Gustloff" and " General Steuben ", within 10 days , with more than 12,000 people killed. Two were handed over to the PLN after the war.
The original design was also improved by the Germans themselves, to become the famous Type VII and Type IX U-boats of the Kriegsmarine, hence the similarity.

@Fairline Including the Danes that resisted for about six hours and not the Czechoslovak armies in exile that fought throughout the war seems a little unfair.
These were the Czechoslovak Legion (Poland- 1939), the 1st Czechoslovak Infantry Division and 5th Fighter Squadron (France- 1939), the Czechoslovak 11th Infantry Battalion and the 310, 311, 312 and 313 Czechoslovak squadrons, later the Czechoslovak Fighter Wing (Commonwealth- 1940) , the Czechoslovak Independent Armored Brigade (Commonwealth- 1943), the 1st Czechoslovak Brigade (Yugoslavia- 1943), the 1st Czechoslovak Mixed Air Division, the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps and the 2nd Czechoslovak Parachute Brigade (USSR- 1943/44).

 

[Tanelorn]

In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops. Early in World War II their southern campaign through Malaya en route to capturing Singapore in 1941 was largely dependent on bicycle-riding soldiers. Using bicycles and no precious petroleum, the Japanese troops were able to move faster than the withdrawing Allied Forces and carry twice the load.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

"Clearly the most OP unit to ever have lived."

 

[Fairline]

Just to save you making any more duplicates Tanelorn, these are the cycle and motorcycle units I've drawn: